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Peugeot 405 oil leak - David O
I have an old, high mileage Peugeot 405 (1.6 carburettor model) which has started to leak a bit of oil from out of no. 1 sparkplug. It?s not too bad at the moment but I would like some advice from the experts if possible. The car doesn?t appear to be blowing smoke from the exhaust, so can I assume from this that the leak could be from the valve stem seal rather than broken rings, piston wear etc? If it is the seal, is this a particularly costly repair (I don?t have the ability to do it myself) or can I continue for a while without causing further problems? Starting when the engine is warm sometimes produces black smoke but starting from cold is OK as I guess the oil has had a chance to drain away. By the way, it recently passed the MOT.

On another point, what is the opinion on buying a reconditioned carburettor ? can they be reconditioned successfully?

Answers gratefully received.
Re: Peugeot 405 oil leak - mike harvey
David, is the spark plug just loose? Has oil leaked from cam cover above into the surround of the spark plug? Oil burns blue. The black is excess fuel, choke stuck on or worn carb, something like that.
Regards
Mike
Re: Peugeot 405 oil leak - Keith Stockdale

I had a 309 GTI and the valve stem oil seals went on that at only 55k. You can tell by getting the engine hot until the fan cuts in, then blip the throttle to about 4000 rpm. If the seals are gone you will get a puff of blue smoke.

This is a very common problem with these engines.

To remove the head you need to remove an engine mounting if I am not mistaken. Pig of a job.
Re: Peugeot 405 oil leak - tonyh
DAVID We have recently had the vavle stem oilseals replaced on a 205 and a ZX,you dont have to remove the head just the camshaft,the valves are shut with air pressure from a device inserted in the spark plug hole. It cost 3hours labour pls parts parts,I think the seals were about 1 pound each
HTH Tony H