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[feeutfo]

Mat asked me to look at his 3.2 today as it needs a cam belt and is dripping oil on the drive. Cam belt is no problem although its done 83k on the original.

I hoped the oil leek would be cam covers but they are bone dry, closer inspection shows a clear but now yellow sealant squidging out all the way around the cam covers. Mat has a reciept for replacing cam cover gaskits in the history by a local garage, to his knowledge the breathers have never been cleaned. He has owned the car from 17k and is ex police special, no holes in the roof though.

So thats all pointing to what i believe to be rear crank seal failure as there is oil dripping off the two bolts at the bottom of the bell housing, from round by the starter motor almost to the crank sensor. It is coming from within the bell housing as in places there is no oil leeding to the leek.

Can anyone advise Mat on this issue? how long in hours to do, posdible cost, is it possible to repair on the drive, any sdvice appreciated.

Ihave some pics to upload but the lappy is in use. Will post those later.

There is an outside chance the oil is blowing back from an oil sensor in top of the sump as there us oil leaking there too. But its too wet at the back and no oil leeding to conect the 2 leaks. Front crank seal looks and feels dry.

Ta.

[Kevin Wood]

Worth pulling the rubber bung out of the bellhousing just to verify it's wet in there?

Worth eliminating oil leaking into the vee and trickling down?

Kevin

[Elite Pete]

Mat asked me to look at his 3.2 today as it needs a cam belt and is dripping oil on the drive. Cam belt is no problem although its done 83k on the original.

I hoped the oil leek would be cam covers but they are bone dry, closer inspection shows a clear but now yellow sealant squidging out all the way around the cam covers. Mat has a reciept for replacing cam cover gaskits in the history by a local garage, to his knowledge the breathers have never been cleaned. He has owned the car from 17k and is ex police special, no holes in the roof though.

So thats all pointing to what i believe to be rear crank seal failure as there is oil dripping off the two bolts at the bottom of the bell housing, from round by the starter motor almost to the crank sensor. It is coming from within the bell housing as in places there is no oil leeding to the leek.

Can anyone advise Mat on this issue? how long in hours to do, posdible cost, is it possible to repair on the drive, any sdvice appreciated.

Ihave some pics to upload but the lappy is in use. Will post those later.

There is an outside chance the oil is blowing back from an oil sensor in top of the sump as there us oil leaking there too. But its too wet at the back and no oil leeding to conect the 2 leaks. Front crank seal looks and feels dry.

Ta.

This happens with cam cover gaskets

I did some cam cover gaskets a couple of weeks ago and the block was wet in all sorts of strange places. I took the inlet sandwich plate out to check the oil cooler pipes, checked the the other ends of them and replaced the seal around the oil filter. Turns out it was warped cam covers where someone had nipped them up because they were leaking

[des.allen]

Mat asked me to look at his 3.2 today as it needs a cam belt and is dripping oil on the drive. Cam belt is no problem although its done 83k on the original.

I hoped the oil leek would be cam covers but they are bone dry, closer inspection shows a clear but now yellow sealant squidging out all the way around the cam covers. Mat has a reciept for replacing cam cover gaskits in the history by a local garage, to his knowledge the breathers have never been cleaned. He has owned the car from 17k and is ex police special, no holes in the roof though.

So thats all pointing to what i believe to be rear crank seal failure as there is oil dripping off the two bolts at the bottom of the bell housing, from round by the starter motor almost to the crank sensor. It is coming from within the bell housing as in places there is no oil leeding to the leek.

Can anyone advise Mat on this issue? how long in hours to do, posdible cost, is it possible to repair on the drive, any sdvice appreciated.

Ihave some pics to upload but the lappy is in use. Will post those later.

There is an outside chance the oil is blowing back from an oil sensor in top of the sump as there us oil leaking there too. But its too wet at the back and no oil leeding to conect the 2 leaks. Front crank seal looks and feels dry.

Ta.

This happens with cam cover gaskets

I did some cam cover gaskets a couple of weeks ago and the block was wet in all sorts of strange places. I took the inlet sandwich plate out to check the oil cooler pipes, checked the the other ends of them and replaced the seal around the oil filter. Turns out it was warped cam covers where someone had nipped them up because they were leaking

Cheers again mate

[feeutfo]

starter motor top right no oil above










crank sensor side, no oil above pink may be from known previos hbv failure






bit of squidged cam cover gaskit sealent, its All round the covers





oil sensor, pressure? leak seems to come from it and blow back, no oil abnove

[feeutfo]

should add, could see back of left cam lobe by multi ram and bracket from below, bone dry.

could feel the flat face within the bell housing, its oily, although not massively so.

was tempted to remove the bung tbh, but bottled it, wasn't sure :-/   

[manny]

Looks like the sump gasket could be leaking (upper sump) and running down the back ?

