Austarion

Help me before I kill someone/something!

I have oil leaking from somewhere in the bottom end.. i've already found some hole on the right side of the block that I plugged with a screw, but i'm still getting heaps of oil everywhere. The problem is that it's so widespread that I can't work out where it's coming from, but it all over everything on the sump and below and there is even oil on the timing belt. Are there any other little oil escape passages in the block that I should know about? This Starion is a friggin nightmare!

I'm starting to think that the guy who built the engine didn't put a sump gasket in.. if that's the case, has anyone tried changing a sump gasket without removing the engine?

Check the bolts on the sump to block - he might not have tightened them. Other than that spray some degreaser around then have a look to see where its coming from.

It doesnt take much for oil to seep past the sump gasket once it gets a bit of pressure in there. Sounds like something aint tight in there.

Good luck
Greg

It's got a sump plug, right?

chalk powder, taelk powder or whatever it is, flour... anything white and powdery, puff some of that stuff around after a clean and if you still cant see it, your blind. OR do what we do on triumphs, connect crank case to inlet manifold!! HARHAR! cant leak now can you!! peice of junk! (you can hear it sucking air back through sump gasket and othere places... keeps the oil in but) :D

main seal on crank? you dont have an underdrive pully do you?

The bolts -were- loose, but I tightened them ages ago - that's what makes me wonder whether he actually put a gasket in there.. Yes, definitely has sump plug :) No underdrive pulley, and it still has the balance shafts so that plugs that oil gallery (correct?).

I like the flour idea.. I might have to try that one tomorrow.

Doesn't connecting the crank case to inlet manifold result in lots of oil going through the cylinders?

It looks like I can at least drop the sump down a couple of centimeters to see whether there's a gasket in there.

Is there an oil gallery behind the water pump? I pulled off the timing cover and gave the engine a run - worked out it's only leaking oil under high revs, so squirted the throttle and could see oil coming out somewhere around the balance shaft pulley directly below the water pump. I've tightened up all the water pump bolts (they weren't -loose-, but definitely took a few turns to tighten them up further. Is there anything else to check in that area before I put it all back together?

EDIT: Checked it again, still pissing out.

check turbo oil drain hose and oil/air seperator drain back hose

It's actually leaking from within the timing case itself.. appears to be from around the balance shaft pulley directly below the water pump.

sounds like seals or gasket.

It's all brand new so i'll be pissed if that's what it is. Are there any seals related to the balance shaft?

to be honest i cant remember, there may be. Its been awhile since i last saw that part of my engine when it was apart.
Your best bet is to ring up where it was done and complain and bitch and whinge and take it there and say 'FIX OR I FKKN SUE YOUR ARSE'
or something along those lines

I would if it was a shop, but it was the guy I bought the car off who doesn't like answering his phone :)

there is a shaft seal on the ballance shaft. not hard to change if you know what you doing. and with the negative crank case pressure you remove the PCV valve in the rocker cover and plug the hose straight in. i dont sugest doing this on your staz, only anything built in britan or a bush hack :D

Why you shouldn't leave parts of the engine out: There is a spacer that sits behind the balance shaft sprocket. This spacer fits INSIDE the oil seal.. it wasn't there, now it is, and I don't seem to be leaking oil anymore :)

I couldn't believe it - I rang Mitsubishi and:

1. They actually knew what a Starion was
2. They knew what part I was talking about
3. They actually had one! (the last one in Qld apparently!)

Now I have to work out why the flange between the two crankshaft sprockets is eating my timing belt.

Sounds like a quality rebuild...