Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 15:18:02

Title: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 15:18:02
Hi guys have noticed a small oil leak which is dripping from bottom of the automatic gearbox, it's not atf; definately engine oil it seems to run down  and drip from the two torx bolts on the gearbox housing. Where do you think it could be coming from and is there any simple repair that could be done, it leaks about a tea spoonful overnight.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Omega man 2 on 10 July 2009, 15:27:34
Pull a plug lead and have a look in the spark plug wells for oil :y
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 15:53:44
Thanks Ron engine is 3.2 V6 what should I remove?
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ghost on 10 July 2009, 16:05:37
Pull out a spark plug cabel and have a look down the sparkplug well. If it is full of oil then that means that your rocker gasket is shot and needs replacing.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: wakeyomega on 10 July 2009, 16:06:21
Hi Ryan
Ron suggestion is that your rocker box gaskets may have blown (usually due to the breather system needing cleaning), resulting in oil leaking into the spark plug wells.
If thats not the case, it may be the crankshaft rear oil seal, as I had exactly the same symptoms and that was the problem
If it is leaking as in this picture in the thread here http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1223978808 then it 'may' be the crankshaft rear oil seal. (it was with me) see my thread http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1238575229/2#2.

Regards Pat
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 16:16:38
Thanks for the replies, mine is leaking exactly as shown in the pics Pat it look like it's the crankshaft rear oil seal; what has to be done to repair it and is there any easy way of fixing it, ie engine oil additive etc.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 16:28:24
Update I have removed the larger rubber bung on the housing and have found oil in and around it.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ghost on 10 July 2009, 16:32:27
Quote
Update I have remove the larger rubber bung on the housing and have found oil in and around it.

do you mean plug lead?
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Entwood on 10 July 2009, 16:46:06
Quote
Quote
Update I have remove the larger rubber bung on the housing and have found oil in and around it.

do you mean plug lead?


I'm guessing he means the large rubber bung on the torque converter part of the gearbox, there are 2 .. small one and a large one, he's removed the large one and found oil .. which implies the leak might well be the rear crank seal ... mine is leaking as well .. but only 1/2 drips overnight ... although the picture looks a lot worse .. :(

(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9002/dscf0271so4.jpg)
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ghost on 10 July 2009, 16:54:18
Quote
Quote
Quote
Update I have remove the larger rubber bung on the housing and have found oil in and around it.

do you mean plug lead?


I'm guessing he means the large rubber bung on the torque converter part of the gearbox, there are 2 .. small one and a large one, he's removed the large one and found oil .. which implies the leak might well be the rear crank seal ... mine is leaking as well .. but only 1/2 drips overnight ... although the picture looks a lot worse .. :(

(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9002/dscf0271so4.jpg)

Sorry I had a thicko moment there. I thought he meant on the top of the engine. ;D ;D
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 17:54:26
Yep removed large rubber bung on the torque converter part of the gearbox, oil in there how big a job is it to fix and is there any cheap/quick fixes ie oil additive etc?

Thanks for your responces
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: wakeyomega on 10 July 2009, 18:34:11
Hi Ryan
I had mine done for me as I didn't fancy the job. It was done in half a day but does require a gearbox off job I believe. Its still worth spending a little time checking that the oil is not coming down from higher up and checking the spark plug wells before diving in to the crank seal.
Good luck
Pat
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 10 July 2009, 21:23:06
Is there any additive that can be put in oil to replenish oil seals/gaskets.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 11 July 2009, 04:02:32
Hi again just an update perhaps it might give a reason to the leak, I have found out that the car was in storage for quite a while before I bought it could this have caused the oil leak and if so do you think with an oil change and driving it, it could possibly resolve by itself?
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Welung666 on 11 July 2009, 08:39:40
Quote
Hi again just an update perhaps it might give a reason to the leak, I have found out that the car was in storage for quite a while before I bought it could this have caused the oil leak and if so do you think with an oil change and driving it, it could possibly resolve by itself?

Very unlikely it will solve itself, I would recommend cleaning out the breathers though, this should help to reduce the pressure in the block and 'hopefully' slow the leak down a bit :y
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Entwood on 11 July 2009, 10:32:43
Quote
Hi again just an update perhaps it might give a reason to the leak, I have found out that the car was in storage for quite a while before I bought it could this have caused the oil leak and if so do you think with an oil change and driving it, it could possibly resolve by itself?

It is possible, marginally, that if the car has been stored for a long while without being turned over, that the seal has very slightly "flattened" due to the weight of the crank being in one place all the time. If so it "might" just go back to its original shape with use, but it might not ... :(  If the leak is "acceptable" on a temporary basis I would live with it for around 1000 miles and see if it improves, gets worse or just stays the same in that time...  then rethink your position.
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Andy B on 11 July 2009, 10:38:15
Quote
Quote
Hi again just an update perhaps it might give a reason to the leak, I have found out that the car was in storage for quite a while before I bought it could this have caused the oil leak and if so do you think with an oil change and driving it, it could possibly resolve by itself?

It is possible, marginally, that if the car has been stored for a long while without being turned over, that the seal has very slightly "flattened" due to the weight of the crank being in one place all the time. If so it "might" just go back to its original shape with use, but it might not ... :(  If the leak is "acceptable" on a temporary basis I would live with it for around 1000 miles and see if it improves, gets worse or just stays the same in that time...  then rethink your position.

Those are the kind of oil leaks we used to have to learn to live with years ago, when crank rear seals were a scroll/labyrinth and only kept oil in the crank case when the crank was turning!  :-?  :-? :y  :y  :y
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Ryan Hegarty on 11 July 2009, 11:52:44
Thanks guys i'll take your advice clean out the breathers and leave it for a while and hope it'll sort itself out would an oil change help - also I notice that when I take off the oil cap that it is very smoky and initially after the first couple of runs out in the car I seen the dreaded white sludge around the oil cap but assumed it was just condensation as it wasn't losing coolant or overheating and seemed to be going well enough also the dipstick oil was ok.
What you think?  :-/
Title: Re: Oil leak
Post by: Entwood on 11 July 2009, 11:54:19
Quote
Thanks guys i'll take your advice clean out the breathers and leave it for a while and hope it'll sort itself out would an oil change help - also I notice that when I take off the oil cap that it is very smoky and initially after the first couple of runs out in the car I seen the dreaded white sludge around the oil cap but assumed it was just condensation as it wasn't losing coolant or overheating and seemed to be going well enough also the dipstick oil was ok.
What you think?  :-/


Smoky .. probably breathers ....

White sludge .. probably condensation from short journeys .. very common ..

HTH  :)