Stdt Oil Leak

[Guest R3GG]

Hello, I haven't posted for quite a while but I recently bought a green STDT with 110k on the clock. I'm quite fond of it because it's good fun to drive and completely original - still got the original clarion tape player! I commute about 500 miles a week - hence the diesel!

 

Unfortunately the car has developed a nasty oil leak. This started as just drip but the car now dispatches a small oil field outside the house daily. I've been under the car while the engine is running and thought i just needed a new sump gasket but since changing this had no effect on the leak the car went in to the garage.

 

I now have the car back and the garage reckon the car needs a new camshaft oil seals on both sides. Now my question is, how much would you expect to pay for this sort of work? I realise it's a fiddly job - I have been quoted £400 and told the gearbox needs to come off What do you think?

[welshpug 1,624]

Gearbox doesnt have to come off for the CAM shaft, but does for the CRANK shaft...

 

£400 though? they're having a laugh!

[Mikey S 29 1 Cars]

if its definately the camshaft oil seals that are gone the box doesnt have to come out. i think the garage are referring to the crankshaft seal behind the flywheel. its called the rear main oil seal and yes the box does have to come out to do it.

 

factor in a new clutch, the seal, labour, oil and the vat, and 400 sounds pretty good.

[Guest R3GG]

Thanks for the reply, they said it was the left and right side leaking so i thought they meant the camshaft because it has seals on both ends, would the crankshaft seal leak in the same way? I'm getting two patches of oil forming on the ground which seem to be either side of the sump.

 

Cheers!

[Grim.Badger 15]

That does sound like the crankshaft seals, but to be honest I would expect you to get clutch slip if the flywheel end seal was gone; that's just my gut feeling though and I suppose the flywheel will probably keep the oil away from the clutch.

If those seals have gone though I would also change the camshaft seals and camshaft cover gasket whilst you are at it (may as well change the camshaft seals whilst the cambelt is off).

 

Make sure they use genuine OE seals if you get someone else to do it as they fit and seal better and aren't much more expensive. I would be tempted to do it myself if I were you though as most of that £400 will be the labour costs involved in removing the gearbox.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Grim.Badger

[simonb 0]

That does sound like the crankshaft seals, but to be honest I would expect you to get clutch slip if the flywheel end seal was gone; that's just my gut feeling though and I suppose the flywheel will probably keep the oil away from the clutch.

True - I dont think you would see slipping from the oil crank seal going. If it was the gearbox seal then yes you would.

If those seals have gone though I would also change the camshaft seals and camshaft cover gasket whilst you are at it (may as well change the camshaft seals whilst the cambelt is off).

Agreed - only a few quid more and one more thing you will know to have been done.

Make sure they use genuine OE seals if you get someone else to do it as they fit and seal better and aren't much more expensive. I would be tempted to do it myself if I were you though as most of that £400 will be the labour costs involved in removing the gearbox.

True - OE seals are worth the extra. I had terrible problems with a non-OE camshaft seal when I rebuilt a 1.9 some yers ago. It wouldn't stop leaking when warm. An OE seal fixed that. I would deffo do it yourself if you have the know-how. Very simple job really and would only probably take an afternoon to do. Get a clutch as well as the box is going to come off anyway and just screw some long phillips screws into the ols seals to help you get them out with the aid of some pliers.

[Guest R3GG]

Wow, great responses, thanks a lot. I now know for sure that the garage said it was the crankshaft oil seal. I looked into doing the camshaft ones and they sounded like a nightmare with woodruff keys and bed springs etc. I haven't consulted the haynes on the crank seal yet hope it's as easy as you say simon!

 

I've just put a new radiator in so i plan on getting some new coolant tomorrow. I'm going to have a quick look at the sump bolts as well and maybe loosen them a bit because i think the torque guage i used was s*ite!

 

Thanks again for the advice, I'll keep this thread updated.

 

P.S Is there anybody on here who was driving a green stdt on the M5 a couple of weeks ago? If so i did notice you flashing, waving and hooting in my general direction!

[Guest R3GG]

Ok she's going into the garage tomorrow to have the work done because I dont have time to do it myself! I've heard since that juddering at low speed/pulling away can be the first sign of oil on the clutch. This is something i've noticed since owning the car - it makes quite a fuss pulling away and getting it on the ramps was almost impossible without stalling it or burning the clutch out!

 

Hoping things will have improved by mid week when i get her back

[dirtdog 4]

are you talking about the right hand side of the engine? battery side like. i dont really know my way around the engine but, i have a leak which i thought was the sump..cleaned it all off and now i suspect its leaking else where.

 

excuse my description but i have no idea, when i pop the bonet. to the right of the head is a cog and a belt. where this rod thing leaves the engine, it leaks from there(pissing oil everywhere it wishes)

 

i read somewhere it's a common fault with the xud engines, and that it can be fixed with a shim? (some rover forum i think)

 

anyways maybe i got the leak in a diffrent place but anyways... on goes the quest for a dry diesel enginebay

[pugrallye 0]

On the old diesels the vacuum pump seals used to let go (nearside cam seal) causing horrendous leak, easy fix!

[CaptainK 11]

I have exactly the same problem on mine - both crankshaft seals are gone and my 205 GTi drips oil from both sides of the sump. I've been quoted about £400 as well.

 

BUT, the reason why my seals are dead is because I have low oil pressure which in turn has kippered my engine and the crank "wanders" very slightly. Thus killing the seals.

 

So I'm going for a replacement (uprated) engine.

[edthedrummer 0]

i also have a massive oil leak on my 1.8td engine. It appears to be coming from the back of the engine along the block, around the exhaust manifold. no idea what so ever.

[dirtdog 4]

400 quid is a lot of money. mine gets parked in the same place everynight and there is only a small patch on the floor, so i guess its not leaking really bad. i do think the injectors are leaking slightly though, am i right in thinking the injectors can drip overnight and then when you start it in the morning it shoots out unburnt fuel? it smokes a bit on start up.

 

 

anyways is this where everyones is leaking?

 

 

also..everyone seems to replace the 1,8 engine with the 306 1.9. has anyone retained the 1.8 and fittted an intercooler? i would like to discuss this further with someone who is intrested in doin so. thx

[edthedrummer 0]

dirtdog, thats not where mine is leaking from.

 

And i am interested in putting an ic on my 1.8, but not for a year or so until i can afford insurance. but i will definately be looking at doing so instead of swapping the engine.