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Leaks & smells

Oil leak under the car

Oil spreads and drips away from its source, so leaks are traced by cleaning, running and inspecting rather than by looking once.

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Symptoms drivers describe

  • Dark oily patches on the drive
  • Oil level dropping between services
  • A burning oil smell after driving
  • Smoke or smell from oil on hot exhaust parts

Possible causes

  • Rocker cover or cam cover gasket leaks
  • Sump gasket or sump plug leaks
  • Crankshaft or camshaft seal wear
  • Oil filter housing and cooler seal leaks
  • Turbo oil feed or return pipe leaks

What you can do

  • Check the oil level regularly until it is fixed
  • Note whether the leak appears only after driving
  • Take it seriously on a wet-belt engine, where oil condition affects the belt

How we check it in the workshop

We clean the area, run the engine and inspect on the lift, using dye where needed, so the actual source is repaired rather than the most obvious gasket.

Is it safe to keep driving?

Have it traced. Low oil damages engines, and oil onto a hot exhaust is a fire risk.

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Related repairs

How we can help

Engine Repairs in IverEngine faults are where guesswork gets expensive. We test, measure and read live data before anything is replaced.Read more Oil & Filter ServiceClean oil of the right specification is what keeps bearings, turbochargers and wet timing belts alive. It is the single most valuable job on the schedule.Read more Wet Belt ReplacementA wet belt runs inside the engine, lubricated by engine oil. When the belt breaks down, the debris goes where the oil goes — including the oil pump pickup.Read more Turbo ReplacementTurbo failure often has an underlying cause. Oil supply, restriction and boost control are checked first — otherwise the new turbo goes the same way as the old one.Read more

Leaks & smells

Other symptoms in this group

Coolant leak or a puddle under the carColour and position tell you a lot. Coolant is usually pink, orange, blue or green and smells sweet; oil is dark and greasy.Read more Burning smell while drivingThe type of smell is the diagnosis short cut. Rubber, hot oil, hot brakes and electrical burning are all distinguishable.Read more Smell of petrol in or around the carFuel vapour is a fire risk, so a petrol smell is one of the few symptoms worth acting on the same day.Read more

Want this looked at properly?

Send us your registration and describe the symptoms — we will tell you what the next step is.

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