oil leak on 240 gl

I have a 89 240 gl with only 57,000 miles on the clock but it has recently developed an oil leak. It seems to be quite a bad one, can anyone tell me what is the most likely cause of this. In all other aspects the car is in immaculate condition for its age.

[migrator]

Can you advise the aparent source of the oil leak please? Is it between the rocker cover and the head, the head and the block, is it low down on the engine, is it front or back of the engine? Do you know when the flame trap was last cleaned out?

As i have no knowledge of cars at all i can only give you a vague description, it is leaking low in the engine and nearer the back. I have taken it into a garage for a quick inspection and the guy says it seems to be leaking from both sides of engine?? As i don't really trust commercial mechanics being a woman i prefer to get some clue what i may be looking for first on here!.....And whats a flame cover?? lol. Thank you for any help you can give me.

flame trap, i guess. the engine must be cleaned outside and the flametrap and crankcase ventilation hoses cleaned/checked/renewed(if nec.) how much oil you must add per 100 miles/per week? sth else?

well to be honest i am not really sure, i first got the car last september but i would say it's only in the last couple of months this problem has arisen. I put 3and half litres in last week some time and have done a couple of hundred miles since, but i neeed to top up again as it is very low. I am taking it to garage wed and its going to be steam cleaned as you cant tell where the oil is really comeing from as it has become so dirty.

its also really smelly like its burning oil and i can hear it straining to change gear a lot....so don't know whats going on with it. With so very few miles on the clock i am surprised this has happened

maybe some loose bolt or nut somewhere, or uncorrect maintenance by some commercial mechanics...let us know what can be seen after steam cleaning?

[Clifford Pope]

There are so many potential sources, but the most common root cause is as already suggested, the flame trap. The point is that this blocks up very easily, and once blocked the normal crankcase pressure cannot be vented, so pressure builds up in the engine and this forces oil out all over the place. The burnt oil smell may be nothing more than leaking oil spewing onto the exhaust pipe.
Nothing much can be done before a thorough cleaning, and then careful observation. But it would be worth checking the flame trap immediately. It is a black plastic object looking exactly like a party-popper, located underneath the inlet manifold at the back. It has 2 thick hoses and one very small hose going to it. The thin one and its connection to the inlet manifold need to be thoroughly cleaned out too. You can pull the pipes off and extract the trap. Usually it will be full of foul black gunge like a smoker's pipe that needs cleaning.
It is possible that a severe pressure build up can damage a seal, causing a more drastic oil loss.
Do let us know how you get on.

thank you so much for that, this sounds more likely than just it being my engine packing up on me. Will let the mechanic know my susoicions, i imagine him to be most surprised and delighted by my findings! lol