Oil Leak

[Jeremy E]

I've recently bought a Chimaera 500 and it has an oil leak. Nothing major, but it leaves a few spots on the floor. It's been back to the dealer once already (who was very good and fitted a sump gasket) but it still leaks. I'm told that all of these Rover V8's leak a bit of oil, but is this really to be expected? Dealer has also been good again and offered to take another look, but i wanted to gauge what i should expect from this car / engine.

Any advice from current or existing owners would be much appreciated so my new driveway stops being decorated with oil!

[poorpeet]

Is it leaking from the sump? Mine leaks from the oil pressure sender. This blows back along the side of the engine & could look like a leak from the sump. I'd expect a TVR garage to be aware of a common fault like this though.

[Red V8]

Don't worry... we all drip a bit, it's when your drip turns into a dribble you should worry

[Jeremy E]

I think it was leaking from the sump, not where it is now though, it seems a bit further back. Maybe i'll have to put it down to one of those little annoyances that go with owning a TVR...

[The Surveyor]

Don't look at it as an anoyance, it's just part of the anti-corrosion protection for the chassis.....

[Jeremy E]

i guess that's one way to look at it!

[shropshire lad]

My 500 drips slightly.Told by 2 dealers "had a look and nothing to worry about",
so I don't worry . Mind you I was the one who thought the word gullible had been removed from the Oxford Dictionary.

[petros]

I've had my sump off and put gasket sealer on.Suggest you check your p a s pipe for leaks as well. known problem.

[Jeremy E]

cheers, i'll have a look. even if it is "nothing to worry about" i'd still like to stop the drips but maybe i'm asking too much

[Painey]

Jeremy E said:

cheers, i'll have a look. even if it is "nothing to worry about" i'd still like to stop the drips but maybe i'm asking too much

When I first got my Griff it was leaking oil from the sump which was then fixed during a routine service. Then a few weeks later it started again so I got a mechanic friend of mine to get it up on a ramp and have a good look at it. Sump was fine but oil was leaking from the rear crackshaft oil seal. If that had been left oil could have knackered the clutch so I got it sorted out asap. Cost about £400 but at least the clutch didn't need replacing as well.

If in any doubt get it checked over, for peace of mind if nothing else.

[puffsorted2]

Might be worth changing the rocker cover gaskets. The originals are pretty weak and do weep after a while. You can change them to the newer rubbery plastic type very cheaply. The nearside is easy to do yourself but because the high pressure fuel pipes run close by the offside is a lot harder (Serp Engine).

[Jeremy E]

forgive my ignorance, only had a TVR a couple of months, what is a serp engine and how do i know if mine is one?