[deaglan169]

hi been having a problem recently with my leon sdi 2001 it seems to be burning oil more than normal but today i travelled from carlow to monaghan and noticed when passing out say when i dropped to 4th and put revs to 3.5k i got a sweet burning smell, i checked engine bay and noticed that there seems to be oil coming out at a joint between the oil filter and engine mounting, ive attached pics hope they upload is this most likely the prob i know after i serviced my car some 6 months ago i spilled a little oil while changing filter but it was just a bloch and could still see metal through it, it looks alot worse now is it possible a seal of some sort has gone?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ei2gfb/3607722013/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ei2gfb/3607714965/

[sogood]

Did you try to tighten the oil filter? Maybe when it ws fitted it didnt seal properly. Rubbing a little engine oil onto the rubber seal before fitting it helps. Oil may be getting past the seal at the filter housing and burning on some part of the engine or possibly the exhaust, when it gets hot. Dont remove the filter as you will have oil spilling out everywhere, unless the oil is drained first.

[deaglan169]

ill try tighten the cap its a panel type filter i have so all i can do is tighten the cap and ill keep and eye on it over the coming days

[Slidey]

That is not your problem anyway.

That is a little bit of oil covered in dust.

You looked under the car to see if you damaged your sump? The aluminium sump is very brittle in the VAG lump and if it is blowing oil back on to your exhaust it will explain the burning smell.

EDIT: Dont tighten the cap, you will end up over breaking it, they are only made of plastic!

[deaglan169]

ill do some investigating tomorrow in the daylight hope its nothing to serious

[mickdw]

There doesnt appear to be anything major wrong in that pic so its something else.

[the merchant]

are you sure your clutch isn't slipping? That would explain a smell when overtaking.

[deaglan169]

Originally Posted by the merchant

are you sure your clutch isn't slipping? That would explain a smell when overtaking.

sure enough i think its the clutch checked under engine no sign of oil leaking put car into 4th handbrake on and could release clutch pedal and give it some gas without stalling, car has only covered 83k its a 01 would this be normal

[Ferris]

OP!

Is the oil filter a cartridge type (open paper sides) or a canister (metal can that spins onto a spindle)?

My old 1.9 Tdi was a cartridge type and one time I changed the filter but I didn't seat the seal properly in the threaded cap that screws over the filter housing. It leaked just the same as yours albeit quicker (0.5L in 100miles and all over the engine bay/tray)

The seal should seat in the groove, above the thread, in the cap and should be wetted with fresh oil before tightening.

[deaglan169]

yeah its the very same type oil filter open cartridge type i did all you said when i fitted the new one i checked last nite and it seems very secure going to a mechanic friend tonight he has the propper tool for tightning them with a square socket drive

[the merchant]

Originally Posted by deaglan169

sure enough i think its the clutch checked under engine no sign of oil leaking put car into 4th handbrake on and could release clutch pedal and give it some gas without stalling, car has only covered 83k its a 01 would this be normal

Clutches are only as good as the person using them (not suggesting for a second that you're not a good driver). I've seen cars much newer than yours with lower mileage needing replacements.