Leak from sandwich plate

[Blak_Mamber]

Hey all,

When my car was being fixed at TM developments, I had a sanwich plate fitted by them for a decent bit of money for instalation, so i could have a oil pressure gauge installed.

Just recently noticed some oil collecting on my plastic engine protecter trays that cover the bottom of the engine.

Jacked the car up and it looks like its coming from the seal where the sandwich plate connects to the block.

Any ideas how i can tighten this? or somehow stop this leak?? Pics below:-

You can see on this pic below where the seal sits and the oil in between it...

 

[c3dpo]

how long was that plasic on the car for to have that little oil there

I'm not techny but if thats been on a good while, I wouldn't worry. Mine was caked in shit, and just past mot today no advisories and 180k on the clock

looking at pic 6 thje thing doesnt look like it sits fluish, 2 bits are flush at the side and then it raises. sorry poor explanation. but i dont see tightening that will make it totally flush by the look of the shapes?

 

[Blak_Mamber]

how long was that plasic on the car for to have that little oil there

Couple of days dude. I cleaned it and now its back again. I dont wanna keep having to top up with oil etc.. I'd rather try and stop the leak so i dont have oil keep being flicked around the bottom of the engine bay..

 

[neilcliop]

having trouble with the same with mine i taken it off and have a place that will give me a new seal and that should stop it
would u not just get a new seal

 

[Blak_Mamber]

Where could i get a new seal from tho mate? I dont even know what brand the sandwich plate is or you think that any sandwich plate seal that is the same fitment would do the job? A mate also recommended maybe ptfe tape or whatever its called... wrap that around it :noidea:

 

[neilcliop]

place close to me that if u bring the seal in to them they can make ya one if they dont have it in stock im in ireland tho
il check i they have a website for ya

 

[Texx]

Could you not use the O ring seal from an oil filter? What have TMD suggested?

 

[MARK@CMBAUTOS]

Could you not use the O ring seal from an oil filter? What have TMD suggested?

x2 iv used a few

 

[dark_knight]

as Texx says, you can get an old oil filter and rip the seal out then use that on the s/w plate. also, as unlikely as it sounds, was it torqued in right and tight enough..? always worth a check.
i agree with you, that does look like quite some oil and get it fixed when you can instead of always topping up..

 

[weeJohn]

That sandwhich plate looks a bit to big for the stock filter housing, the seal should be compressed evenly all the way round to seal properly.

 

[Blak_Mamber]

Thanks for everyones input... much appreicated and rep has been dished out....

place close to me that if u bring the seal in to them they can make ya one if they dont have it in stock im in ireland tho
il check i they have a website for ya

cheers mate.

Could you not use the O ring seal from an oil filter? What have TMD suggested?

Yeah that sounds like a good idea, worth a try..

Havnt contacted TMD about this, doubt they want anything to do with my car anymore after all the trouble its given everyone. I'll just try and sort this out on me own.

as Texx says, you can get an old oil filter and rip the seal out then use that on the s/w plate. also, as unlikely as it sounds, was it torqued in right and tight enough..? always worth a check.
i agree with you, that does look like quite some oil and get it fixed when you can instead of always topping up..

I assume its been fitted correctly dude. Ill have to try the advice Texx gave.

That sandwhich plate looks a bit to big for the stock filter housing, the seal should be compressed evenly all the way round to seal properly.

yeah it does look like that, but i assume its the correct size as it was supplied and fitted by TM developments.

 

[AdDaMan]

have you made sure its tight as lew?

 

[dark_knight]

@Blak_Mamber: so it's TM dev that had it fitted..? interesting. i know this is highly unlikely but maybe there was/is something in the way of the s/w plate and the block (oil filter seat) that is causing it to not lay flat..?

 

[Blak_Mamber]

I dont even know how to un-do it or tighten it to be honest. I dont know why it dosent sit flush at the bottom as you can see in the pics like it does around the side. Really not sure how to go about this. Ideally i need a car lift so i can work on it a lot easier as i only have the usual car jack

 

[dark_knight]

it's easy mate.. and you sound like you are capable with your hands..
if you can get your hands on some axle stands or even just huge steady bricks/blocks, then you can do this..

a) jack up the car & put axle stands/bricks at the jack points
b) drain the oil from the sump
c) in your case you may want to remove the air filter to give you some more room to work with
d) remove the splash guards (x4 10mm nuts if i remember correctly)
e) disconnect anything on the s/w plate
f) from the front of the car, turn anti-clockwise to loosen, clockwise to tighten (lefty-loosey, righty-tighty)
g) give it a good peek and look around for possible problems

since the seal between the s/w plate and the oil filter seat has been there a while, you may be able to notice at what point exactly it was being pinched and perhaps take the required corrective action. while removing the s/w plate, you may want to wrap it in some oil cloth to catch spills and cushion your hands from any sharp edges it may have.
all the best mate..

 

[Blak_Mamber]

Very helpful mate. thank you. Do you think i will need to remove the power steering pump?

 

[dark_knight]

nah.. judging from the pictures you showed, removing the ps pump may be overkill. you may want to attack it from the bottom of the car so that you have as much leverage as possible then once it works loose, you can reach down to it from the top and remove it. remember to dab and dry away all the oil spills and also clean your splash guard so that after you are done and the leak persists, you'll be able to see fresh leaks trails..

ps: SAFETY FIRST!
so please ensure that you car is securely held by axle stands/sturdy bricks and that the rear wheels are choked+parking brake on..

 

[Blak_Mamber]

Cheers pal, very helpful.

Regarding axle stands, I found that my jack couldnt jack the car up high enough for me to slip the stands underneath. Am i doing something wrong or do i need smaller axle stands lol

 

[dark_knight]

no. no need for smaller axle stands. i'm assuming you have the regular scissor jack which when turned to the lowest point, pretty much lays flat on itself. you can get a small plank of wood (2~3 inches high) and put that under the jack then lift the car to the jacks' highest point. i believe at this point you will now be able to slip the axle stand underneath. also, to ease your work, you can put the jack a few inches towards the rear from the designated jack point (indicated by two notches on the chassis weld underneath the car right after the front wheel well). this will give you a few mm of extra height as you are jacking the car up..
i'm also assuming you have the height-adjustable axle stands that allow you to set the height you want the car at..?

 

[Rory]

Why drain the sump?

it's easy mate.. and you sound like you are capable with your hands..
if you can get your hands on some axle stands or even just huge steady bricks/blocks, then you can do this..

a) jack up the car & put axle stands/bricks at the jack points
b) drain the oil from the sump
c) in your case you may want to remove the air filter to give you some more room to work with
d) remove the splash guards (x4 10mm nuts if i remember correctly)
e) disconnect anything on the s/w plate
f) from the front of the car, turn anti-clockwise to loosen, clockwise to tighten (lefty-loosey, righty-tighty)
g) give it a good peek and look around for possible problems

since the seal between the s/w plate and the oil filter seat has been there a while, you may be able to notice at what point exactly it was being pinched and perhaps take the required corrective action. while removing the s/w plate, you may want to wrap it in some oil cloth to catch spills and cushion your hands from any sharp edges it may have.
all the best mate..