possible oil leak

[stuart bowes]

on the underside of my front subframe, drivers side, there's a covering of wet black oily grime which might be oil ..

far as I can tell im not losing oil... or if i am it's very slow..

known facts:
--------------

i have been changing my gearbox oil recently (twice so far) and haven't put a new plug/washer in yet (gonna do that on the 3rd fill) but again not noticeably losing fluid.. and that's over the other side and red

until about a month ago I was losing p/s fluid from the header tank (which is over that side) I replaced it and now the fluid levels are staying the same

im not losing coolant far as I can tell

When I put a subframe bush insert in over that side I took the big bolt and washer off a load of wet gunk poured out.. very black and watery.

I have a new driveway so I would notice patches building up.. nothing

--------

at the weekend I'm gonna wash the underside of the subframe and see if the oily muck returns.

what should I look for? are there any oil lines or a cooler or anything over that side that might have a small leak? what other systems have fluid in that I can check

[stuart bowes]

as I type this I realise the screen wash tank is on that corner.. but again Im guessing I would be seeing a puddle on the floor, right?

do they tend to leak? and why would it be black oily-ish muck. unless it's just water mixing with road grime

[stuart bowes]

some pics

[stuart bowes]

it looks like the new p/s tank is still not very good.. or maybe my jubilee clips arent up to the job? but again the level is not going down noticeably

I circled one pipe and marked A - what is that, it seems to be quite messy

[b1mcp]

I suspect this is residue from your PAS leak. I had the same on wife's 2001 V70. Cleaning everything up and then monitoring is the right thing to do.

Other thing to be aware of in that area is Crankshaft Oil seal. Sounds like a big issue but it's not really.

Is your car Turbo? A pretty common issue is Turbo Oil return seal. Pennies and 10 mins to fix.

[stuart bowes]

nah just a lowly N/A

thanks for the reply I will keep tabs on it

point to note though these pics are from after the new PAS tank fitted and there's still some sort of fluid on the outside?? the thought crossed my mind it could be condensation? if the fluid was warm and the outside air is cold... or am i just totally making that up

[b1mcp]

Ha Ha. Yes clutching at straws with condensation I think.

[stuart bowes]

well an active imagination helps to make life interesting lol

I'll have a good clean up and see. it's just making me a bit obsessive about checking fluids all the time and I'd like some peace of mind

I guess a coating of oil is better than rust