Firstly let me preface this by saying i know absolutely nothing about cars.
Last night as i was trying to park the car up i was a little too eager/hasty in turning her around the road and i thought i would clear the curb but didn’t and hit the underside of the car (the sump?) off the curb. It wasn’t too hard but i shouldn’t have hit it and it made a thump.
I parked the car up at work this morning and when i came out this evening there was a very noticable puddle or mark on the concrete under the front of the car (there was nothing like this under any other car and there had been no rain, the conrete around everything else was bone dry). I put my hand under the front of the car and felt a moistness underneath the sump. Anyway, i got in and drove home. I left the car parked up for about an hour and decided to go out and check again to see if there was a new puddle and sure enough a new puddle has started forming. I checked underneath and you can see a damp discolouring to the left of the sump as you look at it near the bolts and there are two separate points where the droplets are forming and it is very slowly dripping off and onto the ground. The texture is watery and the colouring is brown but it smells oily as i suppose you’d expect coming from the area.
I rang the auld fella and he said it is nothing to worry about and said examine it again in the morning. He said it could be that a load of rain or water had got into the engine and this is it seeping out. Then again this is the same fella who said he had no problem with the gear box in his own car and ignored it for months until it went one day while he was driving at speed down a main road. :rolleyes:
What do ye think? Should i be going to a mechanic with this tomorrow on my day off. I only bought the car recently as well. :shakefist:
The Dunph - this is a forum full of weirdos and cranks, not the sort of.place to come for honest advice.
A mechanic might be the only answer but when s/he appraises and quotes for the repair work run it by us as he’ll most likely sense your lack of knowledge and screw you.
The sump is bolted up onto the block with a series of 7 or 8 bolts around the perimeter of the sump. Between the sump and the block is a gasket (cardboard type flat seal). Basically if you hit the sump it would upset the gasket and cause a trickle of a leak.
Try tightening the bolts for the sump a tad and see if it dries up the leak. Not a major problem as its only a drop but keep an eye on the oil level all the same until your next service and you can say it to the guys to replace the gasket.
Hmm, sound i think i’ll try that. Doesn’t sound like much if that is the case. But if it was oil leaking out wouldn’t it be thick, sticky and black in colour as opposed to watery and brown?
Can’t believe SLR giving out advice like that above. Unbelievable.
Dunph, what colour is the car? If its black, by God don’t do any such thing such as suggested by SLR. If its a red car though, carry on with his advice. Be careful though, the car may have been resprayed by a previous owner, so thread carefully.
Dip that car before you drive it in the morning Dunph, you could have cracked the sump pan and be losing oil. If you run low on oil and keep driving a big bill is coming your way. Get it checked straight away regardless.
No problem with the engine provided you don’t drive it low on oil is all, you can buy non genuine sump pans pretty cheap pending the make and model of the car lad. No hassle here really lad.
maybe the radiator is leaking and picking up mud as it drips. maybe the window washer thing is leaking and ditto. drive till the engine blows up would be the best advice.
no dunph it wont but it if you keep on driving like that it will be or even new gearbox
one of the lads said to take a oil dip check above , say before driving to work, after after returning home,
if you notice any drop in the oil level its possible that you have a slow leak coming from the sump as correctly stated by one poster ( not person) , the sump ( little tank) is located below the crankshaft and when you start your engine the pump circulates the oil to lubriacte the engine pistons and crankshaft bearings. The oil returns to the sump and is criculated thru the engine, removing dirt and grit in the process. any leak of this oil due to maybe , a damaged sump ( its possible you may have bumped it today) , can over time cause damage to the engine, you can loose oil due to volatilization ( heat in the engine) and this is why you are advised to take regular checks
it would be no harm having a lad to take a look at it anyway, i would , especially if its a new car
french mechanics could be cunts tho, let me know what he says if he is suggesting anything drastic and get a 2nd opinion
