Juddering, oil and grounding
Discussion
re: the misfiring/juddering problem I've been having, I chucked a bottle of injector cleaner into the gas tank, and the car seems to run much better. Its hard to say as Ive only done 20 mins driving since I poured the liquid into the tank, but in the first 5 mins, it seemed better, less juddery. Had to stop off to pick up someone who'd not seen my S yet, gave them a 5 minute blat and it seemed much better. Had to come home, so another 15 mins of driving later, and the car did seem... better. Much better actually.
So Im at home now, had to post to get a few opinions (and ask a few questions) ... I recon my tank takes about £33 of petrol and its full, so thats about how many litres? Seems like a small tank, doesnt it?
Anyway - could 10-20 mins of driving with this injector stuff in the gas tank really have cleaned up the injectors so fast? Part of me wanted a few opinions due to the fact that the juddering of the car does seem to be an intermitant fault.
Another issue, we stopped off at a pub this afternoon, and when pulling in to park, there was a little bit of an offroady type dirt hump/bump. I didnt hear anything grate or grind under the car, seemed we parked ok, and reversed out the same... wasnt aware of any grounding. However, hours later, at someone elses house, we noticed massive oil loss under the car. My S is definitely leaking oil, and lots of it it would seem.
So Im at home now, had to post to get a few opinions (and ask a few questions) ... I recon my tank takes about £33 of petrol and its full, so thats about how many litres? Seems like a small tank, doesnt it?
Anyway - could 10-20 mins of driving with this injector stuff in the gas tank really have cleaned up the injectors so fast? Part of me wanted a few opinions due to the fact that the juddering of the car does seem to be an intermitant fault.
Another issue, we stopped off at a pub this afternoon, and when pulling in to park, there was a little bit of an offroady type dirt hump/bump. I didnt hear anything grate or grind under the car, seemed we parked ok, and reversed out the same... wasnt aware of any grounding. However, hours later, at someone elses house, we noticed massive oil loss under the car. My S is definitely leaking oil, and lots of it it would seem.
-not sure why, praps coz Im a "new member" but my posting space is limited and I ran out of words...
Could driving over a bump (and grounding out) cause an oil leak?
I need to drive the car to Austec (45 mins) in 10 days... assuming I keep checking the levels, toping up as necessary, is 45 mins too far to go, with leaking oil? Its hard to say how much, I will check tomorrow, but it seemed like perhaps 6 tablespoonfulls leaked out in around 10 minutes, and when I reversed, there was a 10 foot trail of oil, in an unbroken line. I was reversing at about 2mph so Id guess that the drips from the leak were happening pretty fast!!
Finally, overfilling the oil - I think I did this, about 2-3 weeks ago... put far too much in. Is this a bad thing? I cant see how, but if putting too much oil in caused leaks, surely it would have happened weeks ago?
One more thing... to check the level of your oil, its best that the car is not running and has not been running for 10 minutes, then you check it, right? (been told a few contradicting methods, recently...)
Could driving over a bump (and grounding out) cause an oil leak?
I need to drive the car to Austec (45 mins) in 10 days... assuming I keep checking the levels, toping up as necessary, is 45 mins too far to go, with leaking oil? Its hard to say how much, I will check tomorrow, but it seemed like perhaps 6 tablespoonfulls leaked out in around 10 minutes, and when I reversed, there was a 10 foot trail of oil, in an unbroken line. I was reversing at about 2mph so Id guess that the drips from the leak were happening pretty fast!!
Finally, overfilling the oil - I think I did this, about 2-3 weeks ago... put far too much in. Is this a bad thing? I cant see how, but if putting too much oil in caused leaks, surely it would have happened weeks ago?
One more thing... to check the level of your oil, its best that the car is not running and has not been running for 10 minutes, then you check it, right? (been told a few contradicting methods, recently...)
Not sure about the juddering/injector cleaner thing.
As for the oil leak. Is the definately engine oil? I only ask as it could also easily be the differential. Have you had a grovel around underneath to see where it is coming from?
It could be something as simple as a loose drain plug (sump or diff). Not sure whether grounding could cause damage which would lead to this kind of leak, or not. In theory I suppose it could... just depends if the sump/diff hangs down low enough to make contact with the gound/obstruction. Not having my car here I cannot look.
Hope it's nothing too major mate. If it is engine oil, don't drive the car with the level low. Being an aluminium engine it doesn't cope well with overheating and running with a low oil level will cause damage.
Keep us posted.
As for the oil leak. Is the definately engine oil? I only ask as it could also easily be the differential. Have you had a grovel around underneath to see where it is coming from?
