2008 Hummer H3 Alpha, 209km

Noticed this morning a small oil spot under the front of the passenger side front bumper. Looked up and saw the inner fender liner was wet with a large oil leak from the TOP of the inner fender. Looked like it was coming from the hole where one of the plastic retainer clips holds that wheel well in.

I opened up the hood and saw it was also wet/ oily under the air box, where the foot of the air box is connected to the body of the engine bay. Strange thing is, there's no hoses or anything near there. No visible leaks, nothing wet hose-wise. Checked brake fluid, power steering, both at max. Coolant also full, and windshield washer fluid. Didn't check engine oil but that's all the way in the middle of the engine bay and not anywhere near that area (and as far as I know oil doesn't fly).

Anyone had anything similar happen? Any thoughts?

My shocks are Bilstein, only 2 years old, and I doubt oil from the shocks where they mount would travel upwards and then out the wheel well but not leak at the base of the shock or anywhere else. Similarly, axle/ seal/ cv/ wheel stuff are further away and oil wouldn't travel upwards. It wasn't dotted or splashed, just clean soaked in a puddle style along the UPPER side of the wheel well liner.

 

Do you happen to have an 'oiled' air filter that you recently cleaned and re-oiled? Cleaned and oiled my K&N in my Vette last year, didn't think I over oiled, and several days later found a red puddle under the front end. At first thought it was trans fluid but couldn't figure out how trans fluid could have gotten in that spot. Turned out over several days the filter oil dripped out. Learned my lesson on THAT one and have since switched to the dry, cleanable filters in both the Vette and H3.

 

Wow, this is why I love this forum. I do have a K&N Oiled Filter, just cleaned/ oiled it a month ago and have only driven 2 or 3 times due to the pandemic since. I thought today could that be it, no...must not be that much oil to have leaked that far down. But, after seeing your comment, sure enough I took a look and there was a big red puddle in the bottom corner of the inside of the filter box. Doesn't look like it went past the filter toward the MAF, though, just down there. Wiped it up. I, like you, definitely didn't think I over oiled!

I put one in my corvette and BMW as well, so I think I'm going to check the other 2 now to make sure also.

I love the KN filters, guess I'll just have to be super light on the oiling next year.

Thanks a bunch!

 

Make the switch to a washable dry filter....you'll be glad you did. Just to play it safe, clean your MAF and throttle body.
https://www.autozone.com/filters-and...88348_966709_0

 

Correctly oiling a K&N is an acquired art form! I've been using them for over 40 years in all of my off-road toys (used to race motorcycles in the SoCal desert, still ride in the sand dunes of Glamis), so I learned a long time ago how to do it right. Got one in my Alpha; no issues. But my son is still learning the technique on his Husqvarna TE310 and FE501, he still often ends up with the red "****" puddle.