Oil level going down aswell please help

[clio-16-valver]

Hi

After today I have noticed my oil level is going down alot. Going near to min on the gauge now. Its misfiring and judders when you drive it. Is this a very big problem? Please help as I am sitting here worrying about a big bill and would rather know on average before. I take it it will be an engine out job if oil is leaking inside?

Cme on guys/ girls give us a bit of time to reply as its christmas.

Thanks


[Edited by clio-16-valver on 24 December 2004 at 6:05pm]

 

[Mole]

when did u last top up the oil?
are there any oil patches where you park it, is it chucking out blue smoke?

Also whats the reading on the dipstick, as the guage inside is inaccurate

 

[clio-16-valver]

Basiclly no oil has leaked outside. The car has just started loosing oil over today basiclly and thats when this other stuff has started. I have a really bad feeling that a seal in the engine has gone meaning it will be leaking around inside and duffing the car up. No blue smoke and I have only just bought the car about 2 months ago. Not changed oil since.

When I bought the car it had the same prob which he got fixed for me. Dont know if the oil level went down tho.

Please give me some options.

Thanks

 

[Mole]

well as i said, dont trust the guage inside the car, check the dipstick for yourself.

Did the guy who sold u the car show u a receipt of the work done to repair this problem it had

 

[clio-16-valver]

no he didnt but it stopped until now.

 

[clio-16-valver]

K think i have found the prob. One of the spark plugs is filled up with blue/green gunge (can oil be that colour?) (looks like fairy washing up liquid). Please tell me wtf that is. It does not look like oil. But it is well deep meaning it could not spark.

[Edited by clio-16-valver on 24 December 2004 at 6:37pm]

 

[Munson]

Sounds like it could be water getting into that pot? head gasket? Dunno about green though...

 

[clio-16-valver]

But water isnt blue... Expensive to fix the head gasket?

 

[Andyvalver]

Yeh, My quess is £200+. Unless you do it ya self. Sounds like the head gasket but could be the rocker cover gasket. It will misfire if 1 plug is being drowned in oil. Oh yeh, Is the car drinking water or has the water coluor changed or is ya oil abit creamy round the lid

[Edited by Andyvalver on 24 December 2004 at 6:48pm]

[Edited by Andyvalver on 24 December 2004 at 6:50pm]

 

[Munson]

Im guessing the green gunge on the plug could be a sign of anti-freeze maybe? If it does turn out to be the head gasket, DONT delay in getting it fixed, as a blown HD can cause the head to be damaged - if that happens it would need welding up and/or skimming.

 

[clio-16-valver]

Ok the blue green stuff in the spark plug is the same as in my water tank. Meaning blown head gasket?

 

[Munson]

Quite likey yes. The sooner you get it looked at/fixed, the less likely it is to spiral out of control.

 

[midge]

sounds like the head gaskett, check your oil

 

[clio-16-valver]

yea I wont drive it until I get it fixed. I take it the oil + coolant is mixing as well they are both going down.

 

[Chris&Amber]

what I would liek to know is how can a blown headgasket cause this?

Is it a magical clio only feat that when a gasket below the plugs blows the oil/water magically travels by osmosis through the solid metal that is the head and ends up in the plug well? Or does it go out the side work against gravity and travel up the side of the head then pours back down into the plug well.

If so no gasket will fix anything, you need a priest mate and tell the media, youll be a millionaire!

However if you actually stop listening to muppets and use your brain and think about it you will discover that in fact its more than likely one of the core plug between the plug wells thats leaking. Which means an easy-ish fix aside from access.

How much oil is it actually using? 1 litre per 1k miles it regarded as normal by renault. You would also have a smoke screen behind you if it was using it quickly.

 

[midge]

with the head gasket blown oil and water will have room to get through the gap where its blown and end up in the cylinder

 

[Chris&Amber]

really midge? Who would have thought...

This has nothing to do with the miracle of a blown headgasket oil/coolant, allowing by magical forces no less, to travel upwards into the plug well.

Which I am still waiting for an answer to, if this is really happening then its gonna be on the telly as a miracle.

 

[clio-16-valver]

The oil has gone down about 3/4 in about 700 miles.

 

[Chris&Amber]

by 3/4s do you mean 3/4s of whats in the sump or 3/4s of the min/max distance. If its the min/max distance then thats under a litre then thats tolerable.

If its the full sumps capacity then thats nearly 3/4 litres and its either leaking heavily or your being followed by a blue smoke trail everywhere.

Run the engine up to temp so that the cooling system gets pressure in it, turn it off then take the plastic stuff off from around the plugs so you can see the wells. You should be able to see with some luck a small spray/dribble from a core plug in there, thats what you need to replace, easyish job.

Its not uncommon, annoying to change for those with big hands, small peeps like BenR can change them cos they are mini people

 

[clio-16-valver]

No I got the reading from the gauge inside the car (near to min) At the front of the car I checked the dip stick and it shows that the oil level is on the first indent (2 in total on the stick) I am getting no leaks or smoke (well only white smoke out the exhaust when v cold and just been started.

[Edited by clio-16-valver on 27 December 2004 at 3:46pm]

 

[Chris&Amber]

the gauge inside the car. really... If you look at the handbook and indeed common sense shoudl tell you to ignore the gauge as its crap.

The lowest indent on the dipstick is the min mark and the next is the max mark. So if its going from max to min then its not that much to worry about if its takes 800 miles. The engine will be leaking as well, they all leak from somehwere, which is nice when you are rebuiliding them as you need to clean all the crud off, so you can take some of the missing oil as leakage.

Smoek from the exhaust another area, for every gallon of fuel burned you get nearly a gallon of water out the exhuast as well, so you will always get water vapour leaving the pipe, on sunny warm days you just dont see it. On cold days or 1st starting the exhaust is cold so it drops the gasses temp enough to make it visable.