Crank seal oil leak after engine rebuild : (

I have just put my freshly rebuilt 300TDI engine back in, and have oil coming from the bellhousing inspection/timing hole.

I totally rebuilt the motor, all new gaskets etc including the rear seal, which seemed to go in fine, gasket behind it etc, no worries............except now there is a leak.

Has anyone ever had a similar problem with these seals, do they need to bed in? I am so depressed now after all that work. Any help much appreciated.

Thanks guys.

no they dont need to bed in there is movement in the bolt holes so adjusting to ensure its equal all around helps ,seal lip is fragile so careful fitting ie not using screw driver to prise lip over crank boss ,ive had some aliminunm housings warp in the past so only use oe or genuine

jamesmartin said:

no they dont need to bed in there is movement in the bolt holes so adjusting to ensure its equal all around helps ,seal lip is fragile so careful fitting ie not using screw driver to prise lip over crank boss ,ive had some aliminunm housings warp in the past so only use oe or genuine

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Thanks for the swift reply JM. It went on tight, but I didnt pry it, just a smear of silicone grease to help it over the shoulder. Bolts all went in ok, it all seemed central. I dont know if it was genuine or not. Just got it from an independent Landy place.

It didnt leak straight off. I took it for one test drive and warmed it up and it was ok. Its been sat for about 3-4 weeks, while I've been doing other work, and now after another test drive and getting it upto temp and working it a bit, it leaks...........what are my options mate?

Just to update, I gave the Disco to a garage I know and trust, to remove the g/box and do the seal. I don't have the means to take out the g/box on the drive at home (the engine was difficult enough).

On inspection, the garage said that the seal was ok, and that the gasket behind was leaking.........I bought a genuine LR seal and gasket to go back, but an independent LR garage (not the garage I'm using) still recommended a smear of sealant as well. The garage also dropped the sump and did the 'T' seals.......put it all back and still a leak, this time around the bellhousing/end of sump.

It is possible that the garage maybe didnt allow enough time for the sealant to set before filling with oil and running it...........in a way I hope so, so it rules out any mechanical issues. I know that all of the mating faces are good and were well cleaned when I did the engine, but I don't like the fact that the sump just goes up face -face with only a small surface area for the sealant.

Can anyone tell me what is the BEST sealant on the market for the sump, or any other tricks that I am maybe missing here.

Cheers.

I have the same but with 200tdi conversion. Put a can of oil leak seal in. Lot better now the engine etc has bedded in. Just couple of drips after longer drive.

chunkymunky said:

I have the same but with 200tdi conversion. Put a can of oil leak seal in. Lot better now the engine etc has bedded in. Just couple of drips after longer drive.

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The only reason I havent considered using leak seal, is that all of the gaskets and 'O' rings are new. I thought leak stop just 'plumped up' old seals. Plus after a full engine rebuild, I wanted it done right, after all the time and effort..........But, if push comes to shove, I will drop a can in if it leaks in future. I just want to know why its leaking, and what the best sump sealant is.

Have heard of people adding the squeezable gasket sealand round it after putting it in.

shouldnt leak id done well t seals in maain bearing are often best left out and silicone used instead .non acid types of rtv silicone are best

I put a sump back on a 300 Tdi and used a bead of black silicone all around . I had asked the LR dealer if there was any special sealant aand was advised that any rtv sealant would do .
I then left it for 24 hrs as advised on instructions . Never leaked since .
You may be correct in saying that this was what happened in the garage - I know a lot of people who use these and expect them to be ready to go in an hour or so .
I have had trouble in the past caused by not leaving the sealer long enough to cure - you live and you learn .
Would be slow to use additives etc as you have all new seals - and some additives can lead to tother problems .

Ok, this is doing my head in.

The garage has done the rear seal.........genuine LR part and gasket, sealant used. 'T' seals done and sealant used. Sump put back with sealant, and all was good at first, but started to leak after a few miles and a bit of running around.

There are couple of tiny weeps from the sump, which I am not worried about, which can be dealt with easy enough, but there is still some oil coming from the bellhousing inspection hole. The garage are confident that the seal went together fine, and after the initial troubles they had, they are sure that they did a thorough job, which I believe after a conversation with them. They said that they would do it again if necessary and stand by their work..........they just think that the leak may be coming from elsewhere.

Is there any way in which oil could find its way into the bellhousing, other than via the crankseal?

Any help appreciated. Thanks

definatley running out of bell housing or between block and housing

Similar for me. Runs from bottom of bell housing where it meets crank casing on mine. I haven't redone the seal yet mind.

Choppertrash said:

Ok, this is doing my head in.

The garage has done the rear seal.........genuine LR part and gasket, sealant used. 'T' seals done and sealant used. Sump put back with sealant, and all was good at first, but started to leak after a few miles and a bit of running around.

There are couple of tiny weeps from the sump, which I am not worried about, which can be dealt with easy enough, but there is still some oil coming from the bellhousing inspection hole. The garage are confident that the seal went together fine, and after the initial troubles they had, they are sure that they did a thorough job, which I believe after a conversation with them. They said that they would do it again if necessary and stand by their work..........they just think that the leak may be coming from elsewhere.

Is there any way in which oil could find its way into the bellhousing, other than via the crankseal?

Any help appreciated. Thanks

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Out of interest how much did that cost you?

There is a tiny leak from the sump joint which is clearly visible, and I get a slight drip from the bellhousing inspection/flywheel timing hole.

The job cost £390, which was to remove/refit g/box to do crankseal, and remove the sump and do the T seals, refit. Garage charges £50 hr (+ VAT)

Ouch. Was thinking of having disco transfer put on same time

JM, can you tell if the oil can pass the main bearing faces where it meets the block. I gave the garage new T seals, and they said they sealed them in with sealant, and are confident its ok, but if the crankseal is ok, then this must be the only oil path left? is that right?

sealing main bearing was allways an issue ,hence 200 tdi gasket and 300 seal with housing and gasket ,t seals tend to break easy when fitting so i use silicone ,care does need taking with sump too ,there is a plug in oil way just below cam housing that could leak down the back of flywheel housing and also cam gallery core plug

jamesmartin said:

sealing main bearing was allways an issue ,hence 200 tdi gasket and 300 seal with housing and gasket ,t seals tend to break easy when fitting so i use silicone ,care does need taking with sump too ,there is a plug in oil way just below cam housing that could leak down the back of flywheel housing and also cam gallery core plug

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Thanks JM. Ok, so is it best to use a 200tdi gasket with the 300tdi seal then? Also, if I have this done again, will it be ok to use the new seal again that has just been fitted, or should I buy another one? Cheers James.

no that was an example of how lr had tried to cure leaks there,use 300 gasket, dowty seals should be replaced ,they need careful centralising as holes for bolts are bigger than normal ,ive even had housings warp like heads not visible but measurable with straight edge

jamesmartin said:

no that was an example of how lr had tried to cure leaks there,use 300 gasket, dowty seals should be replaced ,they need careful centralising as holes for bolts are bigger than normal ,ive even had housings warp like heads not visible but measurable with straight edge

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Ok thanks mate.........where are the dowty seals?