Phantom Oil Leak

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Vagabondrobb

Active Member
Posts
136
Location
Galloway Forest
Hi all,

I recently replaced the water pump on my 2000 disco td5 (really fiddly and awkward job, especially in the cold and rain) after a steadily increasing coolant leak. The water pump was blocked up with 17 years of gunk..

To get to the pump I had to completely remove the housing for the rotor oil filter, undo the standard oil filter, and unscrew the turbo oil feed (to the right of the rotor filter).

Now that I’ve fitted the new pump and reconnected everything, the coolant leak has been replaced by an oil leak!

When the engine is on oil drips down (rather quickly) form somewhere in the vicinity of where I was working (see attached picture), but I simply cannot seem to locate it’s origin.

I’ve stuffed paper towels around all the obvious places (oil filters, turbo feed hose, rotor housing etc), switched engine on, but not my even slightest sign of a leak - meanwhile he oil continues to drip from underneath!

The only possible reason for the leak I can think of (not based on hard understanding but process of elimination) is that I used a replacement bolt (M8x80mm I sourced from screwfix) to secure the rotor housing back in place (it has three bolts connecting it to the engine block).

The leak SEEMS to be coming from behind the rotor housing area, but it’s impossible to tell.

Does anyone know if this is poissible, that maybe the bolts that connect the housing to the engine block could leak oil if loose or something? Or is it likely to be something else? There was no oil leak before I carried out the above work - this is the frustrating thing!! I just can’t think of anything else it might be..

Below: The oil is seeping from this gap, but only when engine I running

0C2D8B4E-E793-4ED1-AE8A-A4464E1CC5ED.jpeg

B3FE0692-F6A0-4BAA-BDDA-39D11E1BA3F3.jpeg

Above: you can see the fixing on the rotor housing I used a replacement bolt for (without bolt fixed). The leak seems to becoming from behind this area (in line with where the leak seems to originate from when viewed from underneath, in the top photo).

Any ideas? Anyone.. pleeeeease

Thanks in advance,

Robb
 

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Hi Robb
I just read your post and I have exactly the same problem after replacement of the coolant pump yesterday on a 2004 td5 hse.Did you find out what caused the leak ?
I think it may be the rotor filter housing seal needs replacing but It would be a great help to know how it was sorted for yourself.

Thanks
Adrian
 
To answer my own question the leak was from the turbo oil feed pipe ,which I removed at the rotor filter housing side to gain more access to coolant pump housing.The crush type copper washers( Land Rover Copper Seal Washer Part Number:ADU6847L) need to replaced when removed.Oil leak fixed...............Whats next????
 
Sorry mate - I have only just seen this reply! Glad you got it sorted! The problem for me wasn’t the turbo hose washer, it turned out to be a crack in the rotary filter housing! Shortly after writing this post, while waiting for a new housing (and during an extremely frosty week) it completely cracked off over night - engine oil all over the road.

What next indeed.. haha!

Since then she’s got me to Madrid, Amsterdam and Berlin, so all good.

I am starting to think of a upgrading to a D4 once have some cash..
 
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