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*FIXED* oil leak help with pictures

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:40 pm
by androoz
i just picked up my starion today.. ive noticed it leaks oil.. not just a few drops.. but also not that much.. (so far)

i have no oil catch tray, but without knowing much, this question is just a rough idea of what i might be expecting.. i know the oil leak is not from the oil filter nor is it from that plug that you undo to empty out the engine oil.. its coming from a bit farer in towards the gearbox really..

have u guys got any suggestions as to what could possibly be causing this?

also does anyone have a oil catch tray to sell me? i live in melbourne.. will post in the sale section also..

thanks.

EDIT:

ok i have taken some pics of where the leak is coming from.. it looks like its coming from the back of the engine like cookie said.. here are the pictures.. any help on how to go about this will much be appreciated guys..

Image

Image

im not really familiar with how to go about these kinds of things, and i will take it to my mechanic asap. im just asking on here to get a good idea of whats going on and a rough estimate idea of how big the problem is..

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:44 pm
by Cookiemonster
Possible the rear oil seal in cylinder head. This is a common place for oil leaks.

Check rear if engine and top of gearbox for signs of oil.

And the tray you refer to is generally known as an undertray. I don't think it was initially designed to catch oil. :D

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:52 pm
by C Fernance
Give the engine a really good clean with some degreaser. Afterwards let it run for a while and you should be able to see where the fresh oil is coming from.

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:56 pm
by androoz
ok then ill try to have a closer look at it.. also another thing.. does the undertray from the JA suit the JB? my uncle has one on his JA wreck at home..

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2004 11:57 pm
by Cookiemonster
androoz wrote:ok then ill try to have a closer look at it.. also another thing.. does the undertray from the JA suit the JB? my uncle has one on his JA wreck at home..
Yep.

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 12:02 am
by androoz
and another thing cookie, are the rear oil seals expensive to replace? and should i be worried about a damaged head gasket?

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 1:41 am
by Cookiemonster
A bit of gasket sealant should fix the rear seal in the cylinder head IF that is the problem.

Diagnose the problem first before you attempt to fix it.

A bad headgasket would show more symptons than just an oil leak.

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 7:33 pm
by androoz
i have the pictures up, and have edited the first post.. please let me know if you can help.. thanks

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 7:35 pm
by Cookiemonster
yeah looks like cylinder head rear oil seal.

Is there oil on the back of the cylinder head above the gearbox?

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 7:43 pm
by androoz
no cookie.. doesnt look like theres any oil directly behind the engine, nor is there any oil on top of the gearbox/gearbox cover?

is this cheap to get sealed up?

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 7:45 pm
by Cookiemonster
It's not the rear cylinder head seal then.

Sure it's not gearbox oil?

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 7:48 pm
by androoz
it looks like engine oil.. i cant tell! :?

uh oh.. it might be gearbox oil.. does that mean my box is gone?

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:33 pm
by scum
looks like rear crank seal, most bell housings have that much clutch dust in them if that was box oil it would come out black with little chunky bits in it.

my 2 cents - rear crank seal.

what would you need to change that? 1x long wood screw, 1x pliers, 1x 12mm / 14mm / 17mm socket / spanner

anything else?

the seal itself would cost $2.00 - $10.00, this is why I just cant justify a mechanic to fix these sorts of things. that will be a $200+ job me thinks.

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:39 pm
by Cookiemonster
Yeah, crank seal is the only thing it could be if it is engine oil.

Requires gearbox removal to fix it.

Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2004 10:47 pm
by androoz
so thats y scum reckons it would cost 200 to fix? because we have to remove the gearbox?

its going to a mechanic tomorrow, but just wondering could it be my gearbox?