Stop engine oil leak

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costakid
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby costakid » Fri Jun 16, 2017 12:32 pm

Very harsh. What has OP finances got to do with anyone on here. There are plenty of good non franchised mechanics in Spain. JTB just seems to have picked a wrong un.

ajtg1952
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby ajtg1952 » Fri Jun 16, 2017 3:31 pm

Very harsh words, WH.

I drive a 10 year old XTrail, and a 25 year old Discovery. The XTrail has caused me horrendous problems. For 6 years it would not start in the winter. Took about an hour to get it going. Not great for early morning airport runs. I did put it into the Nissan garage and they charged me 450 euros and did nothing.

A local mechanic said he thought he could fix it. He spent over 50 hours on it, including taking the engine out. He eventually pinpointed a stretched upper timing chain. When the engine was warn and in the summer the stretch was taken up. He charged me parts and 19 hours labour. It took 8 weeks. Unfortunately he didn't replace an O ring and now I have a bad oil leak. It is an engine out again job to fix so he is dragging his feet.

I would love a newer car. I had company cars for 37 years never more than 3 years old, but I chose to retire at 55 so this is the price I need to pay. It is so easy to say get a new car or go to a recognized mechanic, some of us don't have that luxury.

john the baptist
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby john the baptist » Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:03 pm

I do appreciate your help thank you everyone. This man has been excellent up to now, he had helped me out on many occasions but has let me down on this one. yes we probably do need a new car but the funds are not there at the moment so have to continue with what we have. Ill go back next week and see if he can resolve it although he does not want me to go back. I find in Spain that a lot of self employed people simply will not take responsibility for the quality of their work.
This is especially the case with builders!!!!

olive
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby olive » Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:24 pm

Have you had a look yet to see where the oil is actually coming from as per Devils advocate,s post?

You might be able to save yourself a load of aggro.

E.g. If it is the residue dripping off cross member then no further action though you could wipe some up with a cloth.

If it is the oli filter not tightened up enough then you can fix that or any garage can for cost of a drink.

AkoAko
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby AkoAko » Fri Jun 16, 2017 4:44 pm

The problem with oil leaks is they are often hard to find due to the fact they are often not obliviously located anywhere near where you exoect them to be , a car driving along will blow the oil when the engine is hot and make it look 10 times worse than it actually is , it will also readily travel along a cross member especially the seam and drip off at some other point . The only real solution is power wash the engine or clean it with something like Gunk and then you have a clean engine to start from . Rocker or cam cover gaskets are sometimes the cause , the oil will run down the easiest track going around protrusions before finding a point to drip off from .

I think before you loose any sleep over it you should establish how much your loosing , take dip stick measurements when the engine is totally cold and see if its loosing sufficient to warrant topping up regularly and worrying about . Have no idea what engine you have but a suggestion thats crossed my mind is the end of the engine where the crankshaft passes through an Oil ring , these wear and oil when it leaks from that point the leak is normally behind a pulley so wont be seen but once out of the engine wil be moved to another part of the vehicle by the wind acting on it as your driving along .

Might or might not be of any help but better to be told something usless or something you already know than not be told something you needed t know .

Alcala Barry
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby Alcala Barry » Fri Jun 16, 2017 5:59 pm

John, you are being offered a lot of very different information here. Beware.

Did the oil leak happen before the oil and filter change? If not, the most likely sources for a leak are:

Sump plug not correctly fitted - some of these, but not all have a renewable washer that is either copper based or similar. When you retighten the sump plug it is vitally important that the plug is aligned correctly and then torqued up to the correct setting. Too tight and you can scrap the thread, too loose and it will leak.

The next most common problem is aligning the new oil filter correctly, which is no big deal. But it has to be spot on and must not be over tightend. Most recommend that the filter is tightened as much as you can by hand and then one extra quarter turn, using a filter wrench or similar.

Please, please don't put any kind of additive into the oil hoping that it will stop a leak. It will not and anybody suggesting it will obviously knows nothing about engines and their maintenance.

This is not an expensive problem to solve, it will be something quite simple - including, as one person said, the possiblity of spilt oil sitting on a cross member below the oil filter housing. An old rag or two will sort this by wiping all of the excess away.

Once you (or someone else) have done all of that, top up the oil again and check the level on the dipstick - only do this on a level surface. This is vitally important. Drive the car around the block and get the engine warm. Then get back onto level ground, leave the car for at least five minutes and check the dipstick oil level again. If it is the same as before - job complete.

Re Air Con re-gassing. Waste of time buying these DIY re-gassing cans. You need a pro to check the system for leaks (before they re-gas it and waste the lot!) if there are no leaks, they can then re-gas it, check for leaks again, then run the engine, turn on the a/c and using a thermal probe, they then check the temperature of the air coming out of your vents on the dashboard and wherever else required.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Good luck.

Barry

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costakid
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby costakid » Fri Jun 16, 2017 6:47 pm

ALCALA BARRY, All you have done is repeat everyone else recommendations. Can you come up with something new to help the guy?

Alcala Barry
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby Alcala Barry » Fri Jun 16, 2017 6:52 pm

No
Last edited by Alcala Barry on Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

john the baptist
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby john the baptist » Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:21 pm

olive wrote:Have you had a look yet to see where the oil is actually coming from as per Devils advocate,s post?

You might be able to save yourself a load of aggro.

E.g. If it is the residue dripping off cross member then no further action though you could wipe some up with a cloth.

If it is the oli filter not tightened up enough then you can fix that or any garage can for cost of a drink.
hi could you explain the above what is the cross member???

AkoAko
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby AkoAko » Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:25 pm

Cross member is a strengthening beam that runs between the front wheels and sits under the engine , not normally anything between it and the ground so oil tends to find its way onto it from above . Often made of two pressed steel sections , a top and bottom piece welded together and often with a rim around it . Of course not all cars are the same but thats how a lot of them are .

john the baptist
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby john the baptist » Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:27 pm

thank you for explaining, apologies if it was obvious.

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:05 am

Do you have a nearby/accessible friend/knowledgable person who could take a look at the car for you?
As others have said, it's quite possible something simple, once it's spotted.
Chris

john the baptist
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Re: Stop engine oil leak

Postby john the baptist » Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:57 pm

hi not really my reliable mechanic seems to be the source of the problem


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