I think there is more than one leak, loses about .5 litre for 50 miles, and leaves 2 puddles on drive
leak area one

on back of sump, plug may also be leaking slightly.

as you look up the back of the sump, the flange where the sump meets the block is wet with oil



next leak is passenger side

looks to be cam cover gasket?



any advice or experiances with this problem appreciated, i will be looking to get the parts together to sort out these problems, so all help needed please, i have access to proper garage ramps and tools.

 

They usally leak from the rocker gaskets and crankshaft oil seal (front)
looks like rocker gaskets on your car

 

ok looks like rocker cover gasket, easy to change? what about the back of the sump being wet with oil?

 

Rocker cover is a b!tch of a job in situ but can be done. Take everything thats in the way off (battery, water bottle, airbox etc) remove the engine mount bolts and the dog bone and jack the engine up to give a little more room.

Rear crank seals can go, mine did. Engine or gearbox out, there's a healthy debate on the subject if you do a search.

 

i couldnt find it on the search

 

bttt

 

As playsatan says the seals do go mine did, but it was the front one which is a piece of cake to change. The rear one dose mean gearbox out to change , but i would change the rocker gaskets first as i would have thought if the rear crankshaft seal was leaking you would get oil contamination on your clutch and it would slip. The oil drip may not indicate where the leak is as may just be running along the sump before it drips down.

Also check oil return pipe on bottom of turbo as they can crack with heat.

 

thanks ian, that is good advice, i will do the cam cover first, is it easy to get too? or do i need to lift the engine with a jack a bit? i have just done a turbo swap on this car, so i might have another look at the oil lines, but i have been checking these along with coolant hoses.

 

anyone have any idea if camshaft seals could cause this?

 

Cam seals can leak - remove the left+right outer timing covers and you can see if there is any oil dripping behind the cam pulleys.
On the rear of the engine,the Plastic type of Oil Seperator/Breather cover can leak also - but either way its engine/gearbox out to do the Rear Main oil seal or Seperator Plate.
If your going to take the engine out,steam clean the suspect areas first and run the car for about 15 miles before removing the engine.This way you will see the "fresh oil leaks" not the oil which has dripped down the engine or been blown around.

 

bttt