TD5 dumped all oil

Hi there, I know it is customary to put a post in the "introduce yourself" forum but I am a bit of a slacker.

So hello, and here is my problem:

I have an 04 plate Disco 2 TD5 Manual. I put it in for it's 60k service on Saturday. On monday, driving round the M25 I noticed my rear window completely smear up, I feared it was the fuel filter under the back right wheel arch failing again as this has happened to me previously.

However, not 1 mile on the oil warning light illuminated. I got onto the hard shoulder and began to pull up as soon as the light illuminated. Before I could stop the engine cut out. When I got out there was one heck of a puddle of oil under the front axle and more was pooring at a rate of knotts.

I got the car recovered to the garage that did the service, fearing it was something they might have not tightened on properly. However they are now maintaining that it is likely the Turbo oil return hose has failed, causing the oil loss.

Is this a plausable explanation? They did mention that when they attempted to put more oil in it all flooded out the bottom again. Would that happen on this hose? I know it is a gravity fed line and with the engine off could it empty the entire contents?

I am going over this afternoon to have a look but I am not very good with this sort of problem and fear I am not knowledgable enough to prevent the wool getting pulled over my eyes.

So, does anybody out there have any advice or had this happen to them?

Thanks.

I would be inclined to take an independant mechanic- this could get nasty and expensive. R u a member if the AA or RAC?

I agree with MHM ..

The oil could come from the turbo feed pipe, it's well fed and would dump the oil very quickly, so it is technically feasible. Very rare, thobut, and I'd suspect something stupid like a sump gasket/oil filter gasket sort of failure rather than the turbo oil feed.

The RETURN from the turbo is gravity fed yes, but it is still an oil line that feeds the turbo. If they filled it the oil would not just pour out of the turbo hose, or did they fill it and run it?

If the turbo return pipe is goosed then that could be a perfectly plausible explanation for the oil loss. Can you not get in and have a look yourself, the turbo is quite visible and you would be able to trace the pipes and see for yourself.

However, with the engine off the oil would not have continued to come out at a “great rate of knots” because there would only be the oil in the turbo and the stuff draining back out, just how much continued to pour out after you had stopped (and as you say the engine was now off). I would expect no more than maybe ½ a pint, maybe a little more from what would be sitting in the under engine tray.

Between you noticing the smear on the window and the oil light coming on how long was there? If it was a very short period it could be they simply DIDN’T tighten the filler plug properly, if the oil was near or around the turbo area it could be the filter was loose, it sits just behind the turbo and might be a good way of them fooling an untrained eye into believing it was nothing to do with them.

First off, thank you very much for the replies, most helpfull indeed. I am a member of the AA, I used them to recover me from the M25, but they subbed in a recovery firm to get me so no inspection was done at the scene by the AA.

When they refilled the oil they were not able to rotate the crank by hand let alone get the engine started, it appears to be propperly siezed. I will certainly get them to fully explain and show me exactly where they percieve the oil loss to be. Surely if it's a hose leak it would sprey everywhere? When I lifted the bonnet there was no sign whatsoever of oil in the engine bay.

When I tracked back along the hard shoulder the drips were barely percievable, but at regular close intervals. I would judge there was more than half a pint of oil on the road, and the same again all over the recovery lorry as he tilted it up the ramp.

I Estimate I drove absolutely no more than two miles in total after the sprey appeared on the back.

Going over in a few hours, I probably should have recovered it to another garage just in case but I guess I am too trusting......

Do the AA still do surveys for members? It might be worth having them come out and look at it, for a fee obviously ... at least that way you'd have some independant 'expert' diagnosis and opinion on your side, not just the garages.

Hmmm I would tread very carefully now. This may be NOTHING to do with them, but there are so many stories these days about monkeys in garages making a royal mess of things – like the EXPERTS who connected my alt up with the little thin wire to the giant B+ terminal and the big fat brown cable to the little IG terminal.

So first off, they might try and cover up their mess and damage something to blame it on that, if they show you a pipe with a gash or something in it, you really ought to ask yourself “how did that get there?”, don’t speak too soon, inspect all and let them do all the talking. Go in prepared to roll about on the floor and get a bit dirty, this will get them worried if they have made a mess of it. If they show you a chafed pipe, look about and see what could have caused it.

It is difficult for both parties here, they could have NOTHING to do with it and it would have happened anyway, or they were rough or careless and caused this damage. If you can take some photos and post them here.

If the engine does not turn over any more and they filled it and it came out the bottom and then I doubt it’s the hose. Get under it and look for the sump plug, is it there? have they put it in so tight they cracked the casting? Rags and gloves will be good for this exercise.

This will almost certainly be a litigation exercise, so plan very carefully what you do and say. Get everything the garage says in writing.

Nowadays a court would look at this from a "duty of care" perspective and question how such a cataclysmic outcome could have occured immediately after a service.

Prime cause of such failures ... fitting oil filter without greasing the rubber ring.

Discomania saw the spray of diesel from his fuel filter just two weeks ago.
The rubber ring can catch and raise a kink that lets the fuel or oil spray out.

Fitted dry, the rubber ring sticks as soon as it touches the filter-head and gives the impression the filter is tight, when in fact it is LOOSE, and then it's only a matter of time before it slackens that tiny bit more and all the oil gets PUMPED out at 60 psi.

Bet your bottom dollar it was a slack filter because fitted dry and clean..

Charles

CharlesY said:

Prime cause of such failures ... fitting oil filter without greasing the rubber ring.

Discomania saw the spray of diesel from his fuel filter just two weeks ago.
The rubber ring can catch and raise a kink that lets the fuel or oil spray out.

Fitted dry, the rubber ring sticks as soon as it touches the filter-head and gives the impression the filter is tight, when in fact it is LOOSE, and then it's only a matter of time before it slackens that tiny bit more and all the oil gets PUMPED out at 60 psi.

Bet your bottom dollar it was a slack filter because fitted dry and clean..

Charles

Click to expand...

I've always smeared oil on the rubber seal on the oil filter, or diesel on the one on the fuel filter and have never wondered why I am doing it...now I know, thanks Charles

Oh yes, it is absolutely crucial to do that, and grease is best.
Oil is OK but the filter will be tighter to take off next time compared to if you had used grease. Just plain yellow grease is best.

It helps a lot to grease also into the groove where the rubber ring sits.

CharlesY