first oil leak - advice needed

[hepkat63]

Hi All,
just noticed my first oil leak since owning the car. It is not a 'leak' as such - more like a slow seep drip.

If you have a look at the photos - can anyone please advise as to what it might be - or where I should look? If I have a look at the top of the motor and all down the sides, I can't see anything leaking or any sign of any issues - so a bit confused.

The three photos are the leak, and then two taken with my phone looking up in the motor bay.

thank you !

[earossi]

Impossible to tell from the photo. Since the leak is on the front of the engine, I would first suspect a front crank oil seal leak. Or, could be a case seam leak. If it is the front seal, you would not be able to see it from above. And, difficult to see it from below because of the engine tin. Take a light and look down from above. Look below the front crank pulley to see if there is any oil in the bottom of the engine tin, below the pulley. Oil there would confirm a front seal. Or, in some cases, the front seal could be fine and you are getting seepage past the #8 bearing o-ring. Just my SWAG.

Your picture also shows that there is still Cosmoline on the engine case. This is a sprayed on coating to protect the bare metal of the car from salt corrosion during shipping from Germany across the "pond". Suggest cleaning that off, since it is no longer needed. Removing Cosmoline is a chore.....scrubbing down with a solvent and then pressure washing is the way I remove it.

In removing the Cosmoline, you will also be cleaning up the entire area, so that tracking an oil leak should now be easier when you first see it.

[hepkat63]

Originally Posted by earossi

Impossible to tell from the photo. Since the leak is on the front of the engine, I would first suspect a front crank oil seal leak. Or, could be a case seam leak. If it is the front seal, you would not be able to see it from above. And, difficult to see it from below because of the engine tin. Take a light and look down from above. Look below the front crank pulley to see if there is any oil in the bottom of the engine tin, below the pulley. Oil there would confirm a front seal. Or, in some cases, the front seal could be fine and you are getting seepage past the #8 bearing o-ring. Just my SWAG.

Your picture also shows that there is still Cosmoline on the engine case. This is a sprayed on coating to protect the bare metal of the car from salt corrosion during shipping from Germany across the "pond". Suggest cleaning that off, since it is no longer needed. Removing Cosmoline is a chore.....scrubbing down with a solvent and then pressure washing is the way I remove it.

In removing the Cosmoline, you will also be cleaning up the entire area, so that tracking an oil leak should now be easier when you first see it.

thank you !