Oil leak issues - 2008 Citroen C5 1.6 HDi (9HZ)

[aronmantal]

Hi everyone,

I'm seeking some advice regarding a persistent oil leak on my 2008 Citroen C5 1.6 HDi. I can see oil pooling around the injectors at the top of the engine, which then seems to drain in two directions:
-Towards the back of the engine bay (firewall side).
-Towards the auxiliary belt side, running down behind the belt area in the hollow sections.

What has been done so far:
-New oil filler cap.
-New rocker cover gasket (valve cover gasket) installed.

My mechanic tried to remove the injectors to replace the seals/copper washers, but unfortunately, they are stuck fast and he couldn't get them out. For now, we've had to abandon that approach to avoid damaging the injectors.

Since the rocker cover gasket is already new, what else could be causing this? Is there a common failure point on this engine that leads to oil pooling around the injectors and leaking down both sides?

I would appreciate any tips or ideas on what to check next so I can track down the culprit.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[mickthemaverick]

I'd think it will be leaks from the injector seals. I had that problem on my C5. If you cannot remove the injectors then at least ensure they are torqued correctly. Clean away all the surrounding oil with brake cleaner and then run the engine while watching the injectors. You may see bubbllng around their bases which will prove the problem

[Sloppysod]

Did your mechanic, try with the engine cold and wet / soaked for a few hours, with penetrating oil.

[BarneyRubble]

I only found out a month ago that there are actually specialist companies that only do diesel engine injector removal. Might be worth seeing if there's a company locally that could pull out your injectors and replace the seals.