Chrysler Repair: 1998 Plymouth Voyager Starter, 1998 plymouth voyager, rear main oil seal

Question
I have a 1998 Plymouyh Voyager 3.0l 6 cyl.  The oil has been leaking at a pretty good rate and recently the starter has been intermittantly hesitating.  It will go for 3-4 days with no problem and then it will make no action on the first turn of the ignition and then start right up.  Is this possibly a result of oil leaking on the starter or does it sound like the starter is going bad or a relay?  Will an oil additive recondition the seals to slow the leak?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Brian,
Have you looked at the path of the oil leak to verify that it is getting into the starter motor at the end where the wires are attached, which is where the bruses and armature are located? If it is, then that could contribute to the starter reliability. It could be a battery weakness, or it could be clamp being loose/corroded, it could be the relay or even the ignition switch, or the starter motor regardless of the oil. So I would check out all those possibilities by listening for the starter relay to click or not when you try the ignition switch, for example, and check for volage at the starter solenoid to be reaching it from the relay. I am not knowledgeable about oil addititives to improve the seal situation, but I would not put a lot hope in that possibility. Also, check to see if the leak might be from a valve cover rather than the rear main oil seal.
That is how I would approach it.
Roland