# Broken sump - big job to get fixed/covered by warranty?



## Lynnie (23 May 2007)

Was reversing out of my parking space yesterday when I noticed a decent sized puddle of oil on the ground & a track of drips where I'd moved the car. On closer inspection, there was a screw nut & two pieces of [what looked like] hard plastic about 1" in size in the puddle.

Himself has had a look under the car and says there's a hole in the sump. He says I must have cracked it off a ramp or a speedbump or something but surely I would have noticed whacking the a*se of my car off the road if that was the case.

Is this dear/a big job to get fixed? Have the car ['00 Punto] since Jan & it's under bumper-to-bumper garage warranty til end of next month [have had back box replaced through them], last service Jan-07.

Any help at all much appreciated


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## CCOVICH (23 May 2007)

I don't think a warranty covers accidental damage.


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## setemupjoe (23 May 2007)

I think the sump is just bolted onto the underside of the engine containing oil,shouldnt be to hard to unbolt it and replace the gasket and sump with a new one from fiat or a spare from a part shop. wouldnt drive now without oil.


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## Leo (23 May 2007)

Sounds like you are lucky, I know people who did similar damage to the sump without realising and the engine seized before they got home.


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## aircobra19 (23 May 2007)

You'll have to get it towed somewhere to get them to a new sump fitted. 
As long as the engine is ok it shouldn't be too bad.


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## RS2K (23 May 2007)

It's not a small job. Your engine may also have suffered damge.


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## ryan-neil (24 May 2007)

Check the oil within the engine, if it's within the limit then your engine should be fine. Changing the sump is not a big job and your other half could do it with just a ratchet set and spanner set, it all depends on how handy he is, the exaust may have to come off but if not he's looking at 10 bolts on the sump itself and buying a tube of gasket seal. On most cars he should be able to remove the exaust fairly easy if necessary.

If you need to drive it to the garage then just top up the oil, or you could vlean down the area and duck tap it, top up the oil and go to the garage, you should get a sump from a scrap yard for around 30 euros. 

Plenty of Punto's about.


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## Lynnie (24 May 2007)

Thanks for all that guys - don't think Himself would be confident enough to start unbolting bits from under my gluastain so I guess a tow to the garage is in order.


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## RS2K (24 May 2007)

If there is "a hole" in the sump any oil will flow out surely?


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## Mr2 (25 May 2007)

Hole in the sump or even a cracked sump, you should not drive a car. 

ryan-neil on most cars un-bolting an exhaust is a pig of a job, with rusty bolts that are heat sealed into place. I'd like to see a normal "joe bloggs" undo a front pipe and remove a sump and do it properly. Then of course remember on some cars you might have to take a d/shaft or sub-frame out of the way to do it and prob a load of engine guards/trays.

It's a garage jobby.


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## aircobra19 (25 May 2007)

Don't drive it! Don't even start the engine! 

Not all cars have the exhaust and subframe in the way. On some of our old VW's there was clear access to it. The punto, I dunno. Unless you had a pit or a lift it would be pain to do anyway. Even if you had the skills and experience to do it. If you got it wrong you could make things a lot worse. 



Lynnie said:


> ...On closer inspection, there was a screw nut & two pieces of [what looked like] hard plastic about 1" in size in the puddle.
> 
> Himself has had a look under the car and says there's a hole in the sump. He says I must have cracked it off a ramp or a speedbump or something but surely I would have noticed whacking the a*se of my car off the road if that was the case.....



I wonder is there an actual hole, or has the sump bung and washer just worked itself out. Hence the screw/nut etc. Unlikely I know. Was the oil changed, or the car serviced  recently? But its more likely its been been torn out.


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## Lynnie (25 May 2007)

I have no intention of even putting the key in the ignition. Last full service was Jan-07.

It was towed to local garage this morning. Apparantly it's not the sump, it's actually the gearbox that's shot. Frickin' wonderful.


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## jimmyd (25 May 2007)

Gearbox is alot cheaper than if your sump bust and the engine fecked up.


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## oopsbuddy (25 May 2007)

Lynnie said:


> I have no intention of even putting the key in the ignition. Last full service was Jan-07.
> 
> It was towed to local garage this morning. Apparantly it's not the sump, it's actually the gearbox that's shot. Frickin' wonderful.



In that case, if its due to mechanical failure it sounds like a warranty job!?


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## Lynnie (25 May 2007)

oopsbuddy said:


> In that case, if its due to mechanical failure it sounds like a warranty job!?


 
Him indoors says it's been caused by me smacking the bottom of the car off the road/a speedbump/a humpback bridge or something though because it [what he thought was the sump] is cracked.


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## aircobra19 (25 May 2007)

Ah well that ends the mystery.


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## Froggie (27 May 2007)

yeah but were the bits you found in the driveway evidence of a previous botched attempt at fixing previous damage???


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