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[bobbilly]

Well, I was going to give up on the old meg, but as everything structural seemed OK I thought I'd throw £30 at her to see if she passed her MOT, and, to my amazement she did with a couple of advisories (tyres and front pads/discs).

So as I have a nice new MOT, I thought I'd let her have some new plugs/filters etc.

However she has been leaking quite a bit of oil, which I have never been able to trace (have done the rockers/camshaft seals).

When doing the plugs, the r/hand bank were full of oil, so my question is does anyone have any idea what would cause this ?

Cheers

BB

[amba]

If the plug wells have oil in them it is a dead cert that the cam cover gaskets are leaking....when you replaced them were genuine GM gaskets used with the correcty black sealant in the correct places ?

[dbug]

Leaking cam cover gaskets - did you use genuine Vx?  Did you clean breathers?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Cam cover gaskets and blocked breathers....

[bobbilly]

Cam cover gaskets and blocked breathers....

Could you give me a reccomendation of a place in Nottm I can get the lot done properly please. Last lot were done at a so called engine specialist, and I'm begining to think they may not specialise in the engine department after all.

Thanks

BB

[Marks DTM Calib]

Cam cover gaskets and blocked breathers....

Could you give me a reccomendation of a place in Nottm I can get the lot done properly please. Last lot were done at a so called engine specialist, and I'm begining to think they may not specialise in the engine department after all.

Thanks

BB

Whre in Nottingham are you.....I could probably do them for you if you can wait a week or so

[bobbilly]

Whre in Nottingham are you.....I could probably do them for you if you can wait a week or so

It would be most appreciated if you could help me out with these (I'll supply tea/coffee/bacon sarnies/cash and any help you need). 

I'm in Sherwood (NG5) and can wait (drive is already like the aftermath of the Valdez ~ even has a coating of white powder for that true South American feel ).

[bobbilly]

Just to be sure on what was leaking (as I had already had the rockers done 5 month s ago ~ I now think the oil in the plugs might have been from before this).

I bought some UV dye (for oil, not the stuff for A/C leak tracing) and a little U/V led torch.

I waited for the oil level low light to come on (happened yesterday as it happened), and mixed up a solution of dye/oil, and chucked it into the engine.

This morning, after a 60 mile drive to work, I popped the bonnet, and had a look around the rockers for a leak (expecting to find a huge one, and...... nada). So I had a look around and found that it's leaking from the drivers side front of the engine (at the bottom). As I can't get the car onto a ramp easily, would this be the sump gasket gone, or is there something attached down there that could also have a gasket thats failed ?

Cheers. 

[Dazzler]

Sounds like the crankshaft oil seal to me

[Marks DTM Calib]

Interesting....any ideas how its getting from the crank seal, up the engine and into the plug wells?

[bobbilly]

Interesting....any ideas how its getting from the crank seal, up the engine and into the plug wells?

Don't think it is, as when I had the last rocker gasket change I don't believe they de-oiled the plug wells. I'm getting nothing (UV wise) from the plug wells at the moment.

[Marks DTM Calib]

In which case I think you need to get to a base line.

Clean the sump area down and empty the plug wells of oil and then monitor again.

The key concerns I have (thinking aloud here).

1) Its pretty poor for a garage to leave plug wells full of oil on such a job!

2) Were the breathers fully cleaned or is this the route cause which is resulting in oil leaking in 2 places due to the engine casing pressurising.

[bobbilly]

In which case I think you need to get to a base line.

Clean the sump area down and empty the plug wells of oil and then monitor again.

The key concerns I have (thinking aloud here).

1) Its pretty poor for a garage to leave plug wells full of oil on such a job!

2) Were the breathers fully cleaned or is this the route cause which is resulting in oil leaking in 2 places due to the engine casing pressurising.

1) Quite possible, wasn't a VX garage, and they quoted a price and then moaned about it taking a lot longer. Not my fault but who knows what they didn't do.

2) The answer is very probably 'No they weren't'.

As I currently have an engine full of Oil/UV dye it should be a simple exercise to check the plenum pipes (as I would think) if they were clear I'd get a good UV reading from both ends.

[Dazzler]

Interesting....any ideas how its getting from the crank seal, up the engine and into the plug wells?

Cos he said the oil leak was at the bottom of the engine and that the plug wells from before....