Dying Xantia

[Jaspwieser]

Hi guys, you are my last hope for the xantia..
I have got a slight oil leak, it spits out 3 litres of the black stuff within 7 miles.
Its been to my local indy garage who could not find where it was leaking from. To be fair to the garage they had the car for a few days and didnt charge me for their time.
they have suggested selling the car for the bits..
im not really willing to do this yet as its been brill and its in very good condition.
can anyone think of anything that could fail so badly that it pumps out so much oil that quick and is difficult to find where from


J

[jgra1]

3L in 7 miles Jas?

thats a tad more than slight i think..
hmm.. other's will have ideas to try...

I take it the oil pressure light is on, when driving?

any smoke from exhaust?



John

[Jaspwieser]

no , its no miss type.. its 3l in 7 miles, well it was full before i took it to the indy dealer 7 miles down the road and then put another 3 lts back in.. the good news is the bottom of the car will not rust easy as its covered in 3 litres of the black stuff.

J

[jgra1]

um..


one possibility is the turbo.. or the turbo oil feed... although smoke and a noisy turbo would almost certainly result..

it could be the oil feeds up through the head, exiting south at the head gasket..

the intercooler pipes or breathers may be oily..

um..



when you checked the level, had the car settled down? like 30 mins after you last had it running?

mine is covered in oil underneath, but a small leak goes a long way

[Jaspwieser]

its been refilled once by me and then by the garage. what ever it is it happened suddenly, as i had just returned from a 3 hour trip with no problems then took a small trip and it started. i looked at the drive under the car pools of oil were to be seen.

J

[Peter.N.]

Can you see where its dripping from with the engine running, if its running down the back of the engine it could be the head gasket if its a diesel.

Peter

[citroenxm]

Sounds like an external oil carrying pipe has split.. A clue to help us would be which area / side of the engine does it drip??

The Turbo Oil RETURN pipe is a rubber hose and can split, this is at the back, and drops down from the turbo into the sump..

Cam seal behind the cam belt can pop out leaving oil every where.. though it would contaminate the cam belt, and onlydrip out of the bottom of the cover - my bet is on the oil return pipe from the Turbo to the sump.. Get the car up on some ramps, then under the back, in the middle of the engine you'll see a rubber hose going to the bottom of the block just above the sump, this is the oil return pipe from the turbo.. have a feel and sqeesze to see if theres a split.

Is the Rocker Cover nice and tight??? It is known for the 3 10mm nuts to come loose and leave the rocker cover loose letting oil out also!! Another clue will be the level the oil on the engine starts from...

EDIT. Just seen you have a hdi... Rocker covers dont come loose on them theres ten allen bolts holding them. ..

The intercooler pipe runs under the engine out from the turbo...these collect oil on high milers as the turbo seals wear.. But from your description this is unlikely at 3l per 7 miles or what ever it is...


Paul

[Jaspwieser]

Going to collect ther car tonight and clean the engine with some Gunk.
Will then try your suggestions
Thanks for the help

[jgra1]

it's such a big leak it should be easy to spot..

messy job though..