oil leak.....anything to worry about? fire hazard?

[shagadelic45]

Brand new John Deere E120 mower and after using for the very first time, I noticed some oil dripping and come to find out where the oil dip stick is, was not screwed down all the way/securely.

Now I have oil all over "under the hood".....on the battery, wires, engine, engine compartment, etc......

Is this anything I need to be worried about? Can this cause a fire?

Thanks!

 

[ILENGINE]

About the only thing hot enough to ignite the oil is the muffler and the exhaust manifold. So the risk is low. What does happen is the oil collects oil and other debris and just causes a mess.

 

[tom3]

How far is it to the selling dealer. I'd load it up and take the trip, probably oil on belts under there too. This is exactly what the warranty is for.

 

[dinesmohamm]

I would repair it as soon as possible. It sounds to me like a possible fire hazard. You should never take risks with stuff like that. I am a firefighter and have encountered similar situations. There have been cases when an unattended oil leak caused the car to set on fire seemingly out of nowhere. But a fire in a car that has oil leaking should come as no surprise. Obviously, something like that is bound to happen. It of course depends on where exactly the leak is happening but a good rule of thumb is to always fix stuff like that. If you want to know more, contact us here firerecruitmentaustralia.com.au.