Leakage? He marks his place!

The older the car, the greater the chance of a leak. Following a fresh puddle of oil on the garage floor, let's take a look at any leakage problems that may occur.

Leakage can occur in various places in the car. It can actually leak wherever liquids and gases are used. Think of coolant, engine oil, steering oil and, last but not least, air-conditioning gas. We first look at oil and water leaks.

Engine oil leakage

Leakage of engine oil together with that of coolant is the most common leak in the car. The engine leaks engine oil and this is usually easy to observe. We've all seen it, oil drops on the floor under the car. A few drops already gives a large stain, and often seems worse than it actually is. Visible oil on the engine block under the bonnet usually also means oil leakage. But it can also be the result of a careless oil refill.

But that leakage is due to flat gaskets or seals. Such a gasket is clear. A gasket is a piece of heat-resistant and / or resilient material that is mounted between two metal parts that are screwed together so that they fit seamlessly together. Cork gaskets and valve covers and oil sumps pressed from sheet steel are famous for their leaks, especially in combination with cork gaskets. This is because the bolts are too often tightened too hard.

But what about oil seals or - brand name as generic name - 'Simmer rings'?

An oil seal is usually a ring with a rubber housing with a sealing lip attached to it. They live in the engine block and gently hold rotating spindles in it, so that no oil can flow out along the shaft.

The price of such a ring is only a few euros, but the labor to replace it can be quite expensive. Leakage in that corner is therefore often first attempted with an additive. These additives - they are usually temporary solutions rather than panacea - contain plasticizers that cause the plastic lip that provides the seal around the shaft to swell. Hoppa! End of leakage!

Funnily enough, such a chemical attack on a tired oil seal can withstand. A few years ago, the holiday classic suddenly started leaking through the crankshaft seal. A dose of such an additive with plasticizer (think of your local auto parts store) solved the problem. We are now two years further. This winter the block will go out to see what the state of affairs is. But the seal has remained leak-free for at least two years. We have also heard from the circle of acquaintances that leaks from wheelhouses often help.

The stuff only works with 'worn out' seals. If the oil comes out with a 'trickle', then the oil seal is really broken and must be replaced.

Coolant leaks

Coolant leakage at liquid cooled motors can occur in different places. Think of a leaking radiator, water pump, crack in the block, leaking hoses, a leaking freezer plug and of course our biggest fear: the head gasket.

If you are on time, you can often solve coolant leaks yourself without having to carry out an expensive repair. But how do you see if you feel wet? This can be done by checking the overflow tank, which should usually be half full, and where the level is usually indicated with a line for minimum and maximum.

With the more old classics you can also unscrew the radiator cap - never do that with a hot engine! - to see how high the cooling water is.

A puddle of coolant on the floor is a clear indication. Just like lasting white smoke from the exhaust. (Blue smoke is oil. Black smoke is a much too rich mixture or ripe for an overhaul.) But overheating while driving is that too. If the cooling water temperature meter goes 'in red', the cooling water temperature usually exceeds the 90 degrees. Then that is really a reason to stop as soon as possible. As an emergency measure, it can then help to switch on the heater.

Overheating can cause a broken head gasket, a crooked cylinder head and more discomfort. Expensive!

The leakage through broken hoses and a leak in the radiator is most common. Leakage through hoses can often be solved improvising on the spot. Radiator leakage used to be effectively resolved - and very temporarily - by adding peppercorns or an egg. Then came cans and bottles with sealants. Let's see if the means' RadWeld still exists ...

But the radiator of today can no longer be compared with that of 10 - 15 years ago. There they used sealants with granules in them to seal the leak. These products are still on offer, but cause deadly infarcts of the current smaller and thinner channels of the latest radiators.

Then there is also the leakage of a freezer plug, water pump, crack in the block. These are in themselves difficult leaks because you usually cannot see them and do not know exactly what exactly leaks. Your local car parts trade also has smart cans and cans for that, so that suffering is limited.

The cause of the greasiness on the floor was a leakage of the gearbox.