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Oil leak: assessment after removing flywheel cover
Hi,
I did not want to hijack brinny’s thread, so I am creating a new one.
Today I crawled under the car and removed the black tin flywheel cover, per Greg’s advise. I took the pictures. See below.
I did not see a lot of oil on the other side of tin cover, but it could be because it is slopy? I tried looking deeper inside, at the crankshaft and where it connects with flywheel. Did not see a lot of oil there too. Is it a good sign?
However, as you can see from the pictures, oil droplets where on the bolts everywhere. There were also oil droplets on the gearbox pan bolts (pink droplets of tranny oil, of course). What are the next steps? Replace tranny pan gasket and replace oil pan gasket?
Replace tranny pan gasket and replace oil pan gasket?
That's what I would do as they're probably the only two gaskets that are easy to replace and there's at least a decent chance of fixing the problem . I'm a bit nonchalant about oil leaks. If they're not big enough to make a puddle I generally shrug them off.
Ideally you'd ascertain if the leaks are not originating from up above....which they very could be. For the engine it might be the sandwich plate and cam covers. For the transmission, the speedo seals, shift shaft seal, governor, etc
Thanks. I will probably start with transmission gas gasket first.
Couple of questions. All bolts appear to be accessible with exception of two which are “hiding” under the LHS exhaust pipe. I can see them, but it looks like there is no way to access them except for removing the exhaust pipe. Or is there a trick to get it done without removing the piping?
Also, the oil pan appears to be “tucked in” on one side of the transmission mount in the back. Any advise on how to handle the mount? Do I need to remove the mount in oirder to access the two oil pan bolts in the back? If yes, do I need some kind of support created while unbolting transmission mount?
V1Rok
Read Palm on the sealing of the sump gasket, you need to seal the long fixing bolts above the sump where they go through into the engine, or oil migrates down the bolt and through the hole the bolt goes through in the gasket.
In your place I would do the sump gasket first, leave the tranny, as the oil does not look like transmission fluid to me.
Grant has a top notch system for using RTV on the sump. It requires careful preparation and absolutely dry oil free surfaces, but it is the business.
Myself, I am with Doug on slight oil weeps!
Greg
My findings over many years, and way too many V12's are:
Cam cover gaskets and/or teh "D" seals at the rear of the tappet blocks.
Idiot light oil switch.
Oil gauge sender.
Distributor o/ring (fun job to replace, NOT)
RARELY, the copper washers on the 3 banjo bolts of the camshaft feeds, BUT, the 2 on the rear of the tappet blocks and SCARY, as the banjo bolt/s only picks up about 3 threads in the tappet block, and is soooooo easy to strip out. Access is ZERO, usually engine out to do them properly.
Tappet block to cylinder head seal, there is NO seal here, it is a "chemical seal" also known as RTV, or in the day Hylomar.
The "valley cover" in the middle of the "V" has a tissue paper gasket, and also leaks.
Lower leaks are as you found, the tin engine sump is #1, as is the Trans tin pan
I reseal both of these with RTV Hi-Temp only, and NO gasket as such. This has reduced leaks here to close to zero.
That stupid transmission collision bracket on teh rear trans mount is a PITA, and needs to be partially dismantled to get the trans pan off, and back on again. STUPID.
I remove that "thing", and then the pan can be simply dropped like any other transmission. NO ill affects without that bracket, just less nasty words when doing a trans oil change.
These attachments might help you with what I do.
Last edited by Grant Francis; Oct 21, 2018 at 03:45 AM.
I would probably be Ok with a small oil leak, if not for one thing that drives me nuts.
During long drives (by long I mean 30min or os, as I don’t venture on day trips just yet), the oil gets on hot catalytic converter pipes and burns as a white smoke. Mostly on the RHS cat, looks like.
I can see white smoke billowing from under the car when stopping at traffic lights after long drives. Some drivers who stop next to me might think the car is “smoking”
The first time I saw white smoke I said “holly smoke!” But after checking everything (oil, coolant, etc.), I realized that the smoke is due to oil getting on hot cat and burning... I can see the signs of oil on the pipes when I am under the car
I can live with that too, for a while. But ideally, it would be good to find out how oil gets on the cat so that I can try to eliminate the white smoking after long drives
Being an '85, have a look just above the alternator. The 2 tans cooler metal pipes terminate there. Then 2 hoses carry said fluid to and from the radiator. These connections leak, new hoses and clamps sorts that sucker, and usually lubricates the alternator until it dies, BUT, the fluid here will get blown back, as far as the rear brakes, and the exhaust being in the way will get wet.
Some cars have swaged hoses here, an Jag went that way somewhere in 1986ish, so maybe you have them, maybe not.
Next would be trans vac modulator. RH exhaust pipe dropped to get that thing out.
THEN, the dreaded trans dipstick seal AT the trans casing, RH side up top, and invisible. NOT common, but 30+ years at play here.
Yes, it is white smoke. So, must be transmission oil that is burning. And it appears to be consistent with the what I saw when I crawled under the car. The exhaust pipe begins to get covered in soot at around the end of the transmission oil pan. See the picture. (LHS is shown, but RHS is similar)
I guess I will try to focus on transmission first.
Oil leak: assessment after removing flywheel cover
. I'm a bit nonchalant about oil leaks. If they're not big enough to make a puddle I generally shrug them off.
