TD5 bell housing + timely reminder

on the underside of the housing is what i would describe as a circular blanking plate. it is secured with three nuts.
what is this for, does it have a seal and if so at what service is it replaced, if at all ?

mine, as well as the sump plug, have started to seep oil.
not a great deal but enough for, over a period of weeks, to collect on the cross member beneath them.
this eventually forms drops, and then the obvious landrover signature mark on the driveway is left.

it is having a service next month (not a dealer ) so hopefully all will be well.

whilst under there i made sure my aircon drains were clear. dont get caught out this summer with wet carpets.

The plate is there for access to get to the torque convertor bolts, if you have oil leaking out of it then the likely place is the rocker cover gasket, oil leaks out the back, soaks into the foam of the rear engine cover then drips onto/into the bellhousing

thanks for the prompt reply clutchdust.

i have wiped all the bell housing clean with a view to keeping a close eye on it.

is this common and what is your suggestion ?

Hi I have got the same oil leak I found that my rocker cover was leaking so I changed that with a genuine gasket hoping that I cured the leak from the bell housing but 2-3 months later it is still leaking.I have used a parafin sprayer in the bell housing to clean any oil traces away and the leak is still there, so all it can be is the rear main oil seal but you need to replace the sump gasket and the rear main seal at the same time but I have not had chance to get around to doing it yet,so it will have to continue to stop rust forming on the underside is the disco for a bit longer.

Scotty

all souds a bit technical and costly scotty.
how long has yours been like it and has it got worse ?

The leak has not got any worse or any better.So if you can put up with it then I would leave it.But I want to do mine so I can get the sump off and put some thread lock on the oil pump bolt before it comes loose as it could do if it has not being done at the factory as some did'nt.

Scotty

yes it is a common fault, land rover say to remove the rear engine cover and throw it away, cos what happens is, the oil soaks into the foam and continues to drip into the bellhousing long after the leak has been fixed, removing it wont do any harm and noise levels are not increased, its held on by 2 8mm bolts in rubber grommets, the bolts are fiddly as hell to get to so just prise the cover off the grommets and leave the bolts in the head.

There are 2 different types of rocker cover gasket for the Td5, make sure you get the right one, also before fitting, you should apply some sealant around the back of the head where the "half moon" part fits, if you don't, it will leak.

by the rear engine cover, am i correct in thinking you mean, what i would call, the soundproofing on the rear bulk head beneath the windscreen ?