I took off my battery today and had a look behind the engine, this is what i saw.

note the red circle is an oil trail

Then i saw this.

Pipe is split so i changed it with a fresh one and inserted the spacer from the old. This is where it came from.

I thought i got lucky and maybe this was where the smoke was coming from but sure enough i went for a test drive and its still smoking around that area.

 

The rocker cover gasket doesnt seem too oily but then again i cannot really get a good look at the other side of the cover.

any ideas people?

as i want to book it in to have the oil leak fixed but i want to be sure where its coming from first....

LOL Aye sounds about right.

 

Cheers John

Pics of the cleaning fluid can attached as well.

 

Are you in the trade (aerospace or motor)? The only people I've ever known to get that stuff have always got it through the trade.. Or do motor factors carry it? (It's good stuff :))

Ok had a good look under the car today and took lots of pictures.

most of it is coming from the front if not all of it. i dont have time to buy that aero spray but i think il do that 2mow. then i can have a better look at the source.

its on the aircon compressor/the altenator/

it has travelled along the bottom of the gearbox onto the gearbox mount and on the exhausts about halfway.

i also noticed a bolt missing from the gearbox where it joins the engine so i put one in.

i also tightend most of the pipes.

I noticed the bottom rad pipe was not tight and leaking water so i tightened that also.

Well at least its not going to rust under there ;)

here are the pics. enjoy..

i cant see the pics at work but if its comin from the front it could be the front crankshaft oil seal, but like i say i cant see the pics, i'm just talkin s**t now :slap: :xxx: :smash: i'll have a look when i get home.

Jeez, that's bad. You'll need to get a lot of that cleaned off before you can work out where it's coming from. I suppose the good news is that it'll be a big leak, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find.

and if it is the crankshaft seal how hard a job is it?

It only leaks when its driven.

and a bit on idle.

i had the car running while i was underneath and i couldnt see the source.

I got to clean it up real good like you said.

Heck, I thought mine leaked badly and I took it off the road - mine was nowhere near that bad!

 

Crankshaft seal isn't too bad - basically at this point I'd start pulling the timing belt covers, belt, sprockets and back plate off and start trying to figure out where it's pi**ing out from.

 

My top suspects based on that oil-massacre:

 

1) Crankshaft seal

2) Camshaft seals

3) Cam sprockets

 

If you can't find the leak on the front of the block (i.e. cam or crank seals) then I'd be tempted to put the belt etc back on and run it with no covers - if you spray a neat line of oil on the underside of the bonnet, it's likely the intake sprocket (where it mates to the camshaft seal) or the end plate that houses the VVT mechanism.

 

 

But seriously.. get that fixed - it must be costing you a fortune in oil!

Whats strange is i changed the oil last month and driven a good 1000 miles and only needed to top up oil twice, looks worse than what it is i think.

 

I think best bet is to take it to a good z garage and let them change the timing belt alone with all the seals????

if it still leaks after that then il hang myself.

a good zed place should be able to tell you where its leakin from

looks like thats what im going to do.

The one in southend is closest to me.

well if the cambelt does have to come off for any reason you may aswell get it changed while your on then you know its done,

looks like thats what im going to do.

The one in southend is closest to me.

 

 

There's a guy just outside Chelmsford called Karl, that Mike Feeney uses.

There's a guy just outside Chelmsford called Karl, that Mike Feeney uses.

 

 

You got a contact for him andy?

You got a contact for him andy?

 

Probably 07767 415804, but Mike would know.

Ok erm..... whos mike?

Mike Feeney - MJP, keep up lad ! ;)

oooh mjp mike?

got ya.

il give him a call.

On the very 1st pic, Is that red and silver pipe/harness/whatever a std part??? :confused:

Was there when i bought it, nothing is seeping from that... why you ask?

clean all the oil with a solvent type spray and get it dry then cover the area in talc powder,yea the stuff your bird puts down her knickers to smell nice then get the car up on jacks or ramps and run the motor,light a ciggy and just wait and watch the talc go oily where it leaks

Was there when i bought it, nothing is seeping from that... why you ask?

 

 

Because there is one on john300zx pic, and i have one on mine. I thought some little jap had bodged it befor it came over :D

clean all the oil with a solvent type spray and get it dry then cover the area in talc powder,yea the stuff your bird puts down her knickers to smell nice then get the car up on jacks or ramps and run the motor,light a ciggy and just wait and watch the talc go oily where it leaks

 

 

good idea....

I was just on the phone to mike and he will give me a call in the morn to let me know an available time to book the car in. Think il leave it to the pros...

But i all depends as im off 2mow morn for a possible 3 weeks. My dad is on tour with a singer (i wont mention names) and i will be his little runaround and set list organiser for the duration, as my present job is very quiet aT this time of year and it will be a great experience for me.

will be travelling around Britain on a tour bus, off to haggis land in the morn......

:nana2: :nana2: :hyper: :hyper:

Are you in the trade (aerospace or motor)? The only people I've ever known to get that stuff have always got it through the trade.. Or do motor factors carry it? (It's good stuff :))

 

 

I am in the motor trade and the company I work for buy it, its pretty good stuff.

 

Cheers John

Jimmy

 

Mine wasnt as bad as yours but I still had a mess on the driveway. It looks like a front end strip down. The only way to prob tell is try and clean it as best u can then watch from underneath and see where it comes from. One small point on one of your pictures the oil looks red which would indicate possible a power steering oil leak or maybee its just the light on the oil, but maybee another vaenue to look at.

 

Chin up mate its very fixable, I was lucky I did mine myself in the garage but some bits were a nightmare without the proper tools...ie removing the crank pulley.

 

Cheers John