Oil leak.

OwenS · Post by **OwenS** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 2:15 pm

My BX14 has developed a slight oil leak from the bottom of the engine. It makes little to no difference to the oil level, which is checked regularly, any suggestions?

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 3:12 pm

Sump gasket or breather pipe? Also without meaning to sound I`m taking the mickey but are you sure it`s not from the top of the engine and making it`s way down, like the rocker cover gasket or something?

OwenS · Post by **OwenS** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 5:04 pm

Hehe..im not the worlds most technically minded person so im not going to take offence. How serious would those kind of problems be, how difficult/expensive to fix?

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 7:56 pm

From my experience top end oil leaks tend to be either the cam cover or a dipstick thats broken.

You can normally tell though if the top end is leaking by all the puddles around the top of your engine.

My BX pi55es out oil. Having got the top end oil tight i'll now have to attack the bottom end......

It never seems to stop on my BX!

M · Post by M » Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:44 pm

Ian_Fearn wrote:My BX pi55es out oil. Having got the top end oil tight i'll now have to attack the bottom end......It never seems to stop on my BX!

Ian - thats the in built anti rust design. All early ADO16 series cars had this - unfortunatly it used to keep only the front third free from the tin worm.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:43 pm

OwenS wrote:Hehe..im not the worlds most technically minded person so im not going to take offence. How serious would those kind of problems be, how difficult/expensive to fix?

If it`s the rocker cover and it`s a n/a engine I would have thought it was relatively simple. The BX 1.7 I had (Vanny`s outside now ready to take it away!) looked really easy to change, the 1.9 I`ve just bought seems slighly more complicated due to the air filter being in the way but is shouldn`t be too hard (he says!). Turbo versions may be different, I don`t know where the turbo is situated.
If you find it`s the rocker gasket let me know. I have a Haynes manual now for the petrol and diesel BX`s so could hopefully scan the relevant page(s) and e-mail them to you.

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:58 pm

If it is the rocker cover then check that the cover is not warped it has taken me 4 years to cure my oil leak from here the only cure i found was to replace the cover which has now cured the leak no more drips on the drive.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:58 am

Marty wrote:
Ian_Fearn wrote:My BX pi55es out oil. Having got the top end oil tight i'll now have to attack the bottom end......It never seems to stop on my BX!
Ian - thats the in built anti rust design. All early ADO16 series cars had this - unfortunatly it used to keep only the front third free from the tin worm.

Isn`t AD016 the code for the Austin/Morris/Riley/MG/Wolsely 1100/1300 range?

M · Post by M » Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:40 am

cavmad wrote: Isn`t AD016 the code for the Austin/Morris/Riley/MG/Wolsely 1100/1300 range?

Yes it is, and its a little knon fact that they were designed to leak oil to preserve the underside of the car, just like the BX

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 8:34 am

Marty wrote:
cavmad wrote: Isn`t AD016 the code for the Austin/Morris/Riley/MG/Wolsely 1100/1300 range?
Yes it is, and its a little knon fact that they were designed to leak oil to preserve the underside of the car, just like the BX

Guess that makes me an anorak now then?

My mate had the Wolsely version years ago. I`ve always had a strange attraction to these cars, I`ll get one one day, preferably a very basic and early Morris.
Back to the (possible) rocker gasket leak I assume they`re a fairly straigh forward job?

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:43 pm

the rockers on the 1.4Tu engine are rather different from the unsealable XUD engines, the rocker cover is basically i big piece of tin (with a spray guard underneatch and plastic lugs that get over tightened, snap and go wizzing round the engine). Cos its only thin metal they have a certain flexibility in them that makes them seal pretty easily, but you still need to put the magic sealnt stuff in the right places or it will leak for ever. the haynes shows you how and where and the rocker gasket is cheap enough and easy enough to do anyway!

I have a spare engine if your interested, runs sweat as a nut though theres no history for it, you want it then come get it basically (its in Bury!)

OwenS · Post by **OwenS** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:16 pm

Well I was hpoing that it wouldn't need a new engine as its only coverd 70,000 miles with a full history. I'll get a mechanic mate to have a look......