Leaking fluid

I did have some trouble with leaking fluid after having my clutch renewed at the end of May, but it stopped after almost a week and everything was fine. The levels were correct according to the mechanic at the garage.

I noticed a few days ago that there was fluid leaking again and this time it is worse than last time. Probably just fast drips that pool on the under tray and then run onto the road.

The fluid is clean (like new), which makes me think it is either gearbox oil or clutch fluid. (Is it the same stuff?)
I have checked the clutch master cylinder and the level is fine. But it was also fine when my clutch went and allegedly, the slave cylinder had lost all of its fluid.

About 3 days prior to noticing the clean fluid under my car, I did top up the engine oil. I was very careful and am 100% sure I spilt none.

Is it possible if I put more oil in than I should have done that it could find some way out, like an overflow?

I doubt that is possible and I would also expect the fluid to be brown / black if from the engine, even though I had recently topped it up with new oil.

It goes back into the garage on Thursday originally for an MOT but now also to check this fluid leak. I have not dared use the car since finding the leak.



dog-man

Hi , is it a td4 , if so it could be DIESEL , smell it , H P fuel pump , leaks down the drivers side of the lower sump from the pulleys !

I have smelled it and it is not diesel.

IT is a TD4.

Definitely some sort of oil.

I slid a large piece of cardboard under the car to be able to see how much was coming out more easily. I poured some test spots of engine oil and clutch fluid to compare. I did sniff them but not detect any difference between engine oil and clutch fluid smell wise.

I also rubbed it between my fingers trying to feel if one was thicker than the other but came to no obvious conclusion.

On your finger rub test. Oil will be more slippery than brake fluid. Compare the two with clean fluids from known bottles to see what I mean. Oil and brake fluid are very different to the touch.

I did compare them using oil and fluid from known bottles.

I found it difficult to find a difference between smell and feel, but if there was any difference, I might have detected that the leaking fluid is ever so slightly thicker than clutch fluid, so that makes me think it is engine oil.

If it is engine oil, how could that be possible when I know for sure that I did not spill any when topping up the engine.

so I ask again, is there any way that engine oil could leak out if I had overfilled, which I don't believe I did but I am grasping at straws here.

Whatever it is, it is clean as if straight out of the original container.

Surely engine oil would not be so clean, even if I have recently topped it up.



dog-man

Where is the leak showing on the under tray ? This was mine .......DIESEL

I know the smell and taste of diesel, so I cannot believe that I would not recognise it from any other fluid.

Whatever is leaking from my car is oil based.

Just in case, I shall have another smell tomorrow, but I do know the smell of diesel.

When in the army I syphoned many gallons out of tanks and often got a mouth full doing it, so the taste and smell of diesel is ingrained in me.





dog-man

its on the OS whats the power steering fluid level like

dog-man said:

I know the smell and taste of diesel, so I cannot believe that I would not recognise it from any other fluid.

Whatever is leaking from my car is oil based.

Just in case, I shall have another smell tomorrow, but I do know the smell of diesel.

When in the army I syphoned many gallons out of tanks and often got a mouth full doing it, so the taste and smell of diesel is ingrained in me.

dog-man

Click to expand...

how about putting water on it.
if its oil, it should give off a rainbow as the oil wont mix with water.
if its brake / clutch fluid, i doubt it would do that because it attracts water.

possibly worth experimenting

Can you see where it is leaking from?
If its dripping off the bottom of the bell housing then the most common reason for this after a clutch change is due to the seal on the slave cylinder output shaft guide tube getting damaged during the clutch and slave change.
This allows gearbox oil to seep past the gearbox output shaft and drip from the bottom of the bell housing.

I can't see where it is coming from without taking off the under tray.
Don't have the time because of work.

I did slide under the drivers door area and tried to see what was happening but saw nothing obvious.


I will try the water test and I shall have another sniff just in case it is diesel.
I suppose because I didn't even consider diesel, I could have missed the obvious smell.

I agree with MJRimmer on this one
I have just had my clutch, flywheel etc done.
Went to fill up with diesel and called back to the garage for a fuse I had forgot.
Left the engine running and oil was dripping out underneath.
Gearbox out again and new guide tube fitted.
Part about £13 from Landrover.
Its a common problem when clutch is changed.
I thinks its Valeo, who do a bulletin sheet on this.

Strange though, that immediately after the clutch was done, I had a leak.
It went back a couple of times to be checked but they found no sign of any leak and the leak did seem to stop.

Now after a few weeks or so, it starts again and the leak is worse than originally.
I would have thought if it was leaking, it would continue to leak, so why could it have stopped?

I just had another sniff and a feel of it and it is definitely not diesel.
It feels slippery when rubbing it between fingers and thumb so it has to be gearbox oil.

Luckily, I only have to drive it about 650 metres or so to the garage on Thursday.

They won't be very happy if it means the gearbox has to come off again because of the time it takes.

I shall take a print out of the suggestion from here that it is the guide tube that needs looking at.

Is the seal this one referred to on this link.

When viewing, search for TD4 on that page.

http://www.valeoservice.com/html/un...calinfodetail.php?wid=1454179621480CCE8585BCA




dog-man

Yep that's the one.
There's 2 seals an o ring that the base of the guide tube seals against.....this one is normally ok. part#TYX100560L
The 2nd seal is in the guide tube creating a seal against the Gearbox input shaft and this is the one that normally gets damaged. You have to buy a complete guide tube assembly as it comes with the seal pressed in. Part# UTL1000B0L

OK, Thanks.

I am printing out some of these posts and the valeo bulletin to show them when I take it in tomorrow morning.

I do find it strange though that it was leaking, then stopped and then started again after a few weeks and this time it was more than a few drips.

I don't see the mot taking place tomorrow as was originally planned, but I have another month before it expires.

Mine tended to leak a lot more when I had been out in the hippo and the oil was warmer.
I suppose now we have been having warmer weather this could thin the oil slightly enabling it to pass the seal?
You never know it may turn out to be something else with a simple cure

The car was not being used for the past 5 days or so and still the oil came out.

It has been pretty warm here, so that may account for it.

dog-man said:

The car was not being used for the past 5 days or so and still the oil came out.

It has been pretty warm here, so that may account for it.

Click to expand...

That is a bit odd.
They may have just over filled it.
Mine did not leak with the engine off.
Can`t remember if the level is above the seal.
The other place where they can leak is at the O ring where the IRD joins the Gearbox.

When they last checked it they said the gearbox oil level was just below the filler hole.

Its only been dripping today. Today was a much cooler day. I wonder if that is significant?