Annoying Oil Leak

[sammclean23]

Hi,

I have a small oil leak that is causing a big problem at the minute.

At first i thought it was the sump plug so I replaced the plug. This didnt stop it so I replaced the sump gasket (which was damaged when I took it out). After doing this, I replaced the plug once again just to be sure.

When the oil leak continued I tightened it up again and tried using sealant that is added to the oil. Again this hasnt worked.

The annoying thing is the dripping is nor stopping or slowing down, really id prefer it if it all just dropped out so it would be an evident problem. Anyway, has anybody any idea where it could be from. It looks as though it is dripping down onto the sump so maybe transmission oil? But the sealant should have fixed it due to its size.

If anybody has any idea could you please reply (i like to try and save going to the garage where possible).

p.s. if anything iv said above is wrong then please correct

[dandadan]

you need to find the highest point on your engine in which the leaking oil is evident, I had 2 small leaks coming from my cam cover gasket but the sump was full of oil, I cleaned the engine fully to pinpoint where the oil was 1st coming from then found out it was the cam cover gasket, so I changed it and cleaned the engine again and since its been ok

so to get to the point give your engine a clean, run the car and keep checking for the oil to make itself evident again. Is the oil black?

[sammclean23]

The oil is black yes. And i shall try that thankyou. Do you think removing the cover gasket could have caused this because i recently changed the head gaskt which lead to the removal of this?

[paulstonerbreeze]

i have this problem just a slight oil leak but its no problem lol, my dad said its the crankshaft;)? i had the sump changed or something LOL

[Brian2503]

The oil is black yes. And i shall try that thankyou. Do you think removing the cover gasket could have caused this because i recently changed the head gaskt which lead to the removal of this?

If you remove any part that involves a gasket it's always best to replace the gasket with a new one, they rarely seal properly after being disturbed. There is a fair amount of oil around the camshafts when the engine is running, they are a highly stressed part and need plenty of lubrication, the rotating camshafts throw the oil about and turn it into a fine mist so any weakness in the gasket will result in an oil leak.

Hope this helps

Brian

[sammclean23]

Thanks alot. That must be what it is because the oil seems to be dripping down onto the sump from somewhere.

Thanks for the explanation

[rems]

i had this problem on my old corsa turned out to be my crankshaft sensor not fitted correctly as they can be a pain in the arse to get llined up correctly might be worth having a look at that mate usually at the bottom of the engine

[sammclean23]

Thanks mate will take this into account when i investigate the leak this weekend. Thank you

[kedw200]

I had an oil leak on mine that I wasn't sure about, but mine's a different engine (1.0l) and I'm not sure about the problems 1.2s are susceptible to, but with mine it was the oil pressure switch on the front of the engine- the oil had been dripping during transit and had spread all over the place, including bell housing, sump, etc. It got worse and one day I saw it dripping out from the switch, got a new one (£5) and changed it, cleaned engine and it's been perfect since.

Like I say, not sure of the difference in layout/problems that 1.2s get, but worth a try? Have a butchers see if it's dirty? Or your oil leak may be completely different...