It could be something as simple as a loose drain plug (sump or diff). Not sure whether grounding could cause damage which would lead to this kind of leak, or not. In theory I suppose it could... just depends if the sump/diff hangs down low enough to make contact with the gound/obstruction. Not having my car here I cannot look.
Hope it's nothing too major mate. If it is engine oil, don't drive the car with the level low. Being an aluminium engine it doesn't cope well with overheating and running with a low oil level will cause damage.
Keep us posted.
Rob,
I wouldn't run or even start the car up again without having this looked into. Sounds like a fair amount of oil being lost and you'll surely damage the engine if you continue to run it, even at tickover.
See if you can tell where it is coming from, it could be something silly like the oil filter wasn't done up tightly and has loosened with use.
Regards,
Kentish
I wouldn't run or even start the car up again without having this looked into. Sounds like a fair amount of oil being lost and you'll surely damage the engine if you continue to run it, even at tickover.
See if you can tell where it is coming from, it could be something silly like the oil filter wasn't done up tightly and has loosened with use.
Regards,
Kentish
Hmm, the previous owner changed the oil filter right before handing over, I filled the car up weeks ago (too much, a little over the full mark) and the car is still reading just over the full mark, so it doesnt seem that oil is leaking.
Its been raining, so its hard to tell, but under the car there seems to have been a leak overnight, not much (actually, maybe its more than I thought) ... theres a patch about 5 inches in diameter which is wet. This could be rain, im not sure, and cant smell anything.
Austec are doing a full service, hopefully it'll show up then, but should I drive the car till then or not? (9 days away). I cant see any signs of leaking, but its hard, not knowing where to look, and not being able to get under the car properly.
Its been raining, so its hard to tell, but under the car there seems to have been a leak overnight, not much (actually, maybe its more than I thought) ... theres a patch about 5 inches in diameter which is wet. This could be rain, im not sure, and cant smell anything.
Austec are doing a full service, hopefully it'll show up then, but should I drive the car till then or not? (9 days away). I cant see any signs of leaking, but its hard, not knowing where to look, and not being able to get under the car properly.
I should try to find out where it is coming from first.
Leave the car parked on the level and put some newspaper, or a tray underneath the engine and one underneath the diff. Check back in a few hours and see where it is coming from and how much.
I'd would echo the comment on not driving it until you're sure what the problem is. Keep checking that dipstick too!
Leave the car parked on the level and put some newspaper, or a tray underneath the engine and one underneath the diff. Check back in a few hours and see where it is coming from and how much.
I'd would echo the comment on not driving it until you're sure what the problem is. Keep checking that dipstick too!
Worst case scenario is that you've blown an oil seal of some kind by over filling, but I've accidentlly overfilled cars in the past and had no porblems. More than likely it will be that the previous ovner did not tighten the sump plug up enough and it's worked it's way loose a little after a while.
As said above, first thing is to work out where the leak is coming from, Diff or engine.
Scraping the bottom of the car is unlikely to have holed the engine or such like. The exhaust is what will cop it first as I well know. I hit a speed bump pretty badly a while ago and all it did was knacker an exhaust clamp.
As said above, first thing is to work out where the leak is coming from, Diff or engine.
Scraping the bottom of the car is unlikely to have holed the engine or such like. The exhaust is what will cop it first as I well know. I hit a speed bump pretty badly a while ago and all it did was knacker an exhaust clamp.
UKbob said:
pstruck said:
it could also easily be the differential...
It could be something as simple as a loose drain plug (sump or diff).
What would this mean, in reality? Is this a "dont drive the car anywhere" scenario? Im sure its not the oil. Rob
Rob,
You'll know if it's oil as it'll still be on the drive where it leaked (unless you cleaned it up) even then you'd know the difference when cleaning it away.
So, with the engine cold check the oil level, if it is still OK and you haven't topped up since before you overfilled and the level has remained the same then you should be confident in saying that the leak isn't engine oil, so the suspects such as oil filter, sump plug etc should be OK.
If the leak had a slight oiliness to it then it may have been coolant, so whip the cap off the swirl pot (towards the front of the engine bay on the drivers side), it's a tall metal cylinder with a pressure cap fitted to it. Take this off whilst cold and the chamber should be pretty full, if not fill it up and replace the cap. If it wasn't full then I'd suspect that you are dropping coolant. The other coolant tank on the bulkhead isn't pressurised and can be empty when the car is cold but I usually keep mine a third full.
