Engine oil leak - advice please

[qrugh 0]

Apologies to anyone who also got this via the e-group but I wanted to try both avenues for any advice. Call me paranoid if you like!

 

When I got my C it had a lot of oil down the driver's side end of the engine so I had my mechanic look at it when it was serviced. He steam cleaned the engine and replaced the rocker cover gasket which he said was knackered. This was a few weeks ago. I was just under the bonnet today (looking at the removal of my carbon filter) and I noticed that I have a film of oil all over the front of the engine (i.e. the bit facing the front of the car) behind the supercharger. The plug lead nearest that end of the engine is liberally covered in it, with the coverage declining till about half-way along the engine where it stops. The rest of the engine is clean. There is oil on the back of the alternator and supercharger and some on the underside of the bonnet in two places (which was also clean so it is very noticeable). It looks very much like oil is spraying out under pressure, probably not in great amounts but enough to cause discolouration and be obvious when I look closely.

 

Any ideas anyone? Seems a bit odd when I know the gasket has just been replaced.

 

TIA

[G60 0]

i have no idea.. but you could have blown the gasket out. is this the first time you've checked in 3 weeks since you had it serviced? it would help to know if it did it right away after leaving the service... or if it just started today..

[qrugh 0]

It was clean as a whistle after the service (as you would expect after a steam clean). I did check it at the time but probably haven't looked at it that much since. To be honest, the car isn't getting used all that much at the moment, just a few runs around town plus a run up to my parents last week (c.300 mile round trip).

 

Previously the engine was wet with oil and it would drip onto the ground underneath the car so the leak was very obvious. Now it is really only noticeable as a discolouration on the engine and surrounding parts. If I hadn't looked closely I would have just thought it was dirty but it is a thin sheen of oil. Once I had spotted that I looked more closely and realised that the back of the alternator and supercharger were also covered and that there was some spray marks on the underside of the bonnet.

 

Best answer probably is to take it back to my mechanic, but he is 30 mins drive away which is a pain. I guess I could take the rocker cover off myself and check the gasket. I just hope it is not a sign of something more serious.

[vr6storm 0]

qrugh don't know if its likely to be similar but way back in 1991 i had a escort xr3i(cvh engined one)when it had the camshaft done the camshaft oil seals were a bit of a pain to get to seal right and it would after a few hours start to ooze out from just below the rocker cover gasket and from the side of the timing belt cover it was eventually fixed by getting the garage to put a new seal in............now although its a different engine to your one i'm pretty sure the ford and the vw engine would have the camshaft seal in similar positions maybe its just bad luck and your camshaft seal has gone.......but if it is leaking from the timing belt area too i would get that fixed asap you don't want the oil to start to weaken the timing belt and the other belts in that area

[qrugh 0]

Thanks - I think a trip back to the garage is required. Hopefully it will be nothing serious.

:(