Has anyone else had experience of total loss oil systems?

I keep filling my engine with oil and it seems to vanish! There is usually a nice small puddle wherever I park....I thought it was just a minor thing to be expected.... but I just stripped the rear end of the car down thinking the shocks were leaking oil... only to descover that the entire underside of the car is plastered in engine oil (who needs waxoil anyway!)

Because there is now oil pretty much everywhere I can not figure out where it might be comming from...Im guessing driving along has blown the oil backwards along the underside of the car! ( i had been wondereding why the car was so greasy latley!)


The origional drip seemed to origionate somewhere around the spin on oil filter adapter/ filter/ fuel pump/pressure sender area.... but I cant put my finger on it...


Is there a known issue with spin on filter adapters leaking? Its so unbelievably frustrating! If I knew exactly from whence it comes I would be able to block it up! GRRRR

Its a triumph straight 6... I had origionally thought it was TR6, but I suspect it might be TR250/saloon engine... not sure if there is any difference in the filter adapters...


Just thought I would share my frustration.... the oil leak has forced me to replace the rear bushes which is always fun... :p

The spin on oil filter adapters are a known weak spot in those engines (lots of issues with manufacturing quality and fit), as is the rear crank seal - might be worth asking on the TR register forum, they would know better than I (I've got a 4a). Lots of people have gone back to the original filter housings due to the leaks.

Chris

[Edited on 11/5/09 by chrsgrain]

I've got one of those fitted to mine!!

Spent the weekend before Stoneleigh replacing all the crush washers in my oil cooling circuits. 24 of the little buggers.

Replaced them all, fitted new o ring to the oil filter, fitted new sump plug, re-filled it all and tested it. It was all fine.

Then a couple of days later I realised it was still leaking!!

It looks like it is leaking from the hoses. Looks like they have failed beneath the overbraid. Have ordered a new set, so will get them fitted when they arrive.

Mike

I'll vouch for Mike's that it's still leaking

Rich

I think it's called a Crossflow oil lubrication system.

All the Crossflows I've known have pi$$ed out oil like a good'un....

hellfire just had such a system fitted to theirs lost 4.5 litres in about 1.5 minutes I gained about 3 litres in 30seconds. Moral to the story is dont follow a car dropping its oil

if the oil leak is coming from the oil filter make sure the seal from the old filter wasnt left stuck to the filter housing, had that happen before it pees oil everywhere.

[Edited on 11/5/09 by davie h]

Its a brand new spin on filter adapter... and new filter...

The car has been leaking since I had it on the road...

I cant believe the previous owner would have driven it with an oil loss like this (although standing for 10 years might have caused this)...

I am assuming that the "new" part I added IE the spin on filter adapter might be the weak link.... That and the blanking plate over the hole where the fuel pump used to be..

Unless standing still for so long has caused the engine oil seals to give up on the crankshaft?!??!.... But the oil appears to localised for that... although it is EVERYWHERE!!

The easiest solution to this problem would be to fit a cosworth V6.....LOL!

[Edited on 11/5/09 by tegwin]

Wash the bottom of the car with parafin or gunk or whatever, let it dry, refill with oil and leave it running on your drive- you'll soon know where its coming from!

Regards
Hugh

If you're getting what seem to be multiple oil leaks then the first thing I'd check would be the breather system. The connection to the inlet manifold is supposed to keep the internal pressure just slightly negative thus encouraging the oil to stay inside the motor!

With a lot of older power units where the sealing is a little limited the breather system becomes critical. A good way of checking the effectiveness of the breather is as follows.

Find a length of clear tubing that will fit snugly into the dipstick hole. With the tube in place make a big U bend and add a little water into the tube. Once the water has found its own level you should start the motor and observe the behaviour of the water. This is best done with two of you as if the breather is working very well it could pull the water into the crankcase. If this starts to happen just pull the tube out sharpish.

If the pressure is positive, ie the water is being pushed out, you need to check/clean the breather system until the column is just showing a negative crankcase pressure, ie being pulled towards the motor.

Obviously the pressure will vary depending on throttle position but you should have a consistently negative pressure to give the seals a chance.

On some motors there are restrictors placed in the breather tubes to limit the vacuum and avoid 'pull over'. That is when oil is pulled into the inlet manifold. You may need to open the restrictor a little to get the right result. Not too much though or you'll end up with a James Bond stylee smokescreen!

Good luck,

Mike

Thanks for the reply! By breather system, would I be correct in assuming that this could be the pipe from the top of the rocker cover that feeds into the intake manifold just behind the carbs?

I have the car jacked up at the moment so I will clean the underside and then run it up to temp and see if I can figure out where its comming from!

Its so seriously frustrating lol...


If the breather vacum is puled through the rocker cover... the leaking gasket might account for lack of vacume in the oil system??

[Edited on 12/5/09 by tegwin]

It's easy to fit twist on filters with the rubber seal deformed if you aren't very careful.

But as said if you block up one leak and it finds another way out then you have bigger problems to fix.

This lubrication feature is the only reason so many classic mini's are still on the road.

Tegwin, IIRC there's a flat topped breather valve somewhere around the rocker-box cover. You need to ensure that's clean inside and the spring still has some integrity. Also the pipes leading up to it are clear.
Otherwise the spin-on filter has to be prime suspect.
Cheers, Pewe

quote:

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Originally posted by tegwin
Thanks for the reply! By breather system, would I be correct in assuming that this could be the pipe from the top of the rocker cover that feeds into the intake manifold just behind the carbs?

If the breather vacum is puled through the rocker cover... the leaking gasket might account for lack of vacume in the oil system??

[Edited on 12/5/09 by tegwin]

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