Howdy x308 owners. I have a 2001 XJR I just picked up and am experiencing an oil leak around the rear passenger side of the oil pan. I just installed a new URO oil pan gasket, and followed the torquing procedure for the oil pan to 12NM.

However I am still experiencing a slight leak in that certain area... which is where is was leaking before the new gasket as well. I did not see any deformation or wavyness in the pan etc. Is there a leak point potentially up above the oil pan that someone might know of? I can tell its leaking from that area as I have oil on the bolt head and after driving can see some on the lowest point of the steering rack.

Next step would be to try a new oil pan and another gasket.

 

This is a famous uro quality, i've got the same result with it, solution is to replace it with oem or something more reputable

 

Meh that sounds disappointing.

Anyone use the brand eurospare? https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/NCA173...qZxnB0pXn6ev-E

 

Yes i feel your pain, still haven't fixed mine
Eurospare is absolutely fine

 

Well i ordered an OEM one, so I will report back...

 

Are you certain it's not the cam cover?

 

It’s a decent volume leak, and I don’t have any smell of oil on headers….

unless you think im missing something

 

There is an oil galley plug on the back of the motor that is notorious for having been installed only finger-tight in the first place on some AJ27 motors. I thought I had a rear main seal going out years ago, but turned out to be the infamous galley plug had backed itself out. We couldn't find a torque spec listed for it anywhere and I forget what I cranked it down to, but while I didn't go crazy, its way more than just finger-tight now. I've had to do the valve cover gaskets a couple of times too. They always seem to leak at the back, but its not the gasket itself, rather its the little rubber cushions on all the valve cover bolts that go bad first. No matter how much you crank down the valve cover bolts, they've got a spacer/collet thingy, and rather its the little rubber cushions that hold just enough tension on the plastic valve cover (so that some ham-fisted mechanic won't crack it by overtightening). Some of the aftermarket sets, those cushions are either too thin or too soft and don't hold tension for very long. Some have suggested that the plastic valve covers themselves warp too. Just a few things to check.

 

Hmm i will check to see if its coming from there. The oil leak is dripping right from the head of the rear passenger side bolt of the oil pan. Makes me believe its from the Oil pan gasket and not somewhere else like cam cover or galley plug.

 

My '01 XJR had this very issue. Presents exactly like a rear main seal leak, though every Jag tech I spoke with said those rarely fail. As it would have required separating the trans from the engine to address, and I don't have a lift, I lived with it until the car was sold. So far as I know, the new owner is checking the oil regularly and all is still good.

 

On older cars, I used to just use double gaskets and that seemed to work just fine.
The valve covers were always manufactured too flimsy with too few bolts to get a
good seal with stock gaskets. As far as the galley plug is concerned....I see no
reason not to torque it such that it isn't a problem.

 

The rear main and gallery seal leaks are observed at the bottom of the bellhousing, not the pan.

 

When changing the oil filter, the oil will naturally leak on top of the pan towards the rear and even around the corner. If you carefully look at the top of the pan from the side, the pan will tilt downwards going to the rear of the engine. It’s possible that you either have runoff from when you removed the filter and just need to use brake cleaner to clean it off or you may have a leak at the filter.

 

Good point, I am on a business trip and left the car on ramps in the garage and cardboard underneath to see how much she will drip. Cleaned the underside of the pan before i left...

So maybe fingers crossed its just leftover from the filter and pan gasket change?

 

Quite possible. Using brake cleaner (and compressed air) is key to figuring out if you have an actual leak vs residual in my experience.

 

Yes. Having a long tube attachment will allow you to blow away residual oil
along the pan seams and then observe if it flows back in. Sometimes I have
had to do the same area two or three times in order to discern if there was
really a leak, or if adjacent areas were just filling it back in.