[feeutfo]

is it possible the bell housing could allow oil in at the top and run down to the bung?

[feeutfo]

right, had a further look today, plenum off, manifold off, inlet wedge off, there is no oil leak from the cam covers, there is no oil leak from oil cooler bolts. Slight coolent leak in the v, but nothing massive.

Removed the bung from bottom of bell housing, no out pooring of oil, but then it wouldn't hold any oil as there as a gap in the bell housing casting to engine .

Feel around the bottom of the inside of the bell housing with a finger and oil has gathered there as it leaks out the adjacent casting hole.

Trying really hard to prove myself wrong in thinking rear crank seal. But cant see any other reason for oil in the bell housing......? And its most certainly engine oil, not atf.

Anything else worth checking on Mats car guys? He's really missing it.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Was there actualy oil in the rear of the flywheel/flexplate

[feeutfo]

er, terminolgy, there is a hole forward facing to back of bell housing, from engine side, flat face in there could be fly wheel, oil on the surface of it. So think thats a yes, without being certain of the named parts.

[Matchless]

Flywheel on manual, flexplate on auto.

In either case, if there is oil or oil streaks on the flat surface of the flywheel / flexplate then it suggests the rear oil seal is leaking.

First port of call is the breather system, check it is clean and that the hole in the brass spigot is clear, check the passageways in the breather assembly are actually clear. If all is OK then seal must have failed.

You have to drop the gearbox and remove the flexplate / flywheel to get to the seal. Replacement is fairly easy once you get there.

[feeutfo]

Flywheel on manual, flexplate on auto.

In either case, if there is oil or oil streaks on the flat surface of the flywheel / flexplate then it suggests the rear oil seal is leaking.

First port of call is the breather system, check it is clean and that the hole in the brass spigot is clear, check the passageways in the breather assembly are actually clear. If all is OK then seal must have failed.

You have to drop the gearbox and remove the flexplate / flywheel to get to the seal. Replacement is fairly easy once you get there.

Thanks Matchless,
 so if the breathers are blocked, which i'm fairly sure they will be, and breathers are then cleared then the leak may stop? or is it a case of once its leaking it must be changed?

i was thinking of getting a quote for the seal replacement at my local mechs, they have wide experience of auto work. Dropping and refitting the box should be straight forward, and the seal sounds easy enough from what you said. £50 an hour at say 4 hours should cover it would you say? at a guess?

If Mat is happy paying that quote, however much it is, his choice, then i can do the cam belt to get it driveable, clear the breathers then drive it over for the crank seal work.

But it may be worth seeing if the leek stops on its own, with breathers clear first, before paying out for changing the rear seal  perhaps?   

If it then persists then fine, change the seal?

I can then do the coolant leak and cam covers on my drive, along with rest of the srvice work.

Sound like a plan?

[Kevin Wood]

But it may be worth seeing if the leek stops on its own, with breathers clear first, before paying out for changing the rear seal  perhaps?   

If it then persists then fine, change the seal?

Sounds worth a try. IMHO, the sealant around the cam covers suggests these have been troublesome in the past and the seal has been "improved" to the point where the oil leak has moved elsewhere!

Also suggests the cause of the cam cover leak wasn't rectified, so first job is to clean the breathers. This might stop the crank seal leak or reduce it to a negligible level.

Kevin

[feeutfo]

But it may be worth seeing if the leek stops on its own, with breathers clear first, before paying out for changing the rear seal  perhaps?   

If it then persists then fine, change the seal?

Sounds worth a try. IMHO, the sealant around the cam covers suggests these have been troublesome in the past and the seal has been "improved" to the point where the oil leak has moved elsewhere!

Also suggests the cause of the cam cover leak wasn't rectified, so first job is to clean the breathers. This might stop the crank seal leak or reduce it to a negligible level.

Kevin

Indeed, sealant work was done at 60k miles, breathers never cleaned to Mats knowlegde since he bought it at 17k.

So safe to say they've never been cleaned, with the previous vx srvicing.