whilst having full service/ timing belt and de-phaser done when i bought my car the mechanic advised i needed the rocker cover gasket done which i did. Since ive put it into other garages for other things they have all advised an oil leak down the back of the engine but when checking the dip stick im not loosing any... now car has been stood for 48 hours ive started it up and theres a rattle between 1k and 2k rpm.
OK its hard to have an oil leak without loosing oil so the leak is not a bad one we can assume, If the oil leak is not from the rocker cover then the first guy did his job and the source of the leak and how high up the engine the oil is will help find it. What are other garages doing around the back of the engine unless they are working there i.e. manifold or the oil has took them there they should be able to tell you what's leaking. My experience is everyone tends to pour oil direct from the jar and the elf jar can be hard to start hence they spill it especially down the spark plug hole which can cause unnecessary concern although some of the head bolts seem to have a seal problem according to others. As for a rattle that can happen at any time but it all comes back to zeroing in on the source some garages may half arse a look and not care if they find something or not or may not look at all unless it's all over the floor. I would suggest take it to a good specialist they know the cars best and know what a where to look and has to be cheaper that going to two or three normal garages before someone pinpoints the problem as your other garages have not shown you so far. Other things could be gearbox leak or crank seal in the clutch bell even cam seal leaks being blown round the back of the block. So check the oil when the car is in the same position to check loss, first thing before morning start in its parking space not pointing up or down hill or two wheels on the kerb on the other side of the street from the night before common sense but some don't think that way. Clean up the oil give it a good clean so you can see new oil on the surface and track it down so after that good luck.
Thanks for the reply.. i cleaned all the oil from the engine and under tray ten days ago using engine de-greaser and there is only a bit back. None on driveway or road at all, just on the front under tray. Bit frustrated with the garages as im spending a fair bit trying to get the car in good mechanical condition but they seem lacking in experience! Its driving like a dream but worried im doing damage Driving it if it aint right. Ive got e mechanic with over 20 yrs experience looking at it thursday so fingers crossed...
If you know there is a bit back look up to where it’s coming from and take a picture and post it up, if you can see the oil then it only flows downwards generally so have a look at the highest point and that’s your leak
If it’s the under tray your seeing the oil on it’s a reasonable leak, but work put where it’s furthest point forward or the highest point it’s coming from, and then get under and look up
Could even be the sump plug!
There will be a drop off the sump or a low point normally... it’s not rocket science finding an oil leak especially if you’ve cleaned it off well
Before slating garages boys remember that to steam clean an engine if its lathered you can’t do it in the street or even a car park otherwise you risk prosecution, so it may well be that the garage didn’t have the time or facility’s to clean the engine off properly and weren’t willing to charge the customer for a half arsed job which is the right way to be with a customer regardless
As for other garages having ‘no business’ around the back of an engine... anything that requires the front plastic under shield being taken off will let them see a drop of oil or even without taking it off as it may well have been dripping off and a nice clean workshop will show it up if they were just doing a tyre, so don’t talk about stuff you obviously haven’t encountered previously if you haven’t got a clue how decent mechanics actually work and try to be helpful, the internet is great for slating people when in reality it was good that they mentioned he had an oil leak in the first place
If it’s the under tray your seeing the oil on it’s a reasonable leak, but work put where it’s furthest point forward or the highest point it’s coming from, and then get under and look up
Could even be the sump plug!
There will be a drop off the sump or a low point normally... it’s not rocket science finding an oil leak especially if you’ve cleaned it off well
Before slating garages boys remember that to steam clean an engine if its lathered you can’t do it in the street or even a car park otherwise you risk prosecution, so it may well be that the garage didn’t have the time or facility’s to clean the engine off properly and weren’t willing to charge the customer for a half arsed job which is the right way to be with a customer regardless
As for other garages having ‘no business’ around the back of an engine... anything that requires the front plastic under shield being taken off will let them see a drop of oil or even without taking it off as it may well have been dripping off and a nice clean workshop will show it up if they were just doing a tyre, so don’t talk about stuff you obviously haven’t encountered previously if you haven’t got a clue how decent mechanics actually work and try to be helpful, the internet is great for slating people when in reality it was good that they mentioned he had an oil leak in the first place
Have you actually booked the car in specifically to get the oil leaks diagnosed? If not there’s zero point getting frustrated... if it was as you say while other jobs were being done then ever think they may not have had an hr or so to strip the covers off, clean it off properly and then leave it running for ages to then look for the leak, it’s often not as simple as just a look otherwise I’m sure they would have done
Patience is good when it comes to a new car to you, you will find issues (often why someone’s sold a car)
Sounds like your bloke on Thursday has been booked specifically to look for the leak it may be worth cleaning it off again tomorrow and allowing oil to seep as that’s the time consuming part which he will have to do, hope he finds your leak and can sort it easily
Patience is good when it comes to a new car to you, you will find issues (often why someone’s sold a car)
Sounds like your bloke on Thursday has been booked specifically to look for the leak it may be worth cleaning it off again tomorrow and allowing oil to seep as that’s the time consuming part which he will have to do, hope he finds your leak and can sort it easily
I total understand but a car or anything can run for years with leaks in the cooling and oil systems as long as you keep the levels up and don't thrash it. I've seen myself spend crazy amounts of time doing small jobs but checking everything else and replacing anything that looks slightly wrong as my outlook is to keep it and not sell it on
My sentiments exactly turkie. Im investing money into my 197 to keep it and as its my first im learning what the crack is with them so come on here to get helpful advice from people who have owned them for years. I like my cars to be in the best condition they can be so dont mind spending what it needs but suppose i want a garage that shares the same enthusiasm as me...
No problem this thread is making feel a little uncomfortable now so I'm ducking out hope you get it sorted.
I’m not sure who your responding to turkie as it doesn’t let you quote reply’s? I hope it’s not my responses that are making you feel uncomfortable, I am merely explaining why stuff happens in a garage and at no point have I suggested getting rid of a car or not doing stuff nor have I been aggressive, I don’t get time to rose tint stuff and get as much info as I can in a post to get a point across, I will also help as much as I can and have above, so I’m not sure why you feel like you need to leave the thread? Sorry if anything I wrote offended
