Found an engine oil leak (2019 CX-5)

Hello fellow mazda owners. I was doing an annual service on my 2019 CX-5 2.5 FWD and an oil leak caught my eye. I removed the splash cover for the crank pulley and followed the staining up to whatever that pulley is for i the second picture. At first I thought it might be coming from the oil pan but odd that the stain would go up. Any ideas what that pulley attaches to? It's not a bad leak at all as none of the plastic under trays have any staining nor is the dipstick reading lower than it should but it'll start slow and get worse with time. I do all general servicing myself as the local dealers haven't done a very good job. I only mention that becuase I can already see the local dealer putting up a fuss about this if I bring it in for them to warranty. Thank you for any help!

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Timing chain cover gasket leaks are not unusual on earlier model year Skyactiv engines, and that would be my primary suspect on yours as well.
 
Looks like it. Dealer wanted $1700 to fix it for my '14 Mazda3.
I told them, "Thanks. No deal."
 
I was doing an oil change yesterday and noticed that I have a similar oil leak as the OP. It is scheduled to go into the dealer on Monday to determine the source of the leak.
 
Hello fellow mazda owners. I was doing an annual service on my 2019 CX-5 2.5 FWD and an oil leak caught my eye. I removed the splash cover for the crank pulley and followed the staining up to whatever that pulley is for i the second picture. At first I thought it might be coming from the oil pan but odd that the stain would go up. Any ideas what that pulley attaches to? It's not a bad leak at all as none of the plastic under trays have any staining nor is the dipstick reading lower than it should but it'll start slow and get worse with time. I do all general servicing myself as the local dealers haven't done a very good job. I only mention that becuase I can already see the local dealer putting up a fuss about this if I bring it in for them to warranty. Thank you for any help!

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Get it in there sooner rather than later if it's still under warranty.
 
UPDATE... I just returned from the dealership with a diagnosis of an oil leak in the seal at the timing cover. They did a dye test and also checked for a cracked cylinder and luckily there was no evidence of that issue. The service manager said they have had a "few" of both issues in the CX5 2.5 L engine. He said the majority of the cylinder cracks are showing up between cylinder 2 and 3. The repair will be done next week once they get the timing cover sealant in stock.
 
UPDATE... I just returned from the dealership with a diagnosis of an oil leak in the seal at the timing cover. They did a dye test and also checked for a cracked cylinder and luckily there was no evidence of that issue. The service manager said they have had a "few" of both issues in the CX5 2.5 L engine. He said the majority of the cylinder cracks are showing up between cylinder 2 and 3. The repair will be done next week once they get the timing cover sealant in stock.
That's good news they're fixing it.
What year, mileage and is it turbo or nonturbo?
 
That's good news they're fixing it.
What year, mileage and is it turbo or nonturbo?
I’m just about to post similar questions. It’s a 2018 CX-5 GT, so we know it’s a 2.5L NA with CD, not a 2.5T.
 
UPDATE... I just returned from the dealership with a diagnosis of an oil leak in the seal at the timing cover. They did a dye test and also checked for a cracked cylinder and luckily there was no evidence of that issue.
Thanks for the update. You don’t have cracked cylinder head right now doesn’t mean you won’t have it later on your 2.5L NA with CD. More common problem on the 2.5L NA with CD is the hydraulic lift adjusters. Mazda has issued TSB and Service Alert, and be alert on HLA’s clicking noise and don’t wait until it’s too late.

2018 CX-5 110k mi Valve Lifter Tick Camshaft Damage? (w/ pics)


The service manager said they have had a "few" of both issues in the CX5 2.5 L engine. He said the majority of the cylinder cracks are showing up between cylinder 2 and 3.
Yes, based on the pictures and videos we’ve seen, the external oil leak from a cracked cylinder head on the 2.5L NA with CD happens on the back side near cylinder #3.



The repair will be done next week once they get the timing cover sealant in stock.
From some member’s experience here, such repair may not work due to the complexity of the repair procedure outlined on the TSB.
 
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yrwei52 you are not much of an optimist in regards to the CX5 2.5L engine. I am familiar with some of the other known issues with the CX5 that may fail. There are a few post here that discuss them. But, I would like to take a more positive spin on things and as my post noted "luckily" I don't have an issue with a cracked cylinder. But, as you said "...doesn’t mean you won’t have it later on..." :)
 
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Jack Rabbit... 2018 CX5 with 2.5 L NA (with cylinder deactivation). Mileage 33,235 km or about 20,700 miles.
 
UPDATE... I just returned from the dealership with a diagnosis of an oil leak in the seal at the timing cover. ... The repair will be done next week once they get the timing cover sealant in stock.
Just an FYI (if you're not already aware) that these timing cover gasket jobs are sometimes done with less than 100% success. In particular, the RTV setup wait time is critical, and the working window is often very narrow. Also, the multi-pass torque sequence is another potential stumbling block as well. And the third common failure point is not waiting the required amount time (usually overnight) for the RTV to fully cure, before refilling fluid.

