Is this an oil leak?

I'm not familiar with Hondas but the pipe looks badly corroded to me, which is a bit odd if it's oil. The oil is probably coming out of a pinhole and the cure would be either brazing the hole up - and it looks like there is a whole lot of brazing to be done - or replacing the pipe.

I don't see why you shouldn't drive the car and I wouldn't think the problem needed an urgent cure, but steadily you will lose oil, so you need to keep that topped up (whichever oil it is).

Rob Graham

I've got one just like it going in front of my radiator and it's the power steering fluid return/cooler pipe. If it is then it's low pressure and should be safe to drive but both of those pipes look to be in poor condition as if they catch a lot of stones from the road.

I'd certainly expect it to be safe to take it for a quote.

"rp" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

That rad's not looking very healthy, either.

Stretch it out another 18 months and you get 2k in px

But I like my old Honda! How can I justify spending ~£15k on a new equivalent-sized car when this one will keep going, probably for ever, for a bit of ongoing repairs?

Pete

P.S. Yeah, it's greener I know, but I bought a C1 recently and do most journeys in that, so I'm doing my thing for the planet! 56mpg on motorway drives at 70!

On Thu, 21 May 2009 09:23:58 +0100, Peter Boulton screamed:

Is it an auto? They look similar to the pipes from the autobox to the cooler on my old Honda powered Rover 416. Similar condition too. One failed and pissed autobox fluid all over Denham.

Mike P

Not urgent. Trace it back to the source of the pipe. Unlikely to be oil.

Peter Boulton was thinking very hard :

Is it aa auto, and that pipe is for the oil cooler of the autobox? The radiator looks as if there are two sections to it, the lower is perhaps for the oil cooler. Both rads appear to be be poor condition.

If it is ATF fluid, might last a while, or the pipe could split tomorrow.

Mike P explained on 21/05/2009 : r... will I be very poor when it's been repaired!

Hi Mike,

No, it's a manual!

Pete

Thanks Davey. It does seem to be oil, but I struggle to trace the tube back because it disappears off towards the front passenger side wheel arch and it's impossible to see where it goes.

Pete

Thanks Harry. It's a manual. It's a high miler - 130,000 miles, hence, I guess, the poor condition!

Pete

Does the car have Aircon and has it stopped working recently? Aircon usually has a small radiator near the front of the car, and hard pipes that run into it. It also has oil carried arround by the gas to lubricate the compressor. If the pipe breaks/leaks/corrodes it is quite common for some of the oil to be pushed out too, and the aircon will stop being cold and the compressor will stop running due to low gas pressure.

It appears to be the power steering cooler loop. I would hazard a guess at about 50 quid for the bits.

Mrcheerful pretended :

Thanks! It's booked in for Tuesday. Hopefully won't bankrupt me! :-)

Pete