Since buying Sammy late last year, we've always had a dribble issue. This was mostly solved when I changed the fuel pump to a low pressure one and the oil fuel mix stopped dribbling out of some orifice/s. However since then the now lovely clean oil still dribbles, albeit, at a slow rate and I can't find out from where. The engine has had some black 'sealant' liberally applied and I guess this is why ..your help, advice and humour is appreciated in advance. PS the photos were taken after the camper being sat for 3 weeks without movement.
Clean it all off, degrease it and then watch. You can get UV stuff to add to your oil and a black (?) light to see it
The pictures just show oil on low points of the engine. Unless you cleaned it off after you drove it, the leak most likely happened when you drove it. Because that is to the front of the engine most likely is the front crankshaft seal, spins off the back of the flywheel and out of the bell housing. Wind then blows it back along the bottom of the engine. It then drips off places where it collected while the bus was moving.
Looks like the oil is coming from between the crank and the gear box. 3 arrows pointing to where it has collected overnight after I cleaned it up yesterday.
It could be leaking from the crankshaft oil seal or the oil gallery core plug behind the flywheel or just leaking out of the crankcase split line but with all that sealant everywhere it’s bound to leak from somewhere – if you can see the sealant there’s too much. And the case has had some rough treatment with a chunk missing from the bottom.
Yep sealant looked proper PO bodge job. I was hoping to get a summer of enjoyment and then tackle the issue in the winter...however will leaving this oil leak cause more issues in the long term or can I continue as long as I make sure the oil level stays full? PS noticed those chunks and was looking for a picture of a case separated from the bellhousing to get an idea what it should look like because it is the same on both sides and so I was mightily confuse and worried
The leak looks like it is the crankshaft oil seal, very common and more annoying than fatal for most engines. It is one of the jobs that you typically save up for a time when the engine comes out for another reason. As for the case damage, it is more cosmetic than anything, somebody had a bad day but they were lucky, or it spent some time in a strange vehicle or powered system where they needed to clearance the case... you dont have two oil dipsticks by any chance in the engine? Like @nicktuft with his gun power pack engine..
Only one dipstick...should I be feeling like I'm missing out! Thanks for the thoughts on the case...I am still worried but less so now. I'm slowly preping for the engine out day. Gear shift rod needs new supports andaand coupling at engine end, rear oil seal as you mentioned, removing that awful sealant and looking at what I've actually bought....yeeks I must be a masochist as I'm enjoying this too much
Rule of thumb for oil leaks - if the back of your bus is covered in oil spots so are the windscreens of the cars following you. Time for action. Not suggesting wait that long, but it's rude to carry on like that.
Aha, but that's the advantage of our busses, nobody behind us as we go too slow..... Luckily it's not a fast nor big leak of oil but take your point and will have to start collecting parts.
The oil up the back is always what finally twists my arm for flywheel seal replacement, I'm as lazy as anyone. If it cheers you, my engine is dripping with oil, it's a dirty oily piece of crud, just like it should be. I've got an list of fairly major work to do, I'm waiting until there's so much it's worth me renting somewhere for a few months to plod through it all.
A couple of pics of the crankcase, flywheel side. Three core plugs that can leak and the plug that fills the hole for the camshaft when the case is together can also leak, as can the crankshaft seal of course. You can see the sections that have been broken off of your case.
It's puzzling why both sides have very similar damage..as suggested above could it have been done purposely or just heavy-handed. Who knows, it's there now and I own it Just out of curiousity and sorry for the dumb question but I presume the housing is sealed to stop dust etc entering rather than sealing anything in?
It’s not a problem if the crankcase isn’t sealed to the bellhousing but it must have taken some force to break off those bits of case, possibly causing some distortion, and if the vertical split in the case isn’t sealed properly it will leak oil even though there is no pressure. And I wouldn’t be sure all the leaks are from inside the bellhousing, with all that sealant the pushrod tubes, head studs and cylinder bases could all be leaking.
I need some advice please. My engine is now out....yippee! But the suspect oil seal looks perfectly fine. I have a spare so I'll change it anyway. However, I have at least two questions. You can see from the photo of the end that somebody has lavished lots of 'gunk' around the engine (and I mean all the way round the case, top and bottom) 1) the little cap shown looks like it was an afterthought by somebody, could this be contributing to the oil leak rather than the oil seal itself? I also the the nut and bolt just above doesn't look original! 2) the bearing shown in the picture has about 2mm play turning side to side with finger pressure (not front to back)...should it have any play at all and if not, could this be part of the oil leak problem and what is the solution....take the engine apart and look I assume? 3) final picture, now I've now joined the engine out club - do I get a certificate?
The camshaft sealing plug is normally fitted as the two case halves come together, with a smidge of sealant Looks like someone wanted to get their money's worth out of their tube of sealant. It only does any good on the mating surfaces, and then only a very thin smear
