[Kim Schrader]

Hi all

I kindly ask for your comments on this matter. Please contribute if you have any insight, thanks.

My Clio 3 petrol, 2011, with the D4F engine (1.2L, 101HK, turbo) has "decided" to spill ~0.8L engine oil in the engine compartment over the last couple of days. Even the bonnet is looking shiny.
It has done ~182.000km (113.000 miles).

The entire area with the alternator is covered in oil, and there is quite the air flow from the oil filler cap when I remove it (even in idle). I have also had to clean up a small puddle of oil underneath the car where I parked - which is how I discovered the issue.

Checked items:
1. My turbo is nice and dry, and there is no oil in the air filter box.
2. There is no oil in the coolant expansion tank and no excessive pressure that I can tell.
3. There is some emulsified engine oil below the filler cap, but it does not appear to be further in (I removed the filler pipe to check) and only ordinary oil on the dip stick.
4. No smoke (white or black) from the exhaust.

Car seems to drive fine and has no issue with starting from cold or running rough etc. It has not used any oil before this and it has not over heated to my knowledge (owned it for 2 years).

So, any ideas - other than a blown head gasket?

My personal theory is that there is a leak between a cylinder and an oil channel causing the engine to eject the oil topside as hot oil vapor.

The engine does not appear to be equipped with an EGR valve + cooler (are these for the diesel only?)

Please also check:

YouTube link to show airflow from oil filler cap.

 

[Kim Schrader]

One more thing. I recently replaced the starter motor and I had to move the intake manifold in the process. This broke the small plastic tube indicated by the arrow.

Could this possibly be the culprit? This tube seems to be creating a vacuum from the intake manifold(?)

 

[LvR]

That broken tube is most likely the culprit that pukes oil all over the top of the engine - its function is to guide the sump compression to the intake tract where any oil present will get burned in the combustion process (cannot see the whole tube - its possible you may be referring t the vacuum tube though ).

I would replace that tube assembly, clean the whole engine bay with engine cleaner and take it from there - always start with what you know for a fact is broken and fix that first

 

[Prickleypear]

If its all around the alternator it may be a camseal or crank seal,oil being spread by the timing belt, its is not very clear from your picture exactly where the oil is spread.
Loosing 0,8ml oil over a two day period is probably not a leak from the main oil channel though, a leak from there will drain all your oil in a matter of 2 to 3 km travel and then would have been bye bye engine