Leaking lots of oil away from home - HELP!

timmus

timmus

A2OC Donor
Hi folks,

I'm in Oxford, about 230 miles from home. I started my TDI 75 today and found the red oil light came on, followed by a yellow light effectively saying "Oil Min".

I took the bonnet off and found the plastic under tray covered in oil, though I can't see where the oil is leaking from. I had my intercooler replaced a matter of days ago, though there doesn't seem to be any oil around the new intercooler itself. Replacing the intercooler involved disconnecting a whole series of tubes and pipes.

Basically, my question is, what do I do? If I take it back to the garage in Lancaster, where the intercooler was replaced, they'll no doubt fix the fault free of charge if it's related to the job they've just done; perhaps it's just a seal which hasn't been done up tightly enough...? However, this involves driving the car back to Lancaster, a journey of 230ish miles.
If I find someone in Oxford who can fix the problem tomorrow, they'll obviously charge me.

I could simply buy a litre of oil in the knowledge that I'd probably lose most of it on the M6. Would that get me home without damaging my car?

I'd be grateful for your thoughts and opinions on this; I have to return to Lancaster on monday evening, so if I do need to get it fixed in Oxford, I've only got a day in which to get it sorted.

Many thanks,

Tom
 
do you have breakdown cover?
Where was the work done?

1. Add a liter of oil.
2. See what happens. If the red or yellow light comes back on, turn the engine off ASAP and coast to the hard shoulder. Get your AA or RAC man to come and pick you up.

If there's lots of oil on the undertray, someone's probably forgotten something. There's no indication, though, that if it got you to oxford, it will get you back, as something else might have happened.

Other alternative: get yourself to stealth, they're up the road in Southam.

Bret
 
Many thanks, Bret.

I'll buy a litre of oil tomorrow morning. What oil should I buy? I'm guessing there are different viscosities?

Cheers,

Tom
 
If you are close to Halfords, Castrol Edge 5w30 is one of the easiest to get hold of.
Also, if the car has run for a few hours with the oil level very low (less than 2 litres), I'd be tempted to do a full oil change.
Regarding the leak, one possibility is the garage has disturbed the oil fill pipe which runs from the service flap to the connection on the sump. Its above the sump oil level but an awful lot can splash out with the engine running.

Cheers Spike
 
Bingo!

I've just been outside to the car with a torch and found the tube to the sump was only barely inserted. Thank you Spike for the diagnosis.
I'll reattach the tube in the morning when I can see a little better and top up with the recommended oil. Does anyone know how many litres of oil are likely to be missing for the "Oil Min" warning light to come on?

Thank you to all who have helped me with this; if it weren't for you lot, I'd have had to take my car to an unknown garage, wasting time and money. I love this club!

Tom.
 
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