I've noticed a small oil leak after parking up over the last couple of weeks, the oil is yellowish in colour and seems to be coming from the joint in a pipe that runs into the bottom of the radiator on the driver's side of the vehicle. I've attached a couple of photos in case it helps.


I'm suspecting intercooler pipe, but will leave it to those of you with expert knowledge........You can see the yellow oil on the metal joint where the black pipe enters it


Any suggestions on what it is and remedies, where to get parts etc. gratefully received.


Also, seeing as oil is coming out, am I right in thinking that something really expensive will stop working soon if I don't get it fixed?

If it runs to a 'radiator' it's probably the air con condensor. So it could be a refrigerant leak from the pipe you show, or oil running down the pipe from somewhere higher up and then dripping off as it's the lowest point.

Trying to get my bearings in the first photo you show. Is that the radiator support bracket in the background, centre of shot?

The oil/refrigerant looks very clean. Did you overfill or spill engine oil recently? Does your air con work?

Looks to me like the air con pipe

Me too. But want to make sure!

Do you have another pic with it zoomed out?

Popped it up to my local garage today and he's confirmed that there's a small leak in an air conditioning pipe.


If this helps, the pipe bolts into the bottom right corner (when viewed from behind) of a radiator, (bottom left if looking at the car from the front). It is a black rubber hose that goes into a metal pipe, as per original photos. This pipe then narrows, turns upwards at 90 degrees then bolts into the bottom of the radiator/cooler.


There is a small hole where the metal pipe starts to reduce in diameter. Does anyone know if the metal pipe is replaceable or the whole thing needs doing, and is it a Fiat part only. I can't seem to find it on the eper catalogue on here

Try this page:
http://eper.fiatforum.com/eper/navi...=3&WINDOW_ID=1&SGRP_COD=1&SGS_COD=2&DRW_NUM=2

Cheers, but at nearly 80 quid plus fitting and a regas I think I'll just leave it and suffer the heat!! Not sure I want to spend that sort of money on it for some thing that's not an mot failure

Which part number do you reckon it is? Your description can't be quite right - makes it sound like it goes from the condensor to the condensor!

Here's a few more pics, maybe I've mis-identified the part..........


The first photo shows most of the pipe and where it connects into the bottom right hand corner of the radiator/cooler, the second photo shows it disappearing up into the front of the engine compartment. The pipe in question is the curved black one that runs from the bottom left corner of the picture into the centre of it.


If you can identify this one from the eper you're a better man than I

Looks like item no.5 to me. eper gives a choice of 2 part numbers for that. To sort out which one applies to your car, you'll need to go back up a few levels to get to the box where you can enter your VIN number - do this by clicking 'Fiat' in the page address directly under where it says 'ePER spare parts' near the top left of the page. Your VIN will be on your V5. From then on, any part numbers that don't apply to your exact vehicle will then be greyed out.

That will get you the correct part number; then it's a case of routing around on google/ebay. Alternatively, just buy a whole second hand air con spaghetti set on ebay. There are plenty of them for around £25-30.

Just called Fiat, the new part number is apparently 51742214, replaces old part no. 46802985.


Price including VAT................................£184.06




HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!


Frankly, for that money they can suck my plums and I'll sweat.




Robbers

Is it the rubber hose that's failed, or has the aluminium pipe cracked/worn through?

Sadly it's the aluminium part and by all accounts these can't be repaired that easily because of the operating pressures.


I've sourced a full set of air con pipes for £55 inc. delivery from a breaker on Ebay, despite the fact I promised myself I'd only spend money to get the old bucket through an MOT I couldn't help myself!


MOT runs out in May next year so I thought I'd go for it. My local garage have given me the number for a bloke who comes to your home to do it and I've got another place locally who do air con so I'll see. Hopefully it won't be too much to fit the new pipe as it's £40 for a refill.


Will re-post when I've had it done.

nuddmann said:

Sadly it's the aluminium part and by all accounts these can't be repaired that easily because of the operating pressures.

Click to expand...

Mine holed one of those pipes recently. The clutch cable was poorly routed and had rubbed a hole in the aluminium tube. I feared the worst, but a mate of mine at a metalworkers said he'd have a go at welding it up. Much to my surprise, he said it welded up beautifully (looks like it, too!) and there's plenty of wall thickness to 'weld into'. So, as long as the crack/hole isn't too close to the rubber hose (where heat soak will melt the rubber), it is repairable.

For a cramped engine bay, I was impressed at how easy it was to get the air con feed/return pipes in and out. Be careful when you remove the pipe ends from the drier - the seals are strange bits of rubber tube, not O rings, and look quite easy to damage.

Update on the air con saga...........


Bought and paid for pipes, unfortunately had a message from the scrappy to say that the pipes were not of saleable quality once they were removed.


Bugger


However, there's a set on fleabay for a 01-02 110 JTD engine 186A.6000 for £25 quids. Asked the seller if they were compatible with my 2004 115 JTD but he's not sure as apparently the above engine number was only produced for a limited time, although he reckons that they should be a standard fitting part.


Anyone know if that's likely to be the case, for £25 I'd probably take a punt, only trouble is I'd have to take them to my local garage for fitting so if they don't fit then I'll have wasted the labour...


Flippin eck!!


Anyone know if the air con pipes are standard?

Check on the forum ePER. If all models show the same part number for the pipes in question, you're good to go. If not, exercise caution, and find the one(s) you need by entering your VIN number.

Just checked eper, the part no for mine and the 110 bhp 1.9 jtd are shown as compatible M5 M6 & M9) shown in the compatibility part do I'll give it a run.