Car seems to be leaking oil.

[madder]

I was going to do the oil change myself this week, but I got a groupon city deal for car service for the same price, or probably cheaper than my service kit! And, it went in today.

Anyway, they reckon that there ''could'' be an oil leak, but after what I told them, they think that the oil that is still on the engine will need to be cleaned thoroughly before we know for sure what leak there is and how bad it is. They were more concerned about the Exhaust. Now I remember last year coming on here and talking about the noise from under my car. It sounded like a dodgy CAT to me at the time. But it wasn't, and it passed the car test without any emission problems. However, the noise remains.
Well, they reckon the CAT is finished, that the clip holding the front of the exhaust up has also dropped off. They say the CAT will need to be done, and the exhaust will soon need replacing also. But the CAT, they reckon, is a certainty.

 

[Burnerman]

Do you know whats exactly wrong with the cat? Its there purely to clean up the emissions of the engine. If its rusted away, then fair enough. If the shields top and bottom have disappeared, that doesn't matter.
I'd only replace it if the car fails the test due to emissions or leaks - not before. The labyrinth metal within the cat can tend to break up - and the contents within can pass through to the rear silencer usually.
Exhaust pipes are held on by steel pegs which pass through rubber hangers. If one of the pegs has broken off, then its 5 mins with the MIG welder.....no big deal really!
I would have thought the oil leak would have been quite obvious, if the car was on a ramp.
John

 

[Avocet]

Could the funny noise be that the cat "brick" inside the can has broken up? If so, there might well still be enough surface area to clean up the emissions, but the broken bits could block the can at some point, restricting engine power.

 

[madder]

I wish I could remember the exact wording, but he said the CAT was done. He said sometimes you can buy a cheap part to patch it up but he said in this case it was damaged ''on both sides''. He said the exhaust would probably go a little later down the line and that the front part of the exhaust had already come loose thanks to the clip falling off. He reckons that even if we replace the CAT that the exhaust would probably fall apart and that it's a question of when. Maybe I could contact him again and ask him exactly what it is that is wrong? But he seems to think it needs a new CAT

About the oil leak, he said there's a fairly bad oil leak there but until the engine is clean enough to inspect, we cannot know for sure where it is coming from. I explained to him what had happened over the past week or so, and he said that perhaps the wrong grade oil and the dipstick issue had caused the oil spills but that it was more likely to be a leak in the engine. He said I should clean it down, find the leak and if it isn't too bad, just monitor it, keep it clean and carry topping up oil with me.

 

[Burnerman]

Cats are pretty strong things, and are often made from stainless steel. However, the shield around them top and bottom often break away due to the mild steel clamps etc used....however, this isn't a real problem.
The same applies when the cat connects to either manifold down pipes or the exhaust system towards the rear of the car.
If you think the cat is breaking up, give it a thump with your hand....if you hear something rattling inside then its on its way out. Personally I'd leave things until there is a significant exhaust blow!
As for the oil leak, well the garage is right but if there are still drips on the floor the leak should be pretty obvious and I'm surprised it wasn't spotted.
John

 

[Mursal]

I'd leave the exhaust until it gives you trouble, or at least your next test, as you know it certainly isn't causing the oil leak. A shame they didn't find that first, then move on to other things.

It will be interesting to see if the engine still use as much after the oil change

 

[madder]

About the CAT. I will check it this afternoon. I'll give it a shake and see if I can hear anything moving inside. The guy yesterday quoted between €270 and €300 Euros to fix it.
I have a decent breakers close to me who said they'd do the same job all in for €120. So if I hear anything from it, it may be worth getting it done for the €120.

Now about the oil leak. Well, it is still there. I left 2 pieces of cardboard under the car last night. Unfortunately, they both moved. 1 piece is gone altogether. The other piece had moved out from under the car but was still there beside it. It has drips on it. I have taken a picture and placed a 5C coin beside it, which is the same size as a 5P coin more or less. The only question now is how long did it take to gather these drips? I guess the movement of the card prevented the drips from landing in or around the same spot.
I'll put another piece under it tonight and hold it down with a stone or something.

 

[Mursal]

I'll keep an eye for the card that blew away, and the engine will drip for a while especially if you have a padded under engine cover. The padding holds the oil, though as its a petrol (may not be padded) it may not be as bad.

You could even take the bottom cover off, if you wanted a better look at the source of the leak?

Or can you get your hand down, when the engine is cold, with a rag and clean the inside of the cover?

If you go washing with a pressure washer (last resort) try to keep it away from the electrics.

 

[madder]

So you think that there is a chance that the drip now could still be from the previous stuff? That would be great, but suppose I doubt it! I'll get the card under it again this evening, and try to get it to stay down. I took some pictures of the exhaust in case they show anything that might seem obvious to you guys. What I can say is that the odd time, it does feel like the car is losing power for a second or 2. I thought it might be the battery? Could it be something to do with he CAT? Anyway, see if these pics show anything. I did get my hand in and pressd and pushed various parts of the exhaust. It doesn't seem very loose, but it is hard to know if there's a rattle from the CAT because when I press against it to find out, the whole lot moves a little and hits against something beneath which must be something that helps hold it in place.

 

[madder]

''The noise/rattle from the car is there because the bracket broke, which resulted in the flex and bracket on the Cat breaking. It will cost between €270 to €300 to replace. And the rest of the exhaust will need to be done soon'' - That is what the mechanic who looked at it thinks.

 

[Burnerman]

The flexible coupling (the metal braided bit) does appear to be a bit moth eaten, but thats it as far as I can see.
Exhaust failure is more likely to be further back where it runs cooler.
I wouldn't do anything with that until it breaks or starts to blow badly.
Your oil leak, I'm afraid, won't cure itself unless there's been other work done.
John

 

[madder]

Thanks John. So what the mechanic says abut the CAT makes some sense but isn't absolutely needed yet? What about the quotes I got? €120 from the breakers fitted and all? The thing that concerns me is that the service warning still flashes when I turn my key. There is still(and always has been) a rough rattle sometimes when I'm driving, especially if I look to accelerate quickly. But it did pass the last test, even with that rattle. I fact the emissions tested quite well.

The oil leak is another matter agreed. I need to find out how much it is losing overnight, first of all. Once that is established, I can take it from there. I always thought that oil leaks are not worth the trouble of fixing on older cars? The mechanic said that the oil level at the time of servicing was very low, and he was surprised it wasn't showing a dash warning? Could low oil level cause something to start leaking? Ad are there are obvious culprits?

 

[Mursal]

Not actually loosing oil when stopped (well not usually) but its an indication of how bad the leak is when running. If its towards the front of the engine (at the belts) most likely a front oil seal, but that's just a guess.

 

[madder]

Well, it seems to be a drip anyway judging by the pics. It is on the driver side, closer to the front and close enough to the belt. If it is a front seal, is it an expensive fix or a cheap fix?

 

[Burnerman]

Just a guess obviously but it would appear that the oil leak is coming from the crankshaft oil seal, just behind the crank pulley.
Access to this is awkward, and it involves pulley removal and timing belt replacement at the same time.
To replace the oil seal is possible, but it involves 'picking' the seal out without damaging anything in the immediate area.....not everyone likes to try it!
However, to ascertain that the leak is actually from this seal, means quite a bit of graft just to get there (pulley and timing belt covers off etc.)
Once the seal is visible, any oil leak is obvious.
John
P.S Good luck with this car - I'm off to the Balearics for some serious clubbin' for a week (not)
J.