Panic

[darthPaddington]

Ok I know I have a nice car and I'm sure those of you on this form are unlikely to disagree
that being said I don't use it most days because I walk to work, it only takes 15/20 mins

this morning as usual I walked past the TVR. Unfortunately this time I noticed a LARGE black oil stain under the front of the car (really quiet a long way forward).
last used last week for a 300 mile journey back home with no real problems (some scrote hit my wing mirror the week before and I still need to fix that)

[wishful thinking]
Perhaps I just didn't notice it there when I parked ...
I'm sure the driving holiday in france will be fine ...
[/wishful thinking]

Oh well I don't get home 'till around half eight so I can panic until then...

anyone got any ideas about what's up

[peter miller]

1st thing....DONT PANIC!!!

Ownership of a TVR is the best way to get an anti corrosion treatment for your garage floor.

You describe it as a stain and not a pool of oil, which the latter would obviously be more of a reason for concern but not panic.

The best thing is to try and get it off the ground to have a good look underneath, hopefully you may have a friendly local garage with a ramp that would be willing to help out for the price of a pint.

Firstly check the sump plug as these have been known to loosen themselves if scraped on a bump in the road, eg traffic calming measure. Also check the oil filter is tight.
The sump gasket is another potential source of a leak especially if the car has been left standing for a while allowing gaskets to dry out, which is the same for the rocker gaskets, although you normally would notice a smell of burning oil when hot as it tends to run onto the manifolds.

The rear crank seal can also leak and you may find oil dripping through the large hole in the bottom of the bell housing if this is the case. (If it is The later T5 box)

Other things could be front cover gasket,oil pressure sender, the list goes on. Have you noticed your oil level dropping quicker than normal on the dipstick.

A few things above I have mentioned, but if it is just a stain or small patch of wet oil, eg size of a 2 pence coin and you have not noticed any major oil loss take a look but certainly dont let it spoil your enjoyment , These cars do drop a bit of fluid especially if left unused.

I will try not to make my reply much longer but have a look at the PAS rack and under the pump and resovoir and the U bend in the line, as this may be nothing to do with the engine.

Edited by peter miller on Thursday 24th May 12:18

[darthPaddington]

Thanks Peter some good things to look for.

Of course it would be easier if I had a garage but I have to park on the road.

it was a quick look on the way to work but the oil stain looks to be about a foot by two foot and I don't remember it being there before. If it didn't look like oil i'd assume it was the radiator as I think it's a long way forward

I did just get time to glance at it this morning so I'm going to have a careful look before I do anything scary like turn it on but you've made a couple of good points and a few things for me to look at.

Cheers

Peter

[thenick]

If its pretty far forward, it could be the power steering fluid (if you have power steering of course) The u-bend under the pump has a couple of jubilee clips which like to come loose. Mine did this once and the oil dripped onto another pipe and ended up making a small patch of darkness quite far forward. Fixed with a new jubilee clip!

[darthPaddington]

thanks nick
I hadn't thought of the power steering being an issue but I'll add that to my list of things to check.

Basically I'm hoping that I can find a nice simple source for the leak and everything follows from that
Hopefully it will be something I can see and recognise from the bible

Peter

[midas dude]

Stick your finger in it first.
Assess type of fluid.
Now panic.
Only kidding,post up type of liquid you find,then go from there.
AL

[darthPaddington]

Ok i didn't stick my finger in it because I only had a little time last night but I did examine it in more detail.

it is an oil stain, black because it's soaked into the tarmac so no help there.
I can see a straight down to the back edge of the stain between the front cross member of the chassis and the anti roll bar so I am assuming it has to be the power steering as it's so far forward of the engine.
the power steering reservoir is just over half full at a quick glance

the main points do sort of line up with the drain holes in the fiberglass so it probably came off there


I'll have more time tonight as I get home at a more reasonable time then it's time to see if I can get underneath

[GreenV8S]

Park it somewhere else. Before you park it, check for existing oil stains where you are about to park it. Check all the fluid levels you can get to under the bonnet (engine oil, PAS etc). If they're OK and you don't get any fresh stains under the car, stop worrying.

[spend]

Its much easier to use the tried & trusted methods IMHO, like stick a bit of cardboard under it to check for drips

Dave

[GreenV8S]

spend said:

Its much easier to use the tried & trusted methods IMHO, like stick a bit of cardboard under it to check for drips

Dave

That's OK in a garage, but is it practical when the car is left on the street?

[davetherave1970]

I always park mine in the garage on a nice clean cream rug! It's big enough to get all four wheels on it so any leaks will show up very easily!
god my car is spoilt

[thenick]

The best way to do it in IMHO is to get a load of kitchen towel and dry all the pipes you can see first. Then jam wads of it in various places under suspect pipes in the engine bay and leave it overnight. Come back the next morning and see which ones are wet! Also if you suspect the power steering, dry all pipes off as much as possible, turn the engine on and turn the steering lock to lock a couple of times to pressure the system - this should expose a leak by forcing some oil out onto a dry pipe/joint...