Strange engine leak Auris 2007 1.6 TR

[ziauris]

Hi all,

I have got a strange leak under the Auris 2007 1.6 TR petrol (Mark 1) model at almost 95k miles that I can't seem to get to the bottom of. Noticed it a few weeks ago after I replaced the brake discs on the front but I think it is unrelated to this. The weird thing is that the brake fluid was on the low line and the brake warning light was on in the dash. The old discs when removed were at 19mm width and brake pads ~8mm. However, after new discs fitted the brake warning light went out but came back on 2 weeks later. I checked the  brake fluid line and it was still at the low line and I can't figure out why. Is it leaking or was it that low that 2 new front discs didn't raise it much. I still have not figured this out. Stupidly I didn't check the levels after the discs were fitted (!!) but can't figure it out. Maybe consumed by the clutch but looks unlikely. I have topped up the brake fluid a bit and am monitoring this.

I started looking around the engine bay for any leaks after the above but could not see any leaks or anything on the road under the car initially. Then I noticed the 2 patches pictured below. The one circled red looks to be under the water pump/AC compressor area but does not appear to be coolant, the one circled in blue is a mystery to me but you can tell from the pic that it's almost parallel to the water pump but to the right of the engine and always occurs as 2 distinct patches. The other strange thing is that these "leaks" are not always present and only seem to appear under the car if the car is not driven for a few days. I put some white card board under the car for a few days and there was nothing on it so the mystery continues. Could the "leak" circled in blue be oil from the sump?? 

If anyone has any ideas on what :

1) happened to the brake fluid after I replaced the discs

2) what the patched circled in red is 

3) what the 2 patches circled in blue are

4) if you have noticed something similar, please add to the thread

 

Thanks

[yossarian247]

Daft question perhaps, but as it looks like your car is parked on the road are they definitely from your car and not some other vehicle that has previously been parked there?

The only time anything has leaked/dripped from my Auris has been when I changed the oil and reused the old sump plug washer instead of fitting a new one. Can you shine a torch under the car and see if there is anything obviously 'wet' on the underside when it's parked? On a car with a plastic undertray like the Auris it can be difficult to pinpoint leaks exactly as any liquid will tend to hit the undertray first, then dribble off in a different area.

[furtula]

With such difference in temperature, and the fact car stood for days, could it be condensation, picking up small particles of oil when dripping, and it accumulated over days?

 

 

[Corolla2004]

You asked: 1) happened to the brake fluid after I replaced the discs?  I would guess that it barely went up if you only replaced the disks. It's only when you replace the pads do you have to get the piston pushed right back into the calliper. Then the levels really do go up. 

Overall I would get the brake fluid & oil level up to the maximum levels & then monitor them. If they stay up you haven't got a problem!

[ziauris]

On 5/6/2020 at 9:20 AM, yossarian247 said:

Daft question perhaps, but as it looks like your car is parked on the road are they definitely from your car and not some other vehicle that has previously been parked there?

The only time anything has leaked/dripped from my Auris has been when I changed the oil and reused the old sump plug washer instead of fitting a new one. Can you shine a torch under the car and see if there is anything obviously 'wet' on the underside when it's parked? On a car with a plastic undertray like the Auris it can be difficult to pinpoint leaks exactly as any liquid will tend to hit the undertray first, then dribble off in a different area.

I've noticed the leaks now quite few times, with the 1 patch to the left (under the water pump area) and the 2 distinct patches to the right (maybe from the clutch cylinder, coolant pipe to radiator or gearbox oil - i think all these live around this area). I've used the same sump plug quite a few times now so may be that. I started the car and warmed up the engine and looked under it but could not see anything dripping down - I will have a better look when i get some car ramps. There is no plastic engine tray on my petrol model, i can see the road under the water pump in my car.

On 5/6/2020 at 9:34 AM, furtula said:

With such difference in temperature, and the fact car stood for days, could it be condensation, picking up small particles of oil when dripping, and it accumulated over days?

It could be as the residue does not look particularly oily but i will spill some water on it next time and see if it goes rainbow colours.

On 5/6/2020 at 4:35 PM, Corolla2004 said:

You asked: 1) happened to the brake fluid after I replaced the discs?  I would guess that it barely went up if you only replaced the disks. It's only when you replace the pads do you have to get the piston pushed right back into the calliper. Then the levels really do go up. 

Overall I would get the brake fluid & oil level up to the maximum levels & then monitor them. If they stay up you haven't got a problem!

This is a weird thing to me because my brake warning light came on and i inspected all the pads and I think the are all 6-8mm still. The rear discs are OK and the front's were very low so I thought that by replacing the front discs the brake fluid level should/would come back to the normal range and maybe for a few weeks it did (but i did not check it after replacing discs so not 100% sure) and then 2 weeks later the brake warning light came back on so I checked the fluid level and it was at the low mark. I've added a bit of brake fluid and will see if it drops again.

I did inspect the engine from the top to see if I could see any leaks and I noticed the engine is possibly making a knocking sound???? 

[furtula]

Could be you are losing the brake fluid somewhere else, for example corrosion on the back brakes.

Yes, the engine does make a light knocking sound, mine does it also, but only when on idle.

I usually hear it only in the cabin, but harder to notice it when you open the bonnet, goes away when you rev it over 1k RPM.

The lower the rpm is, the more noticeable the sound gets, but nothing too major.

[MrZardoz]

Try and park up over a sheet of plastic. You’ll get a better idea of the liquids colour and be able to smell it too. Could help narrow things down with little effort.

[mrpj]

19 hours ago, MrZardoz said:

Try and park up over a sheet of plastic. You’ll get a better idea of the liquids colour and be able to smell it too. Could help narrow things down with little effort.

I was about to suggest that before I finally reached your post!

The nature of the liquid needs to be determined. Whether it is coolant, brake/clutch fluid, engine oil, condensate etc..