Yes, any job can be messed up, but the reason I'm singling this one out is that a good portion of the timing cover gasket area is very difficult to see, particularly with the vehicle on the ground. And this means that a minor gasket weep might go unnoticed for quite a while, particularly if the fluid can accumulate in some hard-to-see location on the engine.

So this is a recommendation for you to do careful monitoring of the entire timing cover gasket area of the engine, for an extended period of time. An inspection camera can be very helpful to get a look a some areas which are otherwise inaccessible. Hopefully they will do a great job on your vehicle, but it's never a bad idea to be vigilant, just in case.
 
Just an FYI (if you're not already aware) that these timing cover gasket jobs are sometimes done with less than 100% success. In particular, the RTV setup wait time is critical, and the working window is often very narrow. Also, the multi-pass torque sequence is another potential stumbling block as well. And the third common failure point is not waiting the required amount time (usually overnight) for the RTV to fully cure, before refilling fluid.

Yes, any job can be messed up, but the reason I'm singling this one out is that a good portion of the timing cover gasket area is very difficult to see, particularly with the vehicle on the ground. And this means that a minor gasket weep might go unnoticed for quite a while, particularly if the fluid can accumulate in some hard-to-see location on the engine.

So this is a recommendation for you to do careful monitoring of the entire timing cover gasket area of the engine, for an extended period of time. An inspection camera can be very helpful to get a look a some areas which are otherwise inaccessible. Hopefully they will do a great job on your vehicle, but it's never a bad idea to be vigilant, just in case.
Why the hell did i never have these problems with my Ford's???
Head gaskets, cylinder head cracks and time chain gaskets ...like wtf? Stating to wonder how isolated all these problems are.
 
Why the hell did i never have these problems with my Ford's???
Head gaskets, cylinder head cracks and time chain gaskets ...like wtf? Stating to wonder how isolated all these problems are.

Maybe because no one car is built the same? Not every CX-5 owner experiences these issues. As far as I remember, your CX-5 has been problem-free as well, right?

Of the Fords you owned, I'm sure some percentage of those models had their own well known issues. No Ford is perfect either.
 
Just an FYI (if you're not already aware) that these timing cover gasket jobs are sometimes done with less than 100% success. In particular, the RTV setup wait time is critical, and the working window is often very narrow. Also, the multi-pass torque sequence is another potential stumbling block as well. And the third common failure point is not waiting the required amount time (usually overnight) for the RTV to fully cure, before refilling fluid.

Yes, any job can be messed up, but the reason I'm singling this one out is that a good portion of the timing cover gasket area is very difficult to see, particularly with the vehicle on the ground. And this means that a minor gasket weep might go unnoticed for quite a while, particularly if the fluid can accumulate in some hard-to-see location on the engine.

So this is a recommendation for you to do careful monitoring of the entire timing cover gasket area of the engine, for an extended period of time. An inspection camera can be very helpful to get a look a some areas which are otherwise inaccessible. Hopefully they will do a great job on your vehicle, but it's never a bad idea to be vigilant, just in case.

Most dealerships will NOT wait for the RTV to dry overnight. Dealer service departments is all about money and time. Having a vehicle sit on a lift overnight is not making money. Whatever the time payout for such a job is, I guarantee you, they don't take into account waiting for RTV to dry overnight.

Most RTVs will dry properly within 10-12 hours in the right indoor temps and humidity. Ideally, waiting 24 hours before use is best but the odds of that happening at a dealer are next to zero.
 
I bought my 2017 as the new 2018 models were coming out. When I read about the 2018's getting the new CD and how complex that was, I said NO WAY, and opted to get a 2017 model year which didn't have it. I knew back then that Mazda's CD was going to be problematic as it was new and overly complex to save maybe 1mpg.

Fast forward 5 years, and my intuition was right. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies to most things. Overly complicating something that doesn't need to be and not testing it for 3+ years, usually results in problems later on.

I also have a 2004 Buick LeSabre with 86k miles on it. The 3.8L V6 engine is one of the most reliable engines GM ever produced but what's even better is that it is SUPER EASY to work on. Everything is easily laid out and easy to access. Tons of room and parts are cheap and available. On the Buick LeSabre forum, quite a few LeSabre's have seen 400,000 on the original engine (trans replaced around 200k-250k). One guy has 525,000 miles on his 3.8L and it's never been pulled out and still has the original head gaskets on it. Usually the bodies will rust out before the engine gives out.

Point is KISS and Mazda screwed this up on the CD.
 
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lets agree to disagree. its still too early to compare since you are comparing 18 year old car with 25 year technology vs 4-5 year old car with newer technology like DTI, high compression, CD and other stuff. There are quite a lot 2018s (4 year old car) with 120-130,000 miles which are in decent shape.
Only time and more miles on those engines will tell how it does long term.
Where Mazda is not good is their dealerships and services departments and that goes to the point where people are scared to go for repairs.
 
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A quick search shows about 4 or 5 1st gen CX-5s from 2013 and 2014 with 210-240k miles at the time of posting. And one member posted that his 2014 GT has 385k and counting.

2018s are only 4 years old. I'll wait and see how these engines do before coming to any conclusions, but the issues brought forward are worth keeping an eye on, if nothing else.
 
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