Help! my tuscans just puked up its engine oil! and high psi!

[deadline21]

Help! Had my 2001 Tuscan 3 years and its never missed a beat (mind you it only does 2000 miles a year and lives in a garage, its just been serviced a month ago etc) - after a drive saturday morning parked up at home and when I came back to put car away theres about 3/4 litre of jet black engine oil on the road. Ive now moved my car down the drive way and 24 hours later there not even as much as a drip of oil from it now - driveway is spotless under it. (nice mess on the road though!)

Fired it up this morning to see if oil warning light would come on but it has not. Car started fine.

I did however notice that oil psi is way way up on normal reading, its showing 50psi on idle and 75+psi when revving lightly

That really seams way to high to me - normal for idle is about 12psi and revving would normally take it to 40psi

Quite worried about this!!

Question is, my nearest TVR garage is 40miles away - would anyone risk this drive or suggest I get it onto a low loader and deliver it there without driving it?

It does seem to start fine with no problems but can't risk blowing the engine up!! I'm aware its a least 3/4 litre down on engine oil

any one got any ideas? - thanks!

S

[clive f]

if its just been serviced than it sonds like its been overfilled with engine oil, what is the oil level like now?

[deadline21]

I'm gonna check that tonight after work - ran out of time last night to do anything further on it! - also want to run the engine a bit longer to see if engine oil pressure drops significantly once warmed up (but I definitely do not ever remember it being that high when starting from cold)

ta!

s

[Cockey]

Mine is always quite high until warmed up, although dont think it's that high.

[nrick]

What oil did they put in?
Cold oil pressures are a little high but not too bad. I would let it idle and warm up, and check it.. Having said that there is no where for the oil to come out other than the breather and that means the airbox could be full. If it has lost 3/4l then it should still be ok if it was at the top. Did you check the level after the service?

I would trailer it to some where respectable and do a check, better safe than sorry. £100 for a tow or 4k for a rebuild?

What pressure do you normally get at cold idle?

[deadline21]

good advice Rick, much appreciated. I didnt check oil levels after service but service was done by Dreadnaughts here in Scotland who are our main TVR servicing specialists for Central Scotland (and seem very good from what my dealings with them) - I'll give em a call later today to see what they advise but I'd be very nervous about driving it with such high psi readings. Normally on idle its at 10-15psi going up to 40psi on higher revs, Yesterday it was idling at 50psi going well over 70 as the revs went up. My gut feeling is thats this is way way to high and If I try driving the 35-40 miles to the garage I could easily do more damage or blow something up! - I think a low loader sounds best!

cheers

s

[Pacman1972]

Worried now - Mine is averaging 50-60psi when under mild load and when warm.
General advice given in my thread the other day was that it's probably a bad sensor reading and not to worry about it, but reading this I'm not so sure.

Assuming the oil level is right does anyone know what else can I check?

[deadline21]

got the bonnet off last night and can't find a single thing wrong in the engine bay - engine oil levels are bang on at top end of fill level, power steering oil all present and no water leaks from radiator. Using the car this morning and right enough once warmed up oil psi returns to normal - 10-40psi - as it was only just serviced i wonder if its new oil (and more of it!) thats causing high psi readings when cold? who knows, anyway, so far so good - no problems at all. It does raise the question was the big oil splodge on the road actually mine?! pretty sure it was but no idea where its come from - all seems fine (kinda worried now its clutch oil! but no problems changing gears once everything was all warmed up) surely if gear box had no oil I would know about it having just driven 20mins through city centre in rush hour! - will keep an eye on this

thanks for everyones help

s

[so called]

Maybe it was a nasty neighbour playing tricks on you tipping some old oil under your car ?

[deadline21]

Ha! funnily enough my neighbour doesnt like me much! (hes a tt know it all, one of those guys who tries to bully other neighbours for his own gain!) but can't blame him for this one - they are away on holiday. I'll know by end of today if theres a problem, gonna use it all day at work so will quickly know if theres more problems

s

[nelly1]

If it's thrown that much oil out, you would definitely be able to see where it had come from.

Also, assuming whoever services your car doesn't use filthy oil for the change, one can surmise that the 'jet black engine oil on the road' didn't come from your car.

[deadline21]

yeah its very odd but as oil puddle is right outside front of my house where usually only me that parks there and I first noticed it as the tuscans front end was parked right over it and it wasnt there an hour previously I still think its from me!... mind you I do also own a landrover discovery that parks very close to the Tuscan! - seriously though, pretty sure it is from the Tuscan but no idea from where (and yes, checking the oil last night clearly showed its not jet black but a very healthy clean light brown) - ahh well, will see what happens as I use the car over next day or two (carefully!)

ta

s

[so called]

deadline21 said:

Ha! funnily enough my neighbour doesnt like me much! (hes a tt know it all, one of those guys who tries to bully other neighbours for his own gain!) but can't blame him for this one - they are away on holiday. I'll know by end of today if theres a problem, gonna use it all day at work so will quickly know if theres more problems

Funny that, my neighbours a complete arschloch as well.

[Allandwf]

Doesn't look like a leak from a car to me, too close to the kerb.Maybe someone taking the mick.

[deadline21]

Unfortunately there's a camber on the road so splodge started on the far right and ran left towards the kern. Just home after a full day out in the car and no problems whatsoever, looks like alls good! Will just have to put this one down as a mystery, im breathing a sigh of releif!

[shep1001]

Pacman1972 said:

Worried now - Mine is averaging 50-60psi when under mild load and when warm.
General advice given in my thread the other day was that it's probably a bad sensor reading and not to worry about it, but reading this I'm not so sure.

Assuming the oil level is right does anyone know what else can I check?

Thats the reading I get and my S6 is fine. Plug it into the diagnostics software, the latest version has oil psi on it, this should tell you if the sensor is knackered.

If the oil is black this might indicate its old oil and not from your car! TVR's are good at 'self healing' but not oil leaks! Look under the car, is there evidence of oil?

Shep

Edited by shep1001 on Tuesday 26th July 18:33

[Pacman1972]

clive f said:

if its just been serviced than it sonds like its been overfilled with engine oil, what is the oil level like now?

Just checked my oil level. I let the car get up to temp 65 degrees. Dipped the stick - without screwing it in - The oil is about an inch over max on the stick.

Presumably needs to have some oil drained off. Diy or one for a tvr specialist?

[clive f]

looking at your photo, I`d say from where the oil has started from and run down towards the gutter that the leak must be from the driver side, so is your breather hose still connected to the airbox? sometimes these are only held on with a tye wrap and thy come loose with heat.

you really need to get the front of the car in the air, axle stands or ramps, have a look underneath and trace the oil back to where it has leaked from, I wouldn`t worry about it going to black, oils have detergents in them to clean out any carbons and crap in the engine, new oil never stays its original colour for very long.
why not take it back to where you had it serviced and get them to check it for you, are they familiar with speed 6`s?

[Ironballs]

Wise words from Clive I think, no sense in crossing your fingers and hoping where oil is concerned

[nrick]

To lose 3/4's l of oil , I wonder if it was filled to max when cold and not running.