If you are happy that you have enough oil and no serious leaks then you can fire her up again, wait for the engine to reach a good temp when the thermostat opens and see if anything is dripping. If it does stop the engine wait for it to cool and check the levels again to see which has dropped. Also check the puddle to see if it is coolant and water mixed (will have a sweet smell), or oil which will be obvious.
I would advise also checking the brake and clutch reservoirs also on the bulkhead, if either are below the maximum line top them up and then with the engine running pump the brakes and dip the clutch several times to see if there are further leaks. This is light straw coloured fluid (usually) and has an oily feel to it, it's also very corrosive and will strip paint! Switch of after doing this a few times and check the reservoir levels haven't dropped. If not then these should both be OK.
With the diff or gearbox you'll have to get underneath to spot a leak. If there is then don't drive until sorted.
Something else you mention is rain, I don't suppose any has been held inside anywhere and has been pouring out as you move the car? Like the boot or footwells?
Good luck, I'm sure it's not anything terrible.
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers,
K
>> Edited by kentishS2 on Monday 9th August 11:34
I dont know what or where a diff is 
I was wondering, though... the previous owner said from time to time, the water coolant does spill out the overflow, especially if the car is hot and you stop the car without cooling it down first, the heatsoak can make the water boil and that will overflow. Its impossible to tell whats on the drive... its one of those yellowish brownish driveways made up of cemented stones. If it was oil, there wasn't much on my drive, it didnt feel very sticky, in fact it was hardly there. Gonna check someone elses house tonight, where it leaked. Im hoping and thinking it might be the coolant.
Im a smoker, and my nose is shagged so Im gonna have to do a taste test, I hear coolant tastes sweet.
Whats a diff, where is it on a V8S, and what will it taste like if its leaking?
I was wondering, though... the previous owner said from time to time, the water coolant does spill out the overflow, especially if the car is hot and you stop the car without cooling it down first, the heatsoak can make the water boil and that will overflow. Its impossible to tell whats on the drive... its one of those yellowish brownish driveways made up of cemented stones. If it was oil, there wasn't much on my drive, it didnt feel very sticky, in fact it was hardly there. Gonna check someone elses house tonight, where it leaked. Im hoping and thinking it might be the coolant.
Im a smoker, and my nose is shagged so Im gonna have to do a taste test, I hear coolant tastes sweet.
Whats a diff, where is it on a V8S, and what will it taste like if its leaking?
UKbob said:
Whats a diff, where is it on a V8S, and what will it taste like if its leaking?
The diff (differential) is located in the middle of the rear axle. It is essentially a gearbox which takes the drive from the engine (via the prop shaft) and turns it through 90 degrees to drive the rear wheels. It is a clever little box of trick which also allows one wheel to turn faster than the other when cornering. You may also see the term LSD used for the V8S. This means Limited Slip Diff and involves more 'clevernes' - but I'll let someone else explain that!
Not sure about the taste of these substances. Not sure I'd like to try to be honest!
The differential is filled with gear oil, which would look similar to engine oil if in a puddle on the drive.
Petes explanation is spot on, I was gonna say the round shaped lump in the middle of the rear axle is the diff!
But for the technically minded:-
The differential, or diff, on the V8S, came with the option of having either a Limited Slip Differential or a standard one. The benefit of having a LSD over the standard was when you lost traction on one side of the driving wheels, the other wheel would keep driving power where it has grip. Unlike the standard diff, where the wheel with the least grip will get all the power and spin, leaving you stuck on soft or slippery ground. The diff's came with a varied final ratio's. Some came with a low ratio, while others had a higher one. The lower ratio gave lower rpms at higher speeds and a slower 0 to 60 time. The higher ratio gave a faster 0-60 time , but the down side was the higher engine rev's for the same speed , causing a lower fuel consumption.
The diff is connected to the end of the driveshaft, which then changes the speed and torque of the shaft to the ratio corrected output to the wheels. This is done by different sized gears in the diff changing the input speed to its output speed.
But for the technically minded:-
The differential, or diff, on the V8S, came with the option of having either a Limited Slip Differential or a standard one. The benefit of having a LSD over the standard was when you lost traction on one side of the driving wheels, the other wheel would keep driving power where it has grip. Unlike the standard diff, where the wheel with the least grip will get all the power and spin, leaving you stuck on soft or slippery ground. The diff's came with a varied final ratio's. Some came with a low ratio, while others had a higher one. The lower ratio gave lower rpms at higher speeds and a slower 0 to 60 time. The higher ratio gave a faster 0-60 time , but the down side was the higher engine rev's for the same speed , causing a lower fuel consumption.
