Oil Leak !!! Bugger

So, i come home from the wonderful road trip, i noticed my oil pressure was up and down, so figured i should check it out. popped the bonnet, sure enough, there is a leak from the front of the motor, and a nice pool of oil all over the motor and now my driveway.

This only happened after the long trip, after a quick drive to and from work, and the engine hasn't really warmed up, it doesn't tend to leak.

I went onto the forums to search any information about oil leaks, and sure enough, there was many many hits about the chain tensioner coming loose. So i decided to start with stripping all the belts and pulleys, and sure enough, the oil leak starts at the tensioner bolt, and sure enough, the bolt appears to be moving easily.

Covers, radiator fans,Belt tensioner, Drive belt all gone

Tonnes of bolts on the power steering brackets, yep, they need 2???

Pump moved to sit on top of the headers, to give more space to work

I believe this is the only oil source leak, from the tensioner bolt

So i gave it some degreasing the motor, i gave her a pressure wash, followed by the compressed air just in case water got into any electrics.

After the engine bay has been hit with some degreaser,

 I left it overnight to dry as it was getting dark, In the morning i noticed some more oil, but i think that was residue from the previous wash that ran down overnight., gave it another quick hose.

Rather than buying a gasket kit (as i dont need all the parts) i put a thread seal on the tensioner bolt, and bolted her back together.

Not a great photo, but sealant on the big bolt, about to go on the smaller bolt (a special tool would be handy right now) - Also i put a towel underneath to catch any oil as it has been cleaned already

We will see what happens if it comes with leaks in the future, it might need a whole tensioner cover replaced, if it does, that's not a problem, i will take a fair amount of time, but the kit replaces everything

Adjustable Torque wrench, Get one, great so you don't over tighten the bolts on the motor and damage the block

I did notice a few things which are frustrating, but that is part of owning a car that is getting older
- radiator coolant is all brown, i will do a compression test, but i will replace the radiator and hoses
- rust of the door sills, it is only a small amount, not a big deal, so i will probably give that rust repair a go myself as it is not in the middle of a visible panel.

All back together, whilst parts were off i gave them some tyre shine

So, the car might leak again, but, it hasn't cost me anything so far, just my time, which it was worth it as i learn't more about the bolts and components of my car.

Cheers

Mike