frrfrr Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 hi there i drove home today , when i was about half a mile from home i noticed that the rev counter wasnt working but wheni got into the drive there was a major oil leak from under the front of my rrc . i had a quick look at it and it looks like its from around the radiator area , it seams like the fan has spread a lot of oil arround the cowl . the radiator didnt look very good when i bought the motor . i take it there is an oil cooler on the radiator ? any help would be great thanks fraser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 More details about the year/engine would help, some had oil coolers in the rad. A photo or two of the situation under the bonnet would also save 1000 words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 If it's the one in your avatar (and I have guessed properly), and it's an auto, there's 2 oil cooler in the radiator, both fit in the same plce, at either end of the radiator -you can see the big BSP fitting just underneath the top hose, and the header tank hoses, there's two more of these right at the bottom. The one in front of the alternator is the autobox fluid cooler and the one by the header tank is the engine oil cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frrfrr Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 hi , yes its an auto 94 . cant get any pics the now as i am on holiday the now , the motor is sitting on my drive at home . it happened just before i had to leave so i didnt get a chance to have a look / get covered in oil . was just looking for some advice before i get back home kind regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardthestag Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 hi there i drove home today , when i was about half a mile from home i noticed that the rev counter wasnt working but wheni got into the drive there was a major oil leak from under the front of my rrc . i had a quick look at it and it looks like its from around the radiator area , it seams like the fan has spread a lot of oil arround the cowl . the radiator didnt look very good when i bought the motor . i take it there is an oil cooler on the radiator ? any help would be great thanks fraser Hi not so sure about the oil leak - as stated above oil cooler shares space in the radiator. Is the leak oil or autofluid, they smell very different. Re the alternator, check the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running - chances are your alternator is toast. My tacho failed and I was warned that it could be due to an alternator fault. Driving home that evening, I had just gotton on the M40 when it all started to go wrong. first the abs light came on - next the speedo failed - then the indicators. I switched off everthing that wasn't essential i.e. radio, blowers etc and the speedo worked again but failed completely a few miles later so I exited the motorway and found someplace safe to park, the engine died just as I did so. Got home via a very nice man in an RAC truck. New alternator fitted and problem resolved - I haven't yet stripped down the old unit but it is possible that the brushes have failed and if so I shall rebuild it and stick it on the shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frrfrr Posted July 20, 2008 Author Share Posted July 20, 2008 hi , back from hols and had a quick look , its the oil cooler for the gearbox that has rotten thanks for the help regards fraser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr W Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Re the alternator, check the voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running - chances are your alternator is toast. My tacho failed and I was warned that it could be due to an alternator fault. Driving home that evening, I had just gotton on the M40 when it all started to go wrong. first the abs light came on - next the speedo failed - then the indicators. I switched off everthing that wasn't essential i.e. radio, blowers etc and the speedo worked again but failed completely a few miles later so I exited the motorway and found someplace safe to park, the engine died just as I did so. Got home via a very nice man in an RAC truck. New alternator fitted and problem resolved - I haven't yet stripped down the old unit but it is possible that the brushes have failed and if so I shall rebuild it and stick it on the shelf. That's interesting, my rev counter isn't working, guy I bought it from said it had been working previously (but I bought it anyway) I don't currently have a problem with it keeping the battery charged and it often stands for a week or two between use, however at night the altenator light can be seen very faintly. Do you think that this is a sign that it's on it's way out and that if I replaced it there's every chance the rev counter would work again? (it's a 91 3.9 by the way) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 ..........however at night the alternator light can be seen very faintly..... I've been told that the slight glow is a sign the diode packs are on the way out but don't know enough electricary to say for sure so we will both have to wait for an electric grown-up to come along. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway_Star Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Tacho according the wiring diagram is driven off the alternator. Charge warning light glowing slightly means there's current flowing, from the battery to earth, via the warning light. Means that either the diode pack or the regulator is on it's way out. More likely the diode pack, they've gone leaky. It's easily enough replaced, about £30 from a Lucas service place for the diode pack. You just need to have a decent sized soldering iron to do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr W Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Tacho according the wiring diagram is driven off the alternator.Charge warning light glowing slightly means there's current flowing, from the battery to earth, via the warning light. Means that either the diode pack or the regulator is on it's way out. More likely the diode pack, they've gone leaky. It's easily enough replaced, about £30 from a Lucas service place for the diode pack. You just need to have a decent sized soldering iron to do the job. Thanks for the info, I'll look into it. Do you think this would help getting the tacho working again or would you recommend replacing the whole thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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