HELLO
31 May 2001, 08:19 PM
#2
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Location: Swansea
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Tis a bit, so thought I'd tell you a story....sit comfortably and ...
Had a trip to London two weeks ago today, right into Westminster. Rained all the way, pig of a journey, Marks and Sparks employees were demonstrating in London too, partly causing traffic chaos.
I left London at 4:30 pm in thick traffic and took 2 hours to get to the M4, heard on the radio there was trouble at junc 13, so decided I would stop at Reading Services for fuel, the most expensive place on the planet.
Just after getting to the M4, I got a waft of burning oil each time I stopped in traffic. Damn (!) I thought, this is the smell I had before.....When I had the cam belts changed I asked for the oil leak around the cam belt cover to be checked - it turned out to be the cam/crank seals. So I had new seals fitted.
I had read in the Technical section of Scoobynet about some chaps car catching fire cos of the drips from this oil leak!
Anyway, pulled into Reading Services, still raining. Got out of car, plumes of smoke wafting from under bonnet, guy parked next to me in his Beemer saw the smoke, he got out and walked towards the services, but then without saying a word came back, got in his car and moved it to another parking space - very polite of him.
Went round the front of the car, could see a raindow coloured oil slick on the wet tarmac following the way I had backed the car into the parking space. Looked under front of car there was already a pool of oil directly under the cambelt cover. Oh dear I thought! Only another 160 miles to go to get home! Stupidly, I had not got Recovery service.
I decided after seeing the oil slick and the smoke and as I didn't have a fire extinguisher, that the best thing to do would be to run and hide, so I went for a burger.
After being mugged for a burger I returned to the stricken car, no fire brigade around, there's hope I thought! I braved lifting the bonnet and saw see oil sprayed all over the lower engine bay and exhaust pipes etc. Oil was still dripping, exhaust still smouldering...
Decided to carry on with my journey, called into petrol station bought fuel and a litre of synthetic oil (£7!), popped it in and erhum carried on.
Anyway, after 3 more litres of oil from subsequent service stations, and a continual smoke trail, I reckoned the car was either going to catch fire or break down. Had all my possessions in a carrier bag on the passenger seat ready to bail out - fire was the most likely outcome in my mind. I was peed off and just wanted to get home, I didn't need all this hassle.
I eventually got back to Swansea at 10:30 pm.
DRJ in Carmarthen kindly picked up the car the following day and had a look at it.
Turns out, so I'm told, it wasn't the oil seals, but was coming from a plate fixed to the back of the oil pump (sorry don't know the technical description, haven't had a Scoob engine in bits yet). This plate is held in place by three or four screws. Some had worked themselves loose, others were out. Result - not all the oil getting wooshed around the engine, but some being pumped into the cambelt casing causing the haemorage.
The underneath of the car was completely covered in oil, even the **** end had a film of oil over it, globules in places, rear wiper was useless.
DRJ reckon they've seen this a couple of times but not consistently enough for it to be part of a check when changing the cam belts. My car had done 99000 miles.
Cost me over £150 to get it sorted, plus the £24 of oil on the way home.
After 7 days of use, the exhaust is finally ridding itself of the oil and my vision of a Scooby barbeque is slowly receeding.
I don't want to panic anyone but if you're having your cam belts changed, it's a lot cheaper to have the plate retaining-screws checked at the same time than it is to have it done separately, or to find out about it the way I did.
My apologies to all the cars on the M4 that got too close when I was hurtling along at 50 mph, tailgating the HGV's for 3 hours!
Pete
Had a trip to London two weeks ago today, right into Westminster. Rained all the way, pig of a journey, Marks and Sparks employees were demonstrating in London too, partly causing traffic chaos.
I left London at 4:30 pm in thick traffic and took 2 hours to get to the M4, heard on the radio there was trouble at junc 13, so decided I would stop at Reading Services for fuel, the most expensive place on the planet.
Just after getting to the M4, I got a waft of burning oil each time I stopped in traffic. Damn (!) I thought, this is the smell I had before.....When I had the cam belts changed I asked for the oil leak around the cam belt cover to be checked - it turned out to be the cam/crank seals. So I had new seals fitted.
I had read in the Technical section of Scoobynet about some chaps car catching fire cos of the drips from this oil leak!
Anyway, pulled into Reading Services, still raining. Got out of car, plumes of smoke wafting from under bonnet, guy parked next to me in his Beemer saw the smoke, he got out and walked towards the services, but then without saying a word came back, got in his car and moved it to another parking space - very polite of him.
Went round the front of the car, could see a raindow coloured oil slick on the wet tarmac following the way I had backed the car into the parking space. Looked under front of car there was already a pool of oil directly under the cambelt cover. Oh dear I thought! Only another 160 miles to go to get home! Stupidly, I had not got Recovery service.
I decided after seeing the oil slick and the smoke and as I didn't have a fire extinguisher, that the best thing to do would be to run and hide, so I went for a burger.
After being mugged for a burger I returned to the stricken car, no fire brigade around, there's hope I thought! I braved lifting the bonnet and saw see oil sprayed all over the lower engine bay and exhaust pipes etc. Oil was still dripping, exhaust still smouldering...
Decided to carry on with my journey, called into petrol station bought fuel and a litre of synthetic oil (£7!), popped it in and erhum carried on.
Anyway, after 3 more litres of oil from subsequent service stations, and a continual smoke trail, I reckoned the car was either going to catch fire or break down. Had all my possessions in a carrier bag on the passenger seat ready to bail out - fire was the most likely outcome in my mind. I was peed off and just wanted to get home, I didn't need all this hassle.
I eventually got back to Swansea at 10:30 pm.
DRJ in Carmarthen kindly picked up the car the following day and had a look at it.
Turns out, so I'm told, it wasn't the oil seals, but was coming from a plate fixed to the back of the oil pump (sorry don't know the technical description, haven't had a Scoob engine in bits yet). This plate is held in place by three or four screws. Some had worked themselves loose, others were out. Result - not all the oil getting wooshed around the engine, but some being pumped into the cambelt casing causing the haemorage.
The underneath of the car was completely covered in oil, even the **** end had a film of oil over it, globules in places, rear wiper was useless.
DRJ reckon they've seen this a couple of times but not consistently enough for it to be part of a check when changing the cam belts. My car had done 99000 miles.
Cost me over £150 to get it sorted, plus the £24 of oil on the way home.
After 7 days of use, the exhaust is finally ridding itself of the oil and my vision of a Scooby barbeque is slowly receeding.
I don't want to panic anyone but if you're having your cam belts changed, it's a lot cheaper to have the plate retaining-screws checked at the same time than it is to have it done separately, or to find out about it the way I did.
My apologies to all the cars on the M4 that got too close when I was hurtling along at 50 mph, tailgating the HGV's for 3 hours!
Pete
31 May 2001, 11:36 PM
#4
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Went to Prodrive today to get the PPP fitted to my MY99 I'm very pleased with the result.
Me and cpofwales went up there for the day,
Saw the UK300 in the flesh and a model of the WRC2000 car in the reception.
I'll ask Cpofwales (ceri) When the next meet will be.
MarkMorris can't wait so show of your P1 hey you lucky bugger!
Me and cpofwales went up there for the day,
Saw the UK300 in the flesh and a model of the WRC2000 car in the reception.
I'll ask Cpofwales (ceri) When the next meet will be.
MarkMorris can't wait so show of your P1 hey you lucky bugger!