oil leak...oh shite!!

oil leak...oh shite!!

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Discussion

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
Took the new arrival for its first mot and passed,great stuff!!,whats not so great is the oil leak i spotted while it was parked up,had a look while while it was up in the air,seems to be towards drivers side but couldnt see exactly where its coming from,saw a bit of oil from the rocker cover gasket,tightened the nuts up a bit but its still chugging out on my drive..oh ***K!!!
my big grin has now turned into a big frown frown
not a good start to my Viper days,are there any viper mechanics out there who can put the grin back on my face as im peed off now frown

GTSDave

6,364 posts

214 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
Hi mate,

Baz (Dr-Bob) is the best person to speak to...

How big a leak are we talking? Literally pouring out, or a bit of a drip every now and then?

Edited by GTSDave on Wednesday 27th January 18:17

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
just a drip now and then

GTSDave

6,364 posts

214 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
May not be too much of a panic mate, if memory serves me correctly some cars do suffer with a leaking timing chain cover, and sometimes you can develop a leak from a slightly loose sump bolt, both of which are pretty easily solveable...

Do Not Panic! If we are just talking the odd drip I a sure that one of the above is probably what we are talking about. thumbup

ViperDave

5,571 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
Are we talking about a leak from the valve cover or is there another one somewhere else?

if its the valve cover then i would pull it off and take a look at the gasket, they are reusable unless it has been damaged. just be careful not to drop the bolts into the valley or you will be on a fishing trip and may want to call fishboy.

If the gasket is damaged i bet chuck (viperwizard) could get you one by the end of next week.

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
ok but there was about a 5" round puddle while it was at the garage for the mot,i hope its nothin major

GTSDave

6,364 posts

214 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
That kind of amount would suggest a more major leak as it would suggest that a fair bit is leaking out over a short period of time... But still may be one of the things I already mentioned, it may be a leak from a valve cover, but I would have thought this unlikely as there wouldn't be that much oil sat high up in the engine once it's switched off and stationary...

The first thing to do is get under the car again and see if you can locate the leak I am afraid.

Give everything a good wipe down, take the car for a run and warm it up, then let it stand for half an hour or so, then get under it and see where your drip is coming from... Just make sure your oil level is ok before you go, and keep a good eye on the pressure whilst out.

ViperDave

5,571 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
vipernut2270 said:
ok but there was about a 5" round puddle while it was at the garage for the mot,i hope its nothin major
not saying that's not serious and you do need to get to the bottom of where its coming from, but bear in mind during an mot the car will have been jacked up which will have put the car at angles it wouldn't normally be at which may have caused a puddle of oil that has built up over weeks to drain out.

Whats it doing on your drive, any evidence on the ground, still leaking without the engine running? something like a valve cover would likely leak more with the engine running as not much oil is stored up there when the engine is off.

Dr-Bob

6,629 posts

266 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
Need to give it a clean up and then check for fresh oil..

As already suggested

Sump bolts (mine leaked from there after build)
front cover.
Oil filter
Also check oil lines going to and from the cooler as they tend to rub against each other and ware through..

If you think it is leaking from valve covers there would be a trace down the block..

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
ViperDave said:
Are we talking about a leak from the valve cover or is there another one somewhere else?

if its the valve cover then i would pull it off and take a look at the gasket, they are reusable unless it has been damaged. just be careful not to drop the bolts into the valley or you will be on a fishing trip and may want to call fishboy.

If the gasket is damaged i bet chuck (viperwizard) could get you one by the end of next week.
i dont reckon it is from the valve cover,couldnt really pinpoint where it was coming from,i can do without this especially after just buying it

Fartgalen

6,675 posts

213 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
quotequote all
vipernut2270 said:
ViperDave said:
Are we talking about a leak from the valve cover or is there another one somewhere else?

if its the valve cover then i would pull it off and take a look at the gasket, they are reusable unless it has been damaged. just be careful not to drop the bolts into the valley or you will be on a fishing trip and may want to call fishboy.

If the gasket is damaged i bet chuck (viperwizard) could get you one by the end of next week.
i dont reckon it is from the valve cover,couldnt really pinpoint where it was coming from,i can do without this especially after just buying it
First thing. Pin point where it's coming from.

fishboy

3,365 posts

236 months

Wednesday 27th January 2010
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hey paul dont worry its built like brick st house it will be nothing bad

500 RAM

268 posts

223 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
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Hmmm brick s**t house ehh

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
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checked this mornng,only a few drops on the cardboard i put underneath,so its just more when its running

GTSDave

6,364 posts

214 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
quotequote all
Doesn't sound too major, in all likelhood one of the three or four options mentioned above...

First port of call, get under there and locate the source.

fishboy

3,365 posts

236 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
quotequote all
GTSDave said:
Doesn't sound too major, in all likelhood one of the three or four options mentioned above...

First port of call, get under there and locate the source.
no, you recon!biggrin

vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
quotequote all
thanks for your suggestions guys,id better get it up on a ramp,probably better than trying to get under with the jack,its really disheartened me now though frown
well at least i can go her registered now the US title has come through the post from the shippers

Ginja

1,018 posts

207 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
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Hi Paul,

Just wanted to add to this that you shouldn't be disheartened. You have not bought a normal car (which is one of the reasons you wanted it right?) and that exclusivity comes at a price. Fortunately and as you have found out already there is a very strong club here which can provide the kind of support you need! I had an issue with mine last year where I came to MOT it and it failed twice - I bought it from a dealer so got a years grace! All the guys here helped me out and I was able to get it sorted with little fuss. Ultimately you have bought into a fabulous experience and you just have to iron out these wrinkles with the help of the huge knowledge available here!

Mark


MADMAX-UK

1,258 posts

205 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
quotequote all
Ginja said:
Hi Paul,

Just wanted to add to this that you shouldn't be disheartened. You have not bought a normal car (which is one of the reasons you wanted it right?) and that exclusivity comes at a price. Fortunately and as you have found out already there is a very strong club here which can provide the kind of support you need! I had an issue with mine last year where I came to MOT it and it failed twice - I bought it from a dealer so got a years grace! All the guys here helped me out and I was able to get it sorted with little fuss. Ultimately you have bought into a fabulous experience and you just have to iron out these wrinkles with the help of the huge knowledge available here!

Mark
Well put Mark.
I was in a similar situation when I collected my Viper.
With the technical and morale support of this club and a couple of tweaks under the hood, the smile on my face quickly returned along with my confidence.
Stick with it Paul. thumbup



vipernut2270

Original Poster:

311 posts

179 months

Thursday 28th January 2010
quotequote all
thanks for your words of encouragement guys,its nice to see theres support on here,not gonna let a damn oil leak get me down,will let you know what i find