There are some major oil stains on my driveway. There’s vegetable oil from bad fill up attempts and filter changes. Even more plentiful are the scores of little dots and one large black tar pool from elusive motor oil leaks. I’ll admit, my 79 300SD is one leaky beast, even more than my 97 F250(and a Ford mechanic once told me that the 7.3 Powerstrokes are externally lubricating engines).
I’m still not resigned to having a leaky car. I’ve changed out the oil cooler lines and turbo waste gate hose. Frustration has set in however, as more leaks seem to pop up daily. Not just oil leaks either. There’s a growing radiator leak, occasional tranny fluid dumping and now, believe it or not, the windshield fluid reservoir is leaking. Honestly, I ‘m beginning to feel too demanding of a car that has been on the road for 32 years.
I haven’t given up on fixing these leaks, but I am banning myself from from parking anywhere near the driveway(I also warn others as I pull in their beloved concrete slabs). Meantime, I’ve been trying by “whatever means necessary” to remove the oil stains from my driveway. It’s actually beginning to affect my relationship to my fiancée and I know what the neighbors are building their case against me every time they walk by to get their mail.
So I set out to clean up the oil stains from the driveway. Easy right? Spray some Simple Green and wash away, or if necessary do a little scrubbing. Nope. I’ve tried about 10 different cleaners: Purple power, Purple Power Citrus, Driveway Cleaner, Bleach, Coca cola, Dish soap, etc. I’ve scrubbed with all of my might. I’ve enlisted the family and borrowed by brother-in-law’s gas powered pressure washer. With high hopes I was met again with failure, yet only partial this time. The 2500+ psi water did skew the stain color from black to gray.
This is really a STAIN. It’s actually in the concrete. I’m not backing down and will try a different approach. What that exact method is, I don’t know. After perusing the forums and asking other WVOilers who stop by, the most accurate and telling answer I’ve gotten is: good luck.
There’s gotta be a solution. Can you help? Any tips or advice other than going back in a time-machine and not parking in my driveway?
-Jason Jelonek
