[beinmymirror]

I have a leak. Still haven't dived under the car but believe it's right under engine head. See picture of oil spot on floor. The card board piece is centered on the rear engine seal. So leak is 18 inches left of that.

 

[Dr.Hess]

You can never tell where a leak is coming from based on where it hits the floor.

 

[beinmymirror]

You can never tell where a leak is coming from based on where it hits the floor.

You're so right. Further review is required.

 

[carbuff]

Most common leak I've seen is from the base of the cam carriers...especially on the exhaust side.

The exhaust cam carrier holds a cupful of oil even after shutdown. Eventually it leaks.



But of course, the usual advice is to clean up any accumulated grunge, then monitor the area so that you can see where the oil is coming from.

 

[71type65]

The location can be deceptive. I had a bit of fluid on the ground that was dripping off the bottom of the trans, so I thought maybe axle seals. Turned out it was coolant originating from the (V8) engine heater outlet hose, which is quite a ways fwd, running down the bellhousing and eventually under the trans. At one point I thought it might be fluid seeping from the clutch slave cylinder 🤯. It really went out of it's way to deceive me. Easy fix was tightening the hose clamp.

..... The card board piece is centered on the rear engine seal. So leak is 18 inches left of that. View attachment 1315049

With the drip appearing that far left of vehicle centerline it almost has to be something associated with the cam towers, covers, etc. Maybe another much less likely possibilty would be a turbo oil feed line, if the I4 has those. In any case the drip could be hitting and running along the exhaust manifold, obscuring the origination point.

 

[beinmymirror]

Most common leak I've seen is from the base of the cam carriers...especially on the exhaust side.

The exhaust cam carrier holds a cupful of oil even after shutdown. Eventually it leaks.



But of course, the usual advice is to clean up any accumulated grunge, then monitor the area so that you can see where the oil is coming from.

Will do and thanks. Keep you posted.

 

[esprit888]

Does the exhaust manifold smoke when getting hot at start-up?

 

[carbuff]

Does the exhaust manifold smoke when getting hot at start-up?

If you are properly MOVING most likely you wouldn't see any smoke. Along the same lines, frequent drives minimize any smoke.

 

[esprit888]

If you are properly MOVING most likely you wouldn't see any smoke. Along the same lines, frequent drives minimize any smoke.

When the rear camshaft cover O rings leak, and they all do eventually, there is no doubt as its almost immediate upon starting, plus it stinks, a quick look in the mirror sends the heart rate to the stratosphere and you suddenly wish you had bought that nice little fire extinguisher on Amazon!

 

[carbuff]

the rear camshaft cover O rings leak,

Good point, I fixed those on my Esprit years ago. Make that, decades ago. (JAE O Rings, and it is a relatively simple repair).

With a cold engine, feel under the rear of both intake & exhaust cam carriers in the rear side. If you wished you had a Bounty, that's the issue.

I mean, there are other things that can leak, too. I needed to seal the turbo's oil return where it bolts into the oil pan. For that matter, our turbo itself always has an oil drop under it.

So, the advice from a few posts applies: Clean up the dirt & grunge so that you can better see source of the leak.

 

[Giniw]

When the rear camshaft cover O rings leak, and they all do eventually, there is no doubt as its almost immediate upon starting, plus it stinks, a quick look in the mirror sends the heart rate to the stratosphere and you suddenly wish you had bought that nice little fire extinguisher on Amazon!

Indeed!
Recently mine started to do exactly that (after a while seated in the garage -- shame on me but in my defence I have been restoring my good old daily car, so ... ) and I properly degreased the exhaust manifold after I sealed the exhaust cam cover again. I hope it's fixed now since I don't really fancy an engine fire Oo

As for the fire extinguisher I have two old B+C grades ones but unsure if they are still working ... I may buy a new one just in case (B+C is a powder based one but with a non corrosive/aggressive powder like the A+B+C grades ones, it's just that lacking the A grade it won't extinguish wood/paper/plastic fires, but will work fine on petrol/grease/solvant/oil (B class) and also gaz (C class is for butane/propane/and so on).
Much harder to find than a regular ABC but as it's supposed to be not aggressive or corrosive I guess it's the definitive choice for a car like ours.
From what I have heard, the ABC will extinguish the fire (so it could save you, which is fine), but it will also be so corrosive that the thing that is not burnt is still mostly scrapped in the end. I've been advised to not used an ABC in a house since the insurance will cover the fire damages but not the extinguisher damages ......... Could be the same in a car? Obviously if the fire is dangerous in any way it's still better to stop it but ........ Anyway, a B+C is the better choice, apparently.

(also, hi from LEC, it's been a while I have not visited there!)

 

[beinmymirror]

Does the exhaust manifold smoke when getting hot at start-up?

Nothing unusual with anything. No smoke.

 

[beinmymirror]

I cleaned the area around the cylinder head and above the exhaust manifold. Old black grease build up but no leaks.
Will keep looking.

 

[esprit888]

Another common one is the turbo oil return pipe, it is bolted (2 bolts) to the underside of the turbo and the side of the pan. When the oil gets nice and hot it leaks at the gasket, runs down the pipe and drips off the bottom, but that should be visible if you have the undertray off.

 

[Dr.Hess]

I had:

Cracked turbo oil feed line​

leaking turbo oil drain line​

back of the cam covers O-rings​

cam covers to head​

I think that's it.

 

[beinmymirror]

I'll take another look for a leak. Interestingly I did a short 25 mile trip the other day. The next day no leaks showed up on the garage floor.

 

[carbuff]

Seeping oil is OK. Leaking oil is not.

At least, "If it leaks, its not out of oil"
Hope you checked the dipstick!

 

[beinmymirror]

All good oil level wise. See no leaks.