Haven't posted here in ages because our X350 has been trouble free (or if it wasn't I found the answer by searching the archives).

I pulled the car out of the garage to put away Christmas decorations and noticed a 6" X 18" oil slick on the floor. Not a gusher and the dipstick still is at full level. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look for the culprit? Does a faulty PCV cause leaks on this engine like it can on others?

Thanks for your help, and Happy New Year!

 

Could be transmission fluid.

Ever replaced the transmission oil & filter?

 

What color is the liquid spill?

 

Yes

 

I'd describe it as a light amber

 

Mine dropped a load of trans fluid and then self healed once.

I had it flat bedded to the mechanic's and he drove it for a week trying to reproduce the leak. Eventually he found that the plastic trans pan had a crack in it which only leaked when a big temp swing occurred. I had him replace the plastic trans pan with a ford metal pan and he did all new mercon, filter and wireharness gasket thing. Problem solved.

 

It's definitely not trans fluid (wrong place and wrong color).

 

Could be a rear engine seal leak, dripping from the drain hole on the engine bell housing-----you could see droplet forming on the drain hole. Where was the car parked relative to the oil slick? When my car has been parked for any length of time I look under the car before I move to to check for oil/fluids on the floor.

 

I was wondering that myself. I hope that is not the case as it would be a lot of work to replace that seal. Been there done that.

More oil will drip when the engine is running if the leak is there.

You need to see where oil is dripping under the engine/bell housing.

 

I assume you used red Mercon SP when you changed your transmission fluid? The original LifeGuard 6 is amber colored....

Check your oil filter to be sure it is secure. Is it possible the gasket from the old filter was stuck to the engine at the last oil change and you now have two gaskets?

An increasingly common leak point on the X350 is one or both camshaft cover gaskets. The oil pan gasket is another possibility.

Looking forward to hearing what you find when you inspect it, and I hope it's not a difficult fix.

There is no conventional PCV valve on these engines - the circular device on the right camshaft cover is an oil separator with no valve in it (even though some Jaguar parts lists describe it as a PCV valve). That doesn't mean an obstruction in the crankcase breathing system couldn't cause oil to be blown past the crank seals due to positive crankcase pressure.

Cheers,

Don

 

You are correct sir.

Thanks for the very helpful tips on where to look. I thought I would have a chance this weekend to really investigate, but my son-in-law's SUV had a power steering failure so I wanted to help him out. It might be a couple of weeks before I have a chance to get under it and figure out where it's coming from. I'll update when I do.

Thanks

 

After changing my oil a few weeks ago, I decided to leave the under the engine cover off to check for leaks. & yep, engine oil leak under the engine. When you first look up, you'd say it is the oil pan; however, you also notice oil above the pan. Once I cleaned the oil & crud as well as possible, it took 3 or 4 days to see another spot; now it spots more regularly.

Would oil above the pan be consistent with a camshaft cover leak? BTW: Don't really notice any difference with the under engine cover removed; tempted not to put it back. Any thoughts?

 

Forgot to mention, she just turned over 85K Miles.

 

Yes, leaking camshaft cover gaskets are a primary suspect for oil leaks from above the pan area.

Regarding the engine cover, search the forum for discussions on "heat soak" and the supercharged engines.

Cheers,

Don

 

Mac
Re your oil leak I think a leaking rear engine oil seal is vary rare

although Jackra has had to do his.

What is common is that the joints in the flow and return

transmission pipes leak a little (in my case).

The pipes have a rubber section and the joints leak.

The solution is to replace the sections with new rubber

and worm drive clips or fit new ones if you want to sacrifice an arm and a

leg.

 

Thanks & thanks!

Don B, I meant the plastic pan under the engine that has to be removed to change oil, etc. I think you thought I meant the cover on top?

Haven't noticed any difference since it was removed & I'm thinking of storing it. Seems more of nuisance than anything else.

 

Hi Steve,

Sorry I misunderstood. The engine undertray helps the vehicle in a couple of ways. It helps to slightly reduce drag for slightly improved fuel economy, and it helps protect the many electrical connectors and electrical components from roadspray when driving in the rain. I ran our '04 XJR without the radiator and engine undertrays for a few months and the horns filled up with mud and stopped working!

Cheers,

Don

 

i agree with Don B about running with the plastic shield installed. It protects everything above it and adds some noise shielding. Plus, it helps keep small oil leaks from dripping on your floor. I pulled mine off a few weeks ago to remove the foam. Hung the foam in a tree to allow them to dry and then painted the shield with rubber undercoating. Just need to install after the control arm job.

 

I did an arm replacement; was the most difficult for me because the tools were so different from other work. I recall the arm I purchased even had the same machine markings as the original & was purchased at a fraction of dealer price. It was a very satisfying accomplishment. My front end guy couldn't believe I had done it. Could not have without the help from this Forum.

Part of my reticence to replace the undercover was its ratty-looking appearance... Thanks for the tip on restoring it. Now that we will be having dry weather in Seattle, I will endeavor to recondition mine.

This weekend, will take a look to see if I can get a clear read on the leak.

There are now 2 half inch drips under the engine. I rubbed the oil between forefinger & thumb & it felt as though it had a very fine sand in it. Is this normal? I will double-check as I go along.

 

you may be getting the sand 'feel' from debris off the floor. I suggest laying a folded shipping box underneath the engine to catch the fluid, then observe. I have a slight leak and have changed the oil pan gasket twice, but it returns...maybe leaking elsewhere?