Ask Honest John

Honest John Ask Honest John » Sumpting
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Sumpting

My son’s 2006 LandRover Freelander diesel seems to be getting diesel into the engine oil. We changed the oil 2 weeks ago, and the dipstick shows more oil now than after we changed it. I drained the oil and examined it for water content, but could not find any. The new oil is dirty, I would never have believed it was new if I hadn't helped Jon change it. He puts this down to the engine being diesel. My daughter in law, who does most of the driving, says the car is using a lot of fuel. It runs ok, no funny sounds, coughing, spitting, nothing like that.

Asked on 17 July 2010 by DJ, Culcheth, Cheshire

Answered by Honest John
If it has a diesel particulate filter and does a lot of short runs from
could this can happen. Extra diesel is injected into the engine to burn off the particulates but if the filter is too choked up this doesn't happen and the extra fuel bleeds into the crankcase. It’s vital ithat the sump oil is not allowed to rise too far otherwise there is a siphon effect and the engine will run uncontrollably on its sump oil.

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide
Similar questions
When taking my foot off throttle and depressing the clutch to change gear, there seems to be a delay in the revs falling in my Honda Jazz. If I delay changing gear and hold the clutch down the revs fall...
I own a StreetKa and the problem is that it keeps cutting out when stopping at junctions and also when setting off. Can you help please?
I have a Volvo V40 52 plate. In 2009 I reported a noise from the engine to my Volvo garage and they diagnosed a VVT (variable valve timing unit) problem. This was replaced but the noise came back after...