Engine Oil Leaked Out...But from Where?

[RAC68]

Hi All,

Had a delightful time taking my grandson to a club British Car Gathering and the car performed flawlessly on the ½ hour drive both coming and going. When parking the 1979 TR7 in the garage, my other grandson indicated I was trailing oil down the road and drive and left a big puddle at the door. Since no warning light had been illuminated, I decided to restart the engine and immediately the oil warning light came bright.

I have examined the engine and the pan drain was dry as was the filter area and, although wet with oil, there was nothing to indicate where the oil had escaped from. Before I refill with oil and start the engine to see where it would pour from, I thought it prudent to ask the group.

Any ideas???



Ray 79 TR7

[Workshop Help]

Your oil pressure sending unit has given up the ghost.

They are cheap, available at your local auto parts store, and easy to replace.

Mildred Hargis

[trekcarbonboy]

Yup! Buy 2 and keep one in the glove box. The new ones are not built to last.

Craig '75 2.0 FHC

[FI Spyder]

I had a small leak in that area for past few years, just a few drops on the tell tale cardboard under car, a drip on the clutch slave waiting to drop. Nothing much, not to worry. Had it up on jack stands a few weeks ago and had a good look. The oil pump and oil pressure plate was dry (I had new O rings in 2007). The only place that was wet was the intake hose where it goes up into throttle body (you carb guys will have to look at a diagram or use imagination). The only place it could be coming from was the oil pressure switch. a pin hole was squirting it on the intake hose and no where else. Put in the new pressure switch I had just for this eventuality, wash off the hose with water based degreaser. It's been dry ever since. Now there's just the leak by the rear trans mount.

- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[RAC68]

Thanks All,

I have not had this experience before and, without your assistance, would have had to replace the oil and probably experience a really messy garage floor clean-up.

Thanks again and all the best,


Ray (79 TR7)

[silverseven]

Happened to me on a grocery run, I was walking out of the store and noticed a oil trail on the ground which unfortunately led to my car!
It was a horrible feeling , and also a good laugh when you realise how little you really drive in a straight line [B)]

A tow truck ride to the shop and a visit to the local autoparts store was all that I needed , its a very simple repair that maybe took 0.5 hrs max including clean up.


In hindsight though , I'm glad it happened there and not on a roadtrip or something ... or the resulted would have been slightly more dramatic !!!!

Ron.

[RAC68]

Hi All,

Well, I ordered the part specified and received a single spade connection unit. As it turns out, the oil pressure switch in the car had a 3-connector plug and was fitted with an adapter. Although the local parts houses have a 3-pronged oil “safetyâ€￾ switch that looks and fits the original unit’s adapter, I am not sure it’s internally constructed to serve as a replacement. Also, I-connector oil pressure switches are listed for 1979 US Federal cars and 3-connection units are supposed to only be installed on carbureted California models. Since I have eliminated the air injection portion of the emissions system but still have the anti-run-on components connected, what issues can I expect if I modified the system to accept the 1-connector oil pressure switch and eliminate the anti-run-on connections?

At this point I am a little confused and would appreciate any suggestions.



All the best,
Ray (79TR7DHC)

[Workshop Help]

My friend, you're over thinking the problem. Please go ahead and buy the three prong sending unit, they are all the same. To make life even easier, buy the sending unit that has the longer stem.

Mildred Hargis

[FI Spyder]

Not sure which car took what but my July 1980 build date California FI Spider has a one prong and my local early 1979 Yellow TCT has a three prong so I have to stock one of each as a spare. Adapters etc. are just another connection to go bad, come off etc. I'd get the right sensor rather than fool around with the wrong one. They aren't that much and you could probably sell the one you don't need at a car show to someone that needs a spare.

- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[Workshop Help]

Please, go forth to the auto parts store with your old sending unit in a zip lock bag. Tell the parts guy you want a new unit with a longer stem.

Yes, they do have one. It is a Standard Brand, Part #PS64. They may also have the Borg-Warner brand, Part #S697.

If you tell the parts guy what car it's for, he'll get a kind of constipated look on his face. Just tell him it's for a 'Special' project. Go back to the stock shelves with him to see what's there.

Or, you can go to Rockauto.com and get one for $9.48 plus shipping and if you ask all pretty please with a smile in your heart, I'll even tell you the secret code to get a 5% discount.

You will also find it handy to have the special socket to remove and reinstall the sending unit.



As our illustrious friend above notes, having a spare along with the special socket in a zip lock bag in the glovebox ensures you will never have this problem again, ever.

Buy it. Install it. Live a long and happy life.

Mildred Hargis

[RadioGuy]

Yea,,,they will tell you they don't stock motorcycle parts...LOL


Maintained on Saturday…Drive on Fun-Day !!! 1976 FHC - 1980 DHC http://tinyurl.com/7rkonrx

[Beans]

Are you using the original oil filter?

If yes, check the seal between housing and engine block.
Might be that a previous owner didn't remove the old seal and just put a new one in over the old one ...

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[RAC68]

Hi All and thank you for your responses.

Mildred was correct as I was starting to over-think the situation and decided to order the 3-connector oil pressure safety switch from AutoZone (to be delivered tomorrow to the store). The reason I hadn’t purchased the “correctâ€￾ unit on line was because delivery in every case would happen after a British car gathering that I had promised to take my grandson and my TR7 is my only British car that has the proper 3-point seat belts to properly accept his car seat.

Although I had replaced my mechanical fuel pump with an electric pump many years ago, I had wired it through a turn-over switch and directly (with an in-line fuse) to the ignition switch. Now that I am aware of how the 3-connector switch works, I will rewire the pump to take advantage of the oil pressure switch.



Again, many thanks for your informative assistance,
Ray (79 TR7)