Hi all, Ive just bought a skoda octavia 1998 diesel, it has a SMT TURBO PROTECTION BOARD (SUPER CHIP), CAR RUNS GREAT, LOADS OF POWER - but im leaking a little oil underneath!

Any ideas where to start looking? Common places for leaks?where should i start to look?

Im not much of a car nut, so any pointers would be great

Thanks Steve - dundee

assuming 1.9 diesel , try sump gskt , sump bung , rocker cover gskt , turbo oil pipes , intercooler pipes

Cheers, yes its a 1.9, well chuffed with the car , its high miles 127, 000 , but one owner and serviced at Skoda garage every 10000 miles, runs like a dream.

Sorry, will i need to take anything off to have a look for the above?

Steve

Undertray if its still fitted, see where the oil is coming from, localish area will give us an idea (back, front, side etc)

Here goes my description !

Jacked up driver side behind front wheel , looking across just past first belt there is a big sump? block ? the oil is dripping from the base of this thing - sump is it?

Nothing seems to be coming from much above this, it seems like a silicon sort of seal, im not 100% but does not look that great?

What do you reckon, and how much to replace? at garage?

The starting point for identifying the source of oil leaks is to clean off existing oil with an engine degreaser spray. Take the car for a short drive and check for leaks. If none, increase the drive duration until a leak becomes apparent.

The official parts list shows that silicone sealant is used to form the sump seal. I am not sure if the sump can be dropped far enough in situ to allow the seal to be remade.

If it is the sump leaking it will need removing, cleaning up and resealing.

Just make sure there is no damage to the sump, they often get knocked and the sump plug usually cops it first.

I was about to say, I've known more than one backstreet garage that 'forgets' to use a copper washer on the sump plug, resulting in a slow oil leak (and gorilla-strength to get the thing off again!).

Shouldnt use a copper washer on the bung. The bung should be replaced at service.

The bung being the 'bolt' that plugs the hole where the oil is drained? I was under the impression that you re-use the bolt with a new copper washer?:confused:

The bolt that goes in the bottom is often sealed with a copper or plastic, or plastic/rubber washer on many cars. I have personally only seen one car with a plastic replaceable sump plug. However since Lummox is a master Tech and services the cars day in day out, i'd say he is right on this one

If you have just bought the car thats an ideal time to have the oil changed, so I would suggest doing and oil and filter change with a suitable oil and putting a new sump plug plus sealing washer if needed in when you do it. A dealer should be able to supply the part for under £5.

I have seen it many times where the washer hasn't been replaced with a new one, and while you can do this once or twice and not have a noticeable leak, eventually the oil will get past. It's one of the things that people often try and save a few pennies on when changing the oil.

Since the car is new to you, I'd be doing an oil change anyway for piece of mind, so this is an extra couple of quid that will probably sort out a leak.

If your leak is from the bottom of the sump, then it's probably this, if it's from an inch or two up then it may be the sump seal to the engine block, but well this one is a lot cheaper to try if you can't work out exactly where it's from

Hope that helps

The bung comes complete with a built in washer. It is advisable to change them both as the thread in the sump is aluminium and if the thread picks up on the way out which they do sometimes putting it back in will wreck the sump.

They put an aluminium sump on!

Now that explains why they get damaged quite so easily, I thought they were steel, but just stupidly low. Ahh well learn something every day.

Why the astra by the way lummox?

Why the astra by the way lummox?

An old project car of mine, gonna put a new one up each week.