The diff is connected to the end of the driveshaft, which then changes the speed and torque of the shaft to the ratio corrected output to the wheels. This is done by different sized gears in the diff changing the input speed to its output speed.
Right, been looking under the car, and can't see anything dripping to wet spots. Hard to tell though as my drive is oil coloured and stony anyway. Ive put cardboard down under the entire vehicle, and will check later to see if there are any leaks.
If I cant find a single drop of anything wet on the clean cardboard within how long... say 30 mins(?) should I start the car up, and let it run for 5 mins, then check again?
And if the stains have vanished from the other driveway (will check later) then its safe to assume the leak last night was coolant, and has been washed away? Is it only oil from the diff/engine/gearbox that would not wash away with a little rain?
I really cant see anything on my drive, because its a brownish mass of little yellow stones set in yellowish cement.
Could it be possible that the injector cleaner I dumped in the tank made the car run hotter... guy who sold it to me said after the engine rebuild, the engine does run slightly hotter (I think) so it would be the first time for me that the coolant has overflowed, but... he did warn me about it doing so, about half a dozen times. Its just never happened before.
If I cant find a single drop of anything wet on the clean cardboard within how long... say 30 mins(?) should I start the car up, and let it run for 5 mins, then check again?
And if the stains have vanished from the other driveway (will check later) then its safe to assume the leak last night was coolant, and has been washed away? Is it only oil from the diff/engine/gearbox that would not wash away with a little rain?
I really cant see anything on my drive, because its a brownish mass of little yellow stones set in yellowish cement.
Could it be possible that the injector cleaner I dumped in the tank made the car run hotter... guy who sold it to me said after the engine rebuild, the engine does run slightly hotter (I think) so it would be the first time for me that the coolant has overflowed, but... he did warn me about it doing so, about half a dozen times. Its just never happened before.
UKbob said:
1.
If I cant find a single drop of anything wet on the clean cardboard within how long... say 30 mins(?) should I start the car up, and let it run for 5 mins, then check again?
2.
And if the stains have vanished from the other driveway (will check later) then its safe to assume the leak last night was coolant, and has been washed away? Is it only oil from the diff/engine/gearbox that would not wash away with a little rain?
3.
I really cant see anything on my drive, because its a brownish mass of little yellow stones set in yellowish cement.
4.
Could it be possible that the injector cleaner I dumped in the tank made the car run hotter... guy who sold it to me said after the engine rebuild, the engine does run slightly hotter (I think) so it would be the first time for me that the coolant has overflowed, but... he did warn me about it doing so, about half a dozen times. Its just never happened before.
Hi Rob,
Answers to above:-
1.
Yes, if there's no sign odf leaks whilst cold run until hot and then check again.
2.
Yep, water and oil don't mix so must have been coolant if it washed away.
3.
Sounds good, more likely it was water/coolant than anything else as it would cause a stain or worse.
4.
Probably unlikely to make it run hotter but it's possible.
My opinion is that if there are no apparent leaks from engine oil, diff oil, or gearbox oil, or from any brake or clutch pipes or cylinders then you should be OK. Did you check your brake and clutch reservoirs are still full to the mark and not empty?
If all of these are OK then I reckon that your coolant header tank was filled too high and dumped some on your drive.
Guys, its been pissing down with rain, and the cardboard under my car is wet, just a little centre, in a bit from the drivers side wheel. Im sure this is from rain, so I did some groveling and lickery-pokering, didnt find anything suspect, nor taste anything suspicious. Im gonna go start the car up in a bit, see what happens.
I think I did fill the red water tower in front of the rad right up high (to the brim), I havn't I'll check the level later, I just dont understand why it'd spill water now - its been 2 weeks since I filled the water coolant up.
Does hot weather make a lot of difference re: whether the car chucks up its water?
Also, where and how do I check the levels of my gearbox, brake and clutch fluid?
I think I did fill the red water tower in front of the rad right up high (to the brim), I havn't I'll check the level later, I just dont understand why it'd spill water now - its been 2 weeks since I filled the water coolant up.
Does hot weather make a lot of difference re: whether the car chucks up its water?
Also, where and how do I check the levels of my gearbox, brake and clutch fluid?
greenv8s said:
If you have had a big oil leak (and from your description I'd say you have), it is quite likely that the leak has stopped because it has run out of oil. Just because it has stopped losing oil doesn't mean it is OK to drive.
Right, but the oil is still full, fuller than the Max mark (I over filled it accidentally) and it has been this way for weeks.
Are you referring to gear/clutch oil?
The only thing under the car on the cardboard is rain water, not a single drop of anything in a few hours. Im not sure what to do or think...
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