merlinpjl
Active Member
Driving home last night on the motorway I noticed smoke coming out of the back of my car. There was no loss of power no no change in engine note and no mechanical noises clunks etc.... I was approaching a slip road so slowed down and came off the motorway, as I approached the bottom of the slip road, the engine cut out and I managed to get up onto a grass verge.
On opening the bonnet, I found engine oil sprayed around the front of the engine, all over the pulleys, belts and fan. Not much had made its way on to the side of the engine.
I poked around but couldn't find anywhere that the oil could have come from, as I was in a suit, I wasn't about to get underneath or get too involved. It is clear that the smoke coming from the rear of the car on the motorway wasn't coming through the exhaust, but was spraying on to the exhaust downpipe and creating smoke.
The engine spins over, but won't start, there are no mechanical clunks or grinding noises, it sounds normal for spin over, just not firing.
The RAC sent a flat bed recovery truck out and it was duly dragged on to the back. Where the car had been sat, there was a small pool of oil, but not actually that much. In the pool of oil, there were some metal parts, looking like part of a locking ring that may be in a freewheeling hub (which I know this car doesn't have) or similar, they could also be oil pump parts, it is difficult to say at this stage.
There didn't seem to be enough oil for a catastrophic engine failure, and the metal parts may well have been there when I arrived as there were other bits of rubbish lying around from vehicles that had obviously been there before.
Question: if an oil pipe has broken near the front of the engine causing loss of pressure or level, will the engine sense this and prevent starting.
I am hoping that it is something simple like a burst oil pipe to the oil cooler or similar.
I'll post later when I have had a look, but has anyone had similar symptoms, and what was the cause?
On opening the bonnet, I found engine oil sprayed around the front of the engine, all over the pulleys, belts and fan. Not much had made its way on to the side of the engine.
I poked around but couldn't find anywhere that the oil could have come from, as I was in a suit, I wasn't about to get underneath or get too involved. It is clear that the smoke coming from the rear of the car on the motorway wasn't coming through the exhaust, but was spraying on to the exhaust downpipe and creating smoke.
The engine spins over, but won't start, there are no mechanical clunks or grinding noises, it sounds normal for spin over, just not firing.
The RAC sent a flat bed recovery truck out and it was duly dragged on to the back. Where the car had been sat, there was a small pool of oil, but not actually that much. In the pool of oil, there were some metal parts, looking like part of a locking ring that may be in a freewheeling hub (which I know this car doesn't have) or similar, they could also be oil pump parts, it is difficult to say at this stage.
There didn't seem to be enough oil for a catastrophic engine failure, and the metal parts may well have been there when I arrived as there were other bits of rubbish lying around from vehicles that had obviously been there before.
Question: if an oil pipe has broken near the front of the engine causing loss of pressure or level, will the engine sense this and prevent starting.
I am hoping that it is something simple like a burst oil pipe to the oil cooler or similar.
I'll post later when I have had a look, but has anyone had similar symptoms, and what was the cause?
