Next time you do an oil change, measure the new oil that goes in and check where you are on your dipstick mark, try and use this location as a reference point. Might even be worth checking how good / level your place for checking and changing really is, my garage is level as you can get however, as mentioned above ^^^ the lowering and change of rake on mine should be noted and I hadn’t ever considered that bit Might even be worth checking by driving the front wheels on to a couple of chunks of 4x2 then re checking after you are sure you’ve got it right, then get those 4x2 s under your back wheels and having a check, just so that you know in future that if you’re checking in a field as to how much difference to expect I’m liking this train of thought Ozziedog ,,,,,,,,,every day is a school day
I think it a weep from the crankshaft seal. Not enough to cause a ‘mist’, when it drops. Runs like a dream, though. Job for later.
Ok. Havnt driven the van for a few days. Oil level is back up on the top mark. But I still have a few drips. Oil dosnt smell of petrol. I don’t quite understand...Seems to be dripping from here...just between the bell house and engine...
It's inaccurate to dip the oil while or after the engine has run. If that was correct the destructions would say to dip while running at particular revs. Looks like you have some sort of flywheel seal leak. Most vans do in my experience unless they recently had a new seal and o-ring...it's just a matter of time. I just did mine after happily leaking oil for 10,000 miles and only then because I eas part way dissembled for something else.
How long they last is directly proportional to the condition of the flywheel sealing surface. My last one was leaking very soon after fitting because the flywheel was pretty bad. I replaced the flywheel too this time because I knew that from changing it the previous time. At that time I didn't have a spare flywheel handy so it had to wait.
Interesting to know. Yes, I suppose a rough flywheel could be scrubbing the seal surface. I know that I fitted it correctly, back then. Can they deteriorate over time, with no use? As the van has been sat since 2017. I have started it a few times inbetween, but not very often, as the van got pushed to one side, for other projects.
Yes, they wear a groove into the flywheel and so when you fit them correctly you can't fail to line them up with the pesky groove. There are options to fit a slightly different seal on a type-4 engine so the lip avoids the groove by 2mm but for type-1 I don't know.
Ok. Starting to confuse me further. Havnt driven it for two days. Oil back up to top line on dip stick. Found a spot of oil under the van, traced it upwards to bell housing and engine. Think it’s gearbox oil? Got under the van on a even surface, and undid the gearbox fill hole. Oil trickled our, so at right level. So where is the oil coming from? No petrol smell in it? What’s going on? Too much gearbox oil?
At least it’s not leaking loads, I suppose, as it’s back up to the first top level of the dipstick... But it should be lower, if it’s leaking...?
It only leaks when you're driving. Some oil later drips out of the bell housing while you're parked. If you left it parked long enough it would stop. You're right, unless the bottom of your engine is covered in oil which has also sprayed up the rear of the bus it won't be leaking much.
What you will find when you pull the engine and take off the flywheel ( recommend the Torque Meister and a flywheel lock to convert a hard job into an easy one) is that there will be a trail of oil coming down the back of the engine. The oil may also be greyer if it is a slow leak it may be picking up a little case metal from all the times you sit with your foot on the clutch at traffic lights and the thrust surface wears away inside the engine just beside the oil seal. So the oil there might be a little richer in metal than elsewhere. Or it could be water or dirt, or ground up bits of the seal where its worn. You might see glitter on a bit of kitchen towel if you wiped it on the oil and left it. Not necessarily a lot to worry about. Just idle in neutral at traffic lights and mentally slap yourself on the hand for putting your foot on the clutch for more than a few seconds at a time.
