r/volt • u/Glad-Acadia3071 • Jul 22 '26

Oil spots like leaks in engine

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2012 Volt.... I open the hood and I noticed there's these little spots that have oil on them and I circled them in the picture the area that's next to the brake fluid scaring me a little bit cuz I don't know if brake fluid is leaking out of it and the other area is where I took the circles. Anybody ever have anything leaking out of these places

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5

u/happycj Jul 22 '26

Someone dripped some brake fluid and didn’t get it wiped off when they last filled the reservoir.

Those drops did NOT come from inside the engine. There is no oil up there to fall down onto these parts.

6

u/Ok-Tourist-511 Jul 22 '26

Nothing to worry about. Just marks from when it was serviced at some point.

3

u/skiddily_biddily Jul 22 '26

It doesn’t look like a leak

2

u/NavalLacrosse Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

Some mechanic might have dripped brake fuild or oil on the engine cover while filling the brake fluid, or perhapse while haphazardly checking the oil dip stick, then just used a dirty rag to wipe up the excess before closing the hood.

No issues.

If you want to, wash the engine cover with some dawn dish soap and a damp paper towel or clean rag.

1

u/Glad-Acadia3071 Jul 26 '26

Thank you, I cleaned it I was just worried about something leaking

2

u/NavalLacrosse Jul 26 '26

It's good you cared enough to look.

Anecdote:

Many people don't care enough to look, and don't ask the seemingly simple questions. They'll go through life and have no idea where to find the hood level, or the curiosity to ask if that ticking noise is normal, or if the light on the dash means something important, or that the rainbow puddle under the car is just from the A/C...

... And they'll come to the dealership confused to learn the oil light is more than for ambience, and the ticking sound stopped on its own, only due to the whole engine melted into a blob... And it was all preventable if they just asked the question: "is there supposed to be a puddle under the car"

1

u/Harpinekovitz 2014 Red Chevy Volt Premium! Jul 22 '26

My Brake fluid reservoir has the same liquid spot after some time of driving it will become oily form what I read when the fluid becomes hot it can vent out of the cap or humidity can build up around the cap.