2008 Scion tc – Losing Oil/Burning A lot of oil

It looks like what the arrow in the photograph is pointing to is where there is a gasket between the valve cover and the head. It is a common leak and the fix is a new gasket set. Unless you know what you are doing this repair should be left to a professional. It shouldn’t be too expensive.

The two holes in the dip stick are for full and add oil. So, normally right in the middle would be fine. But in this case, since the engine is leaking, add oil to raise the level to the upper hole. You don’t want your aunt to run out of oil and ruin the engine.

BTW, my father died when I was nine. My mother didn’t even have a driver’s license and had to hire someone to teach her to drive. So, at nine, I became the mechanic for our clunker car. Your aunt has a good nephew.

Like BarneyB said, add oil until it’s at the full mark. Once the engine is cold, you can clean that area completely so you don’t see dirt/grime/oil/grease. Let her run it for a few days (it sounds like she puts on a couple miles quickly) and then look back at this section to see if there is oil. If there is, then you can have it taken somewhere with an explanation of why you want your gasket changed. It’s not hard a hard or expensive fix, but without the right tools (torque wrench mainly) the problem will just re-appear.

Never underestimate your own abilities. Even at 15. That said, I’m with the group, it does look like a valve cover gasket if it is indeed leaking where you pointed out in your picture.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.