[john6723]

Hi All,

I have a much loved 2010 C30 with the Diesel 1.6 engine. She's just done 174K miles, but recently has developed an oil leak that's running from the valve cover down (see photo). It appears to be wet with engine oil on top of the valve cover on the top of the engine. I get about several drips over night on the drive. Does anyone have any experience of this?

 

[Platypup]

To get on top of the camshaft/valve cover the oil is either coming out of the oil filler opening due to the cap not sealing properly or is squirting up from below or being blown up by the cooling fan. Otherwise if the oil is running down the sides of the camshaft cover its seal may be leaking. Try cleaning away as much oil as possible from the engine or get it professionally cleaned and then carefully look for the leak with the engine running. Tip - use a good torch in the dark to look for leaks that would be hard to see in the shadows under the bonnet cast by strong sunlight. Correction - looks like you're in the UK - the shadows cast by the weak sunlight.

 

[thepinb]

could it be a blowby problem causeing the oil to be forced out? probabley only leaks when driveing reving etc

 

[john6723]

Thanks guys for the advice, so far I've managed to clean the engine up a bit (it was filthy) and I've found out the following. 1). it looks like its diesel and not oil (I really should have spotted this before), and 2). it appears to be coming from around the turbo area, see the new liquid staining on the engine cover after I cleaned it and put it back. I opened the easier to access hose on the other side of the turbo and it has a little bit of diesel in it, see photo.

What are your thoughts?

 

[thepinb]

seems you have fuel in your oil then? when your turbo spools up it carries air and shouldnt contain oil or fuel the fuel is deliverd directly into the cylander via the injectors look for leaks there if you have fuel in your oil this thins the oil and you have parts rubing change it out for something a little thiker. As you probably know it's possible for the air intake to contain oil if the turbo core is worn and leaking into the system replaceing JUST the turbo core less expensive its allso possible that some oil is carried through the system via the engine breather pipe usually connected to the air intake manifold just past the mass airflow sensor just before this point some performance cars are fitted with an oil catch can see them on fleabay as engine blow by becomes a problem but usually its a small amount and is generaly allowed to bern with fuel, loosen the oil filler cap so it just sits over the filler cap if its bouncing around because of presure inside you may have a blow by problem