Technical Mystery leak

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Technical Mystery leak

Leedsred

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I was trying to remove the expansion tank to clean (2.8 idtd year 2000) .
Heat and a seized bolt defeated me (for now) there was some spillage of the fluid
When I cleaned the area I noticed a clear fluid collecting at bottom of intercooler.
Cleaning this area just results in more fluid
As I understand it this rad is air cooled so what is this fluid.
Main radiator is dry no apparent leaks
 
I was trying to remove the expansion tank to clean (2.8 idtd year 2000) .
Heat and a seized bolt defeated me (for now) there was some spillage of the fluid
When I cleaned the area I noticed a clear fluid collecting at bottom of intercooler.
Cleaning this area just results in more fluid
As I understand it this rad is air cooled so what is this fluid.
Main radiator is dry no apparent leaks
You could take the taste challenge and see if it is spilt antifreeze or simply smell the fluid to see if it smells like coolant/antifreeze.:)
Hopefully you haven't developed a new water leak leak.
As you say intercooler should only have air going through it
 
I was trying to remove the expansion tank to clean (2.8 idtd year 2000) .
Heat and a seized bolt defeated me (for now) there was some spillage of the fluid
When I cleaned the area I noticed a clear fluid collecting at bottom of intercooler.
Cleaning this area just results in more fluid
As I understand it this rad is air cooled so what is this fluid.
Main radiator is dry no apparent leaks
Lubricating oil that has leaked past turbo oil seal?
 
I haven't tasted maybe tomorrow but pretasting I'd bet on coolant rather than oil
I will try and post a picture that shows where the fluid is pooling
 
Sticking in some paper at base acts as a wick drawing out the fluid yet no indication of where its coming from
 

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Squeezing out the paper it could be oil
I'm baffled
 

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No rain recently
Using paper technique I am reasonably assured it is oil.
The front of engine block is oily maybe from rocker box cover.
I shall clean off front of engine see if I can locate the source
 
No rain recently
Using paper technique I am reasonably assured it is oil.
The front of engine block is oily maybe from rocker box cover.
I shall clean off front of engine see if I can locate the source

Hmm right , front of the engine eh . Okay take a look at the front of your engine , about mid way down left hand side under a couple of coolant hoses , but above the starter motor . Do you have a black plastic box ? . It will have , i think two , maybe three , rubber hoses coming outta it , about 15mm in dia . The left hand pipe will connect to your air intake , the right will go to your block , i think just above the injector pump , and the third if you have one , should connect to your sump right next to the dip stick . You may have to remove the intercooler feed and return pipes to get a good look . It's a long time since i've had my own eyes down there , but i've got the same motor and year .
 
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Should have said this is a hymer motorhome lhd so may vary from commercial van.
Took it out fir a decent run, oil at bottom of intercooler much less possibly gone.
Cleaned off oil in surrounding area seems to be originating from left hand side as you look at it dipstick area.
Will get a better look when I have time
 
I got ya . I had already figured it was a motorhome , one of you're pictures gave it away . I recognised the body moulding , or rather the airvent , pretty much the same as mine . Mines a Hymer too , 584 , mechanics wise , they are more or less identical to a standard van . Converters use the floor pan , key differences are the lighting , and wiper motor position , but that's only on the A class !
C class is pretty much fully intact .


Oh and yeah mines a left hooker as well . Chances are you've got the same header tank as me , i'd be interested which bolt was causing ya grief . I changed mine , with no problems at all . Only three bolts hold it in .

Hmmm left hand side you say Could be your dip stick fitting leaking , they're plastic and just push in , with an "O" ring to seal it . I replaced the whole thing on mine , i was a bit shocked to discover it was plastic , sourced it from Coastal Motorhomes , Ringwood . But you also have the oil filter , and oil cooler sticking out forward . That's the bit at the opposite end to the filter , i've heard of a couple giving up the ghost recently , but still rare . The pipes are pretty much all water , except for the hose i mentioned before , that goes to the dip stick . That's for crank case pressure , and the hose is the drain . The plastic box i also mentioned pushes into the block , again with a big "O" ring . The spill could be running down the block , but normally when it hits the slipstream it will flow back . I found mine leaking purely by accident when i was working on the oil cooler pipes . Just replaced the "O" ring , bit of a bitch to find though .
 
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Should have said this is a hymer motorhome lhd so may vary from commercial van.
Took it out fir a decent run, oil at bottom of intercooler much less possibly gone.
Cleaned off oil in surrounding area seems to be originating from left hand side as you look at it dipstick area.
Will get a better look when I have time
Originally you thought it was clear fluid, any chance it is antifreeze /coolant flicking from water pump area of belts?
 
Should have said this is a hymer motorhome lhd so may vary from commercial van.
Took it out fir a decent run, oil at bottom of intercooler much less possibly gone.
Cleaned off oil in surrounding area seems to be originating from left hand side as you look at it dipstick area.
Will get a better look when I have time,

Got one other thought that's been niggling away . When you were working on the header tank , you wern't by any chance using some kind of easing fluid in copious amounts . The likes of plus gas , wd40 , freeze spray or similar , were you ?
 
I'm fairly confident this is an oil leak from left side of engine front.
I've owned it ten years at each oil change the area round the filter is oily not enough to make a stain on drive but noticeable.
It doesn't use oil excessively about 500mls on return from our annual portugal trip.
Working out where its coming from is the tricky part and maybe it can be just lived with
 
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