Oil on the garage floor

[BurpleH]

I noticed for the first time this morning a small patch of what appeared to be oil on the garage floor beneath the drivers side / right hand end of the fuel tank in line with the rear offside wheel axle. A quick squint under the car only revealed a small amount of similar liquid on the horizontal bar beneath this edge of the fuel tank. Any thoughts as to its origins ?? What should I be checking ??

[Dickie Normuss]

Is it actually oil? If it isn't and it's not petrol then it has to be water or similar. I had an issue last year with something similar, it turned out to be a coolant leak which was getting caught by the 'gutter' for want of a better description between the bottom chassis rail and sideskin, running down the drivers side of the car and then dripping of the back of it, took a while to figure that one out! Failing that have you been out in the rain lately?

 

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[Stationary M25 Traveller]

If it is coolant, you will be able to feel the texture of the antifreeze if you rub it between your fingers (careful ... !).

 

If it is rainwater, you will know that too !

 

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[Stationary M25 Traveller]

What sort of axle ?

 

Do the old live axles have an oil fill, like the axles I knew on cars in the 1970's ?

 

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And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Markiebabes]

Could be petrol 🤔mine has pump/sender on that side and seals can go causing drip. any run marks on tank 🤔

as Ric and SM25T said could be coolant or axle venting oil 🤔is diff oily 🤔

brake Fluid 🤔

chaffed braided hose 🤔

 

What year is car 🤔

 

Mark

 

Superlight R 400

 

[BurpleH]

Thanks for the replies , car is a 54 plate R300.

Definately not water, oil appeared to have a distinctively sharp smell to it which made me think it may be related to the diff. I shall do a little more investigative crawling under the car again this morning before I dissapear to work.

 

[Andy Best]

Could be the rear shock.

 

Andy

[Colin Mill]

The speedo drive take-off (on the driver's side at the rear of the box) is the most likely source of a gear oil leak.

[davidvoas73]

Given the smell and the location I would hazard a guess at differential ... they generally have a short section of clear rubber tubing exiting the top of the diff acting as a breather, which can eject oil ... I have had this happen to me in the past.

[BurpleH]

Again thanks for the replies. I haven't had a chance to use the car over the last 4 days (work getting in the way as usual) and since I cleaned up the oil patch I have had no reappearance of a leak on the floor. All I can do I guess is give it another run (any excuse) and see what happens.

[elie boone]

You don't carry a spare oil can in the boot ?

[Alex Wong1697456877]

Sounds like the diff breathing.

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

..... or vomiting ??!!

 

******************

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking...

 

And racing around to come up behind you again. new link to photos

[Mike Biddle]

The strong smell points to diff oil.

 

To verify, move the breather tube to a different location and see what happens.

[I.Mupferit]

As Andy suggests, it could be a rear shocker. I had oil on the passenger side of my fuel tank when my (then) new AVO damper failed a couple of years ago.

 

Brent

 

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