Technical Pretty bad oil leak

[keat63]

I thought we'd had our oil leak fixed, but it's resurfaced, so I'm looking for anyone who may have suffered the same fate, and give some ideas where it may be manifesting.

16v 1.4. The oil is running down the front of the lower timing cover, from underneath the engine mounting, and along the joint between the cam carrier and head, on to the exhaust manifold.

I'm now assuming that its the face between the cam carrier and head, but just wondering if there are any known common faults that I may be over looking.

We've had the cam oil seal and blanking plate replaced.
:bang:

 

[varesecrazy]

I'm now assuming that its the face between the cam carrier and head, but just wondering if there are any known common faults that I may be over looking.


:bang:

I think you can only realistically - clean + degrease the area, and Regularly check to see which part gets oily first,
then you've a chance of pin-pointing the leak,
Charlie

 

[zed]

Suspect the same as me - I've a 16v 1.4 07 plate - end of last year was leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold at the cam belt side of the engine.

Got the gasket replaced - can't remember the name but it is not the top rocker cover or the bottom cylinder head but the one in the middle - cam gasket (?). However - it's leaking again - back into the garage after next week. That gasket is a big job - needs the cam belt bits taken off.
Having seen the gasket it's no wonder it leaks.

Got to get the whole lot cleaned to see exactly where it's leaking

 

[keat63]

Cheers Zed.
I fired the Elearn CD up on Saturday, and i think I convinced myself this.
It's going in on Thursday, so hopefully this will be cured.
Pretty bad news about the re-occurance though.

Incidentally, I degreased and pressure washed within an inch of it's life 2 weeks ago.
Which is why I suspected the Cam housing gasket.
Just wondered if anyone else had suffered the same issue.

 

[keat63]

The car went in yesterday, but the garage can't source the replacement Gasket until today.

The mechanic says it's a swine to pull apart, due to the fact that the inlet manifold has a bracket which bolts to the cam carrier, firstly obscuring one of the bolts which holds the cam carrier down, and then secondly making it impossible to lift the carrier off, without first moving the inlet manifold out of the way.
I saw this, last night... who in their right mind invented that.
I said he should have sawn it off and fabricated a new bracket, it would save about 3 hours work, and the need for a new inlet manifold gasket.

Numpties.:bang:

 

[keat63]

Not exactly our engine, but looks very similar to this offending article.

 

[keat63]

Had the cam carrier gasket replaced on Friday, and guess what.
We still have a leak.
We just don't know where it's coming from.

I can't keep sending it in the garage and lobbing £150 at it, so it looks like I might have to concede and strip the whole top end off myself.

I noticed on friday, the bolts holding the cam carrier down looked like torx, but they wern't quite the same, any ideas what these are ??

 

[zed]

Forgot about this. Car was in the garage all of last week. Oil was down about a 1/3 on the dipstick since December, despite the car known to only sip oil.
Oil down the side next to the cambelt
Degreased the engine, and the Chief Tech drove it home two nights, but can't find the leak. I've to take it back when it starts seeping again

 

[keat63]

Ours is still running down the front of the lower timing cover. I can feel it on the underside of the engine mount, so where ever it's coming from, it's using the front engine mount of it's means of escape. I'm just waiting for the weather to warm up, then i'm going the drop the engine mount off, with the front of the engine on a solid base and leave it ticking over in the garage for a few hours.
I've already ordered the ribe tool if i have to take the head off.

 

[keat63]

So today, I finally got around to investigating this leak further. Already armed with a cam carrier gasket and head gasket.
I've stripped all the timing covers off, removed the engine mounting and supported the engine from underneath.

Jet washed it again, within an inch of it's life, and may have pinpointed it down to the blanking plate for the second camshaft.. still !!! Grrrrrrrr.

I left the engine running for 20 minutes and can see the start of a fresh trickle of oil, running down from under the bolt hole don the head.

I'm going to replace the rubber o-ring with a genuine fiat part and take it from there.

Zed, if your'e still listeneing.. might be worth sending me a PM and i'll drop you my email address.

 

[zed]

Sorry, here's my update.

My FIAT garage finally fixed the oil leak at the 3rd attempt. To be fair, other than the hassle of the car being in and out of the garage, they didn't grumble and I didn't get charged. What they did, I'm not sure.... so here's a recap...

The original leak was from (sitting in the driver's seat) at the front of the engine, about 1/2 a cylinder in falling onto the exhaust manifold.
The engineer showed me the cam gasket that was removed.
Then there was 2 attempts to fix this (I presume by changing the gasket), but both times, the oil leak was worse than the original - I think it was down the right hand side of the engine, where the timing belt was - it ran down behind the plastic timing belt cover and onto the timing sensor and the plastic engine floor pan.
The senior tech fixed it for good - I'm assuming it was something to do with the seating or seal - touch wood.
And then my alternator packed in....

 

[keat63]

I bet it was a 20p rubber O-Ring.
To the left hand side of the cam shaft pulley is a small blanking plate.
This is the access or machine hole for the second cam.
Mine had the O-ring replaced 3 months ago, as we'd identified this as a probable cause for at least one leak.
The oil runs down the lower timing cover, all over the crank sensor, on to the drip tray.

Then I suspect starts to creep along the cam carrier joint working its way towards the rear of the engine and on to the exhaust manifold, giving the impression that the cam carrier gasket has failed.

Hence the reason, it then went in for the cam carrier gasket replacing?

I found on Monday that the the rubber O-Ring which was replaced 3 months ago, had a nick in it, allowing the leak to continue, thus fooling us all.

I dare not yet say it's fixed, but fingers crossed.