Not a drop ever. (Except last year my garage where I lived at the time, cracked the oil pan. I spotted the leak immediately and got them to replace it with a new one.)
Oil (coolant) Leak *front* right
Hi,
This is the first Smart mystery where I cannot find anything that makes sense.
I hit a small deer early in a 1000 mile trip. At first the damage seemed isolated to the passenger side front. A half tank of gas later the oil light started going on intermittently. I stopped and added 2 quarts bringing it to full. I stopped and added at least a quart every half tank until I got home. I used OBD2 (Torque Pro) to monitor temperatures finding everything staying in range. No smoke and no oil top side of the engine compartment. It was obviously leaking. After parking it overnight I found an oil spot about a foot in from the front passenger/damaged side.
What is oil doing way up front? No turbo and no aftermarket oil cooler. Is there some component of the PCV system up there? What else might it be?
I sure appreciate your help. A mechanic who does not known Smart cars will take a look but I need to give him some guidance / details.
Cheers,
Chris
This is the first Smart mystery where I cannot find anything that makes sense.
I hit a small deer early in a 1000 mile trip. At first the damage seemed isolated to the passenger side front. A half tank of gas later the oil light started going on intermittently. I stopped and added 2 quarts bringing it to full. I stopped and added at least a quart every half tank until I got home. I used OBD2 (Torque Pro) to monitor temperatures finding everything staying in range. No smoke and no oil top side of the engine compartment. It was obviously leaking. After parking it overnight I found an oil spot about a foot in from the front passenger/damaged side.
What is oil doing way up front? No turbo and no aftermarket oil cooler. Is there some component of the PCV system up there? What else might it be?
I sure appreciate your help. A mechanic who does not known Smart cars will take a look but I need to give him some guidance / details.
Cheers,
Chris
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When not driving, we cannot test the "spray at high oil pressure" because there is no load and the RPMs max at 3500. The oil filter was involved in the accident. While it was not visibly damaged, we will replace for want of any other options.Update. ...
Correct. Not a drop. Dipstick at full for 70,000 miles (thanks Mobile 1)So you were not losing oil prior to hitting the bambino?
Emm, I'd check and see if the oil filter is loose. Maybe you might wanna change the oil filter. Now I know that you mentioned that there was no sign of any leaks around the engine. SO, yeah, it's a longshot.
Not loose but covered with blood and fur from the accident so I'm thinking a tiny punctureEmm, I'd check and see if the oil filter is loose. Maybe you might wanna change the oil filter. Now I know that you mentioned that there was no sign of any leaks around the engine. SO, yeah, it's a longshot.
Just a whacky thought, but if you know someone with an action camera (like a GoPro), you could secure it under the car while you are driving and see if you can spot where the leak is coming from. It might be worth taking the belly pan off and moving the camera between runs to try and spot the leak.
The oil isn’t leaking into the coolant, right? This would indicate a blown head gasket.
The oil isn’t leaking into the coolant, right? This would indicate a blown head gasket.
I like it! Using a mirror and flashlight to view, we saw that both sides of the belly pan is also dry, no oil. This really has the mechanic's goat ... he asked all of the questions here and more.Just a whacky thought, but if you know someone with an action camera (like a GoPro), you could secure it under the car while you are driving and see if you can spot where the leak is coming from. It might be worth taking the belly pan off and moving the camera between runs to try and spot the leak.
The oil isn’t leaking into the coolant, right? This would indicate a blown head gasket.
Checked the coolant. It is down because of the radiator leak but no oil.
I have rewritten this to reflect knowledge gained and questions answered.
Mysterious Oil Loss
Mysterious Oil Loss
21 - 28 of 28 Posts
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