Renault twingo leak

Adly812

Looking for some good guesses as I know it will be hard without a visual diagnostic.

I have a 17 reg Renault twingo and it’s developed a leak underneath the car. The engine is in the boot being a rear engine and the leak is in the middle of the car. Below the engine 

Clear fluid, very small leak that slows down after time parked. 

The fluid is definitely an oil slick clear consistency as opposed to water, but not really a distinct smell. 

The fluid levels are all fine it appears and no lights are on the dashboard.. yet

The car is still under its used 12month warranty so I’m going to take it in, however they are fully booked for a week and I’m also nervous as if it’s not a warranty issue they will charge more than any local garage to diagnose and fix. 

I thought it might be brake fluid but surely that would be a leak closer to the wheels and more of a brown colour ? 

WellKnownSid

Have you had the aircon on at all?  Have you checked all fluids?

If your brake fluid is brown it is probably well past its best.

Adly812

I haven’t used my air con no. Sorry for the misunderstanding suggesting my brake fluid is  brown I just googled the rac website and it suggested that a brake fluid leak might have a brown tinge to it . My brake fluid is pretty clear so definitely a possibility... although the leak is rather central .. although maybe that doesn’t suggest it’s not brake fluid 

Bigwheels1111

What’s it smell like , taste etc.
things it could be, oil, brake fluid, coolant or screenwash, gearbox oil, diff oil.
Brake fluid, sharp taste, coolant sweet, spilt it out as poison.

I forgot, power steering fluid, red when new, brown when old.
I would bet it was that.
Find the tank, probably white with a black lid.
See if it looks damp and sticky with oily dirt under it.
No light would come on, steering might get a bit stiff or clunky.


Don’t swallow it.
As for colour, if it’s running down from the top of the engine just imagine the dirt and dust it dragged with it.
Old school, place a large bit of cardboard under car to see where it drips from.
Park one side of car on high curb.
Roll under with a torch on have a good look.
Has it been serviced recently, did they spill any oil. 
When my car was serviced at 4 years old they changed the fuel filter. Leaving diesel everywhere.
The car smelt awful, I removed the cover and a quick spray of brake cleaner fix the issue.

Adly812

Thank you so much for your advice. Great feedback. I took it to a friends house who is a yard foreman and works with trucks. He had a look and his first reaction was its diff oil. But then when he had another look and inspected the engine he was humoured by the engine in the boot and the set up of it. He said he was 90% sure it is engine oil, he suggested the sump plug was leaking. 

I have a service booked tomorrow and I’m hoping they change the oil and filter and replace the sump plug. Cross fingers this solves it. I have a little bucket under the area, it’s in the centre of the car, about half a meter under. All my fluid levels are fine. So I imagine the leak is minor. 

I’m praying that this is the case, as I’m fearful that it might be the gear box, as the twingos I know have a history of this kind of problem.

Adly812

Just had it in for a service and oil change, but the guy said the leak was nothing to do with the sump plug, he said it between the gear box and the engine and to reach it the engine would need coming out. Suggested a rear crank shaft seal/main engine oil seal. 

So upset as I still have this leak and just trying to study my warranty booklet to see if something like this is covered! It’s a used car warranty 

Goudy

Are they sure, it's a big job getting at the rear crank seal (though I believe the gearbox should come out without dropping the engine, it does on the sister car, the Smart Forfour). 
So it might be worth some more investigation first.

Best bet would be to clean off all the mess and running it up while it's up on a ramp.
See where the leak actually is.
 
Generally any oil leak from the engine will drip off the lowest point on the engine/gearbox and that's usually the join between the engine and gearbox, so any leak from above will often drip from there and look like a crank seal problem.

The SCe 75 is known for leaking rocker gaskets, you may notice oil runs down the front of the engine by the exhaust manifold.
More often than not you smell the problem before you see it as the burning oil stinks.

Both the SCe and TCe 90 have an oil heat exchanger on the back of the engine, very close to the engine/gearbox joint.
These are prone to leaking seals and will drip from that joint if leaking.

Adly812

Attached above is my warranty information for the used car. I’m hoping that Renault will cover this leak. 

Are the likely leaks you suggest ‘ heat exchanger ‘ really difficult to repair if this is indeed the possible case? 

Goudy

If you have a used car warranty with Renault, let them look at it.

How long have you had the car?
Warranties don't last forever. 
The original "new" car warranty has long expired.
If it was an approved used Renault you would have 12 months from the time of purchase unless you paid to extend it.

They may want a diagnostic fee first, as if the issue isn't under warranty they'll want paying for the diagnostic (and repair if you give them the go ahead).

If it isn't under warranty, Renault aren't going to be cheap to diagnose or repair so it would be advisable to find someone else, like a trusted local garage or local Renault independent specialist. Their labour rates are usually a lot lower.

If it is the rear crank seal leaking, there might be a cheaper way. A local clutch and gearbox specialist might be an option as they do this sort of work day in day out. They are used to pulling gearboxes and clutches and finding leaking rear seals. I would give the franchised clutch and gearbox specialists a miss, some don't have a good reputation.

I only mentioned a few common issues, I haven't seen your car so it's impossible to tell what is wrong.

Nothing is really difficult to repair if you have the skill, equipment and parts available. It's time/labour charges that is a major factor on "big" jobs.

If it is a leaking rear crank seal, that seal only cost a few pounds, but the labour to get at it, change it and then put everything back together will run into hours and hours so you can see why labour rates are key.

Plus you would normal change the clutch while the gearbox is out as it's just matter of the part price, you're already paying for the labour of removing and refitting the gearbox. If you had to change the clutch in 6 months, you'd be paying for all that labour again.

Adly812

Thank you I think the issue is the location, as if it’s the clutch cylinder or crank seal trying to access it means taking a whole car apart. 

I have had the car about 10 1/2 months and it still has 6 weeks left on its used car warranty. 

I’ll phone them up and ask if they will diagnose the problem and give me an idea on the cost to repair IF the warranty doesn’t cover the work.

clutches seem to be a problem with the twingos and I think  parts are cheap, it’s the Labour to access the area I fear.