Technical Oil leak help!

[phil30uk]

Hi, whilst I was checking the engine oil, water etc I've noticed that my Brava has a leak which looks like it's coming from what I think is the oil filter (white can looking thing underneath the car). I topped up my engine oil about 3 weeks ago and before then didn't notice a leak. Is it possible that it's overspill (I used a litre)?

My other question is could it be leaking from the filter and how much is it going to cost me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mountainmachine]

Well i'd try putting a new filter on as perhaps the old one wasnt on properly. You'll need to drain the system or you'll get oil everywhere. So cost is £8ish for filter (i cant remember) then about £10 for oil from a good motorfactors. I cant remember the capacity and you didnt specify the car, but an Audi A4 1.8T takes 3.9liters. So sounds like if you topped up 1liter you've been loosing a lot, so get it done quick.

If you dont want to do it yourself, i beleive quick fit do an oil change for £25.

 

[phil30uk]

Thank you kind sir it's a Brava 1.2 I think i'll take it to a garage and get them to do it, i'm not really mechanically minded with cars i'm afraid. Thanks for the reply though.

 

[phil30uk]

Also it only leaks when the engine is running if that makes any difference to the diagnosis.

 

[rusty123]

Usual suspect is loose oil filter. I am assuming you have made sure your oil filter is tight? You'd be surprised how often these try and undo themselves if not tightened up properly. From what I remember on the 1.2, there isn't much room to get your hand round the oil filter to tighten it properly but I am also pretty sure it is easy to see whether oil is running down over your filter from anywhere else.

 

[jug]

grab it with your hand and turn it clockwise as tight as you can, then it should stop leaking. when people fit oil filters they often forget to smear some used oil around the rubber seal which makes it far more likely to leak, and often they will have oily hands at the time so they cant tighten it enough.

your first post suggests you didnt check the oil level before or after topping up. never stick a litre of oil in unless you know a litre is needed, overfilling will cause damage to oil seals and cause the engine to begin burning oil. once that happens you'll need to top up regularly because the engine will be using oil.

 

[mountainmachine]

Ahh yes on reading it again about not doing things himself, i should have thought he might not have checked the original filter was on tight! I assumed he had, ohh well. Yea do that and hopefully save yourself £20 odd quid! And make sure you dont have too much oil either!

 

[phil30uk]

Cheers guys i'll try and tighten it. I should have said that I checked the oil level, yeah I did and it seemed pretty low also the oil light was coming on that is why I topped it up.

 

[jug]

Cheers guys i'll try and tighten it. I should have said that I checked the oil level, yeah I did and it seemed pretty low also the oil light was coming on that is why I topped it up.

in that case you will probably need more than a litre.

 

[mountainmachine]

If the oil pressure light is on then you have a leak, prob the filter as it sounds loose from what you say, i guess you'll need to keep a close eye on it after you tighten it up and check your oil level every day and make sure its topped up as required. Hopefully that will fix the problem, but post back how you get on.

 

[phil30uk]

Cheers for all the help people, I tried to tighten the filter and it turned a little but couldn't get it any tighter and the leak is still there. Looks like I may need a new filter.

 

[mountainmachine]

Well get it done asap, shouldnt cost more than £30 for new filter and oil change at garage. If you did it yourself filter would be £6ish and oil £8 just to give you an idea of what they're charging you for.

 

[phil30uk]

Well get it done asap, shouldnt cost more than £30 for new filter and oil change at garage. If you did it yourself filter would be £6ish and oil £8 just to give you an idea of what they're charging you for.

I got it done at Kwik Fit for £24.95. No oil leak now and engine seems a little quieter.

 

[mountainmachine]

I got it done at Kwik Fit for £24.95. No oil leak now and engine seems a little quieter.

Good stuff, just keep an eye on all your fluid levels' its good practice!