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Oily grime in undertray normal?

10K views 39 replies 20 participants last post by  patvr 
#1 ·
I had a rattle comming from my diffuser because of one the big bolts was backing out. When I tried tightening it I found that the bolt was covered in oil. I then dropped the diffuser (not the undertray) last weekend and found it covered with oil and grime (as were the bolts) which I wiped away. I then put the diffuser back on with the intension of waiting a week to see if the oil builds up again.

When I pulled the diffuser today I found that it was clean though the smaller bolts up front were coated with oul and the rear edge of the undertray was full of oily grime again (pic below).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rnair/318076078/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/142/318076078_a708696266.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Saturday 2:06 pm 12/9/06 Oakland, California" /></a>

My dipstick oil level seems normal. Is this grime normal or should I be running to the dealer asap?
 
#27 ·
Wow, a Lotus leaking oil? :rolleyes: Only the British can take a perfectly sealed Japanese engine and make it leak, so I knew it was only a matter of time before an oil leaking thread showed up. Maybe the under tray panel is really there to catch oil drips and not to clean up the air flow? If so, it was nice of them to cut in the NACA ducts so the trapped oil could eventually leak out onto the garage floor!
I wouldn't get too concerned over a small drip as long as it doesn't turn into a major leak. I have yet to see a Lotus that doesn't leak some sort of vital fluid eventually.
 
#28 ·
goelise said:
I cleaned the panel very well so it should be easy to tell if there's any new oil leaking now.
You will find the same oil grime there after a short time of driving -- guaranteed. It appears that we'll all need a new O-ring or possibly a replacement sandwich adapter. ;)
 
#31 ·
jeffgrice said:
Hi - what is a sandwich plate?

Jeff
It is what your oil filter is mounted to. If you look at the filter and where it's mounted, you'll see 2 oil lines and they connect to the sandwich plate. It is use to route oil to the oil coolers. Usually there is a valve in the sandwich plate that will open and close depending on temperature and allows hot oil to flow to the oil cooler(s).
 
#32 · (Edited)
Jack said:
You will find the same oil grime there after a short time of driving -- guaranteed. It appears that we'll all need a new O-ring or possibly a replacement sandwich adapter. ;)
Well, surferjer says he had a leak but upon changing the oil filter it did not exhibit the problem anymore. So far I see no signs of a leak anymore but then again I've only driven it a few times, well see in the future oil changes. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
 
#33 ·
goelise said:
Well, surferjer says he had a leak but upon changing the oil filter it did not exhibit the problem anymore. So far I see no signs of a leak anymore but then again I've onlt driven it a few times, well see for the future oil changes. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
Same here. 8000 miles since I wiped the grime off and no leaks.
 
#34 ·
goelise said:
It is what your oil filter is mounted to. If you look at the filter and where it's mounted, you'll see 2 oil lines and they connect to the sandwich plate. It is use to route oil to the oil coolers. Usually there is a valve in the sandwich plate that will open and close depending on temperature and allows hot oil to flow to the oil cooler(s).
Here's a few pics of it:

 
#35 ·
Update - leak from oil pan

I just got my car back from the dealer after the long list of warranty work.

They found that there was a leak in the sealant between the oil pan and the engine. The oilpan was removed, cleaned and resealed. Road testing found no more leaks. I will be pulling the diffuser in a couple of weeks time to double check but it sounds like the issue has been fixed.
 
#36 ·
rnr said:
I will be pulling the diffuser in a couple of weeks time to double check but it sounds like the issue has been fixed.
I just did what I posted in this thread (post #27) and saw no oil grime on the top of my service panel. There was no need to take the service panel off to verify this.
 
#38 ·
rnr said:
Good point - I will try that first :)
lemme know if it works for you, hope it does. :up: I used my 2 LED light that is very small and easy to get behind the rim and light up the top of the service panel. I am easily able to view it through the LSS rim's spokes.
 
#40 ·
It's 2018 and I have the same issue of a single drop off oil on the bottom of my oil filter. I looked underneath and saw that the sandwich plate bleed nipple had a drop coming out.

Is this common? Do I just tighten the bleed nipple? Auto part Vehicle Engine


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