First of all a big HELLO to you all!

I'm proud to say 8 weeks ago I picked up my first ever jag and deemed it necessary to signup to what I could see as the most popular Jag forum on the web to seek help and advice if I was ever in need.
And I suppose I could say that I'm disappointed that the day has finally come to burden you all with my problem

A few days ago I noticed a possible oil leak while underneath my car as I was replacing the fog lights. (god that sounded easier than it was!)
So while I was fingering around trying to find the source of the oil, working from under the bonnet and then down and under, I did notice that there may be a couple of missing bolts in the suspect area which may be the source of the reason.

I have only had the car for 2 months and it is been absolutely perfect. The leak and possible missing bolts does not seem to affect the drive of the car in anyway at all, the drive, ride and gear changes have been, and still is, very smooth and quiet.

The leak itself does not drip, but more seeps out from the area. I'm doing weekly oil level checks and only needing to top up a very small amount of oil every month, about 1/4 of a litre to keep it to the 'full' mark. The volume of seepage does not seem to change much whether the car has been driven or has been idle overnight, there just seems to be a slow and steady build up. Though the area is slightly darker after a drive. The oil is a dark brown / black colour, Engine oil my guess would be.

I have made a video on YouTube that shows the problem in more detail as I know a picture can mean a thousand words so I'll let you take a look for yourself.


Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

 

I haven't had my Jag long enough to know all the variations but the spare holes look like many I have seen on engines over the years and are for mounting different parts on other models, there wasn't any oil leaking from them anyway. It looks like a classic case of a crankshaft rear main seal that is leaking and its getting thrown out by the flywheel so you have oil around the joint between the engine and flywheel housing, and collecting at the bottom when switched off. Unless you can find any leaks higher up on the engine that have run down I think you need a new rear main seal.

 

Thank you for the quick reply Norcat.
Would you say that this is a major issue/leak that would need to be seen to quite soon? Or shall I just keep an eye on it and see to it if it gets worse?

Is replacing the rear main seal an expensive job to have done? Basically, is it one of them 'You could have it done but its not a massive issue at the moment' type scenarios?

Thanks

 

+1 On Norcat's diagnosis, but first just make sure it isn't running down from above maybe cam covers or pcv hoses.

Rear Crank seal is gearbox/engine split so unless you are handy with spanners is gonna cost? and may be as well doing clutch while in there?

 

Thanks joesoap,

I'm not that technically minded enough to do it my self unfortunately.

What would it consist of in terms of getting it replaced? I was hoping it was some sort of leaky gasket.
In layman terms, when you say gearbox/engine split, do you mean where the gearbox meets the engine or an actual split in the casing somewhere maybe? And in terms of doing the clutch, you mean replacing the clutch itself?


Thanks

 

Yes it means gearbox and engine come apart, the seal is about £6-10 but hours of labour to get to it, and if the car has done over 80K miles probably should replace the clutch plate.
But it could be running down from above so get it checked somewhere reputable?

Look at other threads for recommended independents in your area.