Front pulley, engine oil leak

[RUSSELLM]

Since I've had the car, I've noticed bits of oil on the drive, which seem to come from the centre of the car, between the front wheels.

I've been trawling through the details on the car & have noticed that the last owner was informed about " An engine oil leak from the front pulley"

The car's at Ewelme at the moment, can anyone tell me if the front pulley is situated between the front wheels (centre)

If so, any ideas on prices to fix please

Many thanks

[kojak69]

These 2 photos might help with the position.





Dont forget that the oil can run along something, and drop away from the source.


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>> Edited by kojak69 on Thursday 30th September 17:24

[gary judd]

hi
It sounds the same as the oil leak I have just had fixed , it is the the front cover and means an engine out job , the front cover has not got a gasket but silicone sealant and is a pig of a job to do it must be done right. mine had to go to tvr , hope its not what you have got but sounds like it .
good luck

gary

[SXS]

They will leak, but only on high rpm driving, the oil just sprays out via the breather....

but you should never have leaks from the position Russelm is talking about...

that sounds like it could be bad news...

fingers crossed its something simple...

[RUSSELLM]

It must be a very slow leak, as I've had the car 12 months & it's hardly used any oil. It's as though it drop's one drop, when I park it.

From that, can I presume the oil only escapes when the engine is running (pressure built up)

I could leave it stood for a month & there would still only be the one drop left.

I recently ripped the sump plug out & it has a temporary one in it, so I guess I'll have to save up & get a new sump aswell whilt the engine is out.

[Julian64]

Ignore it. Out of the 20 odd cars I've had up on my ramp, every single one had some oil across the sump comming from the front of the engine seal. I've never seen a car without this. even gary had this just after his engine was done by blackpool. Since he got his 'fixed' he hasn't been back to see me to check.
But I bet its still there

Unless this is enough to cause a puddle overnight I would completely ignore it.

[plasticman]

If it is leeking from the seal on the front pulley I am pretty sure it can be replaced with the engine in place. It should not be to hard to tell if it is leeking from there or the timing cover gasket . If you are given any silly quotes , mail me as I have a spare new seal , David

[trooper1212]

plasticman said:

If it is leeking from the seal on the front pulley I am pretty sure it can be replaced with the engine in place. It should not be to hard to tell if it is leeking from there or the timing cover gasket . If you are given any silly quotes , mail me as I have a spare new seal , David

Whenever anybody gets an engine out diagnosis, it's good practice to ask on here. There are a few jobs that can be done in situ but dealers will remove the engine because it is easier for them.
I had my valve springs and stem seals replace with the engine in, whereas that would have been engine out at a TVR dealer.

[dannylt]

SXS said:

They will leak, but only on high rpm driving, the oil just sprays out via the breather....

Huh? The breather plugs back into the air box - this should never cause a leak! It can collect in that little pot though, and get sucked in while cornering hard - the occasional puff of smoke you notice on a trackday.

[SXS]

Yes and no, depends how much oil is coming out... usually it just gets burnt in combustion chamber, but with TVR hardward - the oil decides to just splash out from under the airbox and even sometimes start pouring out the front air box opening bit by bit...
I've had it on past 2 ownerships... crap freakin breathers, thats what it is!

[RUSSELLM]

I'm with Julian's "ignore it " theory, sounds cheaper

And just hope my 1 foot diameter sump plug, doesn't give up the ghost.