Please visit the Club's websitehttps://www.dloc.org.uk/ to join. Visit https://www.dloc.org.uk/adhoc to DONATE towards the cost of the forum.
Please don't post someone's email address to avoid it being harvested by spambots and it's against GDPR regulations.
Always look at "ACTIVE TOPICS" to see all posts in date & time order as they are sometimes moved; or look at "Your Posts".
Please add Reg. nrs. when posting a photo or anything about a car as this will help searches. Don't add punctuation next to nr. as this negates search. CHANGED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS since registering?, click your username and check your address in User Control Panel, Profile, Account Settings.
If you want help to register, use "contact us" at page bottom for help.
so finally buttoned Doris up today and drove her about 3 miles to find that I still have an oil leak from the flywheel area
The seal went in without a hitch and when I filled the flywheel there wasn’t any oil leak (there would have been before, it leaked all the time0 the oil is dripping from the same hole at the bottom of the bell housing although not quite as badly (I don’t think). Where else could it come from or is it still the same seals leaking? I’m at a bit of a loss now
This is why other people recommended to remove the bell housing (after removing gearbox), then remove the driving member from the flywheel, and inspect/renew the gasket between driving member and flywheel, and also remove the driven member and inspect the shaft.
If you ever do go that far, if it were me, I'd also remove the flywheel and inspect the crankshaft seal.
In other words, it could be leaking from the gasket between driving member and flywheel, or from the crankshaft seal, or from the seal you replaced (because it's better to inspect the shaft on a bench to be certain of a tight and rounded fit) .
Alternatively, it might just be the seal(s) at the filler plug(s).
Thanks Brian, it’s defiantly the Flywheel leaking oil as it’s the only level that goes down, I’ll check the filler plus at the weekend and have another good look Aaron’s, the old seal looked ok with no real marks or damage and the new one went in easily so I’m sure we did that ok (it’s easy to get at). Might have to take the box out again as you say and look further. Now I know how it comes out it’s not too bad a job.
Easiest place to start is to remove each filler plug one at a time and take a close look at the seal, maybe try some plumbers tape round the thread near the "bolt" end.
But otherwise, yes remove the gearbox again, then the bell-housing, then the driven member. I'd bet it's a problem with the effectiveness of the seal, from what I remember of doing it 30 years ago, it was a very tight fit, IIRC I put the driven member back into the driving member after fitting the seal.
I could well be the rear crankshaft - there is no seal as such. Mine leaks like billyo. It's a screw machined into the crankshaft that throws the oil back. Works fine while running. Leaks when stationary.
There is a crankshaft cover plate that has a clearance fit around the crankshaft. if this is poorly fitted and so interfering with the crank, it wears and leaks even more.
End plate is items 35/36 below. The extract is from Newnes Engine Overhauling - both on DB18.org
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)
I remember looking at all that when overhauling the replacement engine before I coupled it all back together and then refitted engine/gearbox complete.
But that was around 35 years ago and I don't remember much of the detail any longer e.g. whether you might have to remove the sump (as well as flywheel) to get to it all properly. I'm fairly sure that the crankshaft would not need to come out, but I wouldn't bet my house on that.
Thanks all, I had a look under her today and no more oil has leaked out, it’s definitely the flywheel as it the level that goes down, engine and gearbox are spot on the levels.
I’ve been a bit busy of late so haven’t looked properly, I’ll try and find time next week to check more thoroughly.
The gearbox and engine are fairly dry, it’s the amount that drips out of the bottom of the bell housing that points to the flywheel, when I check the level it’s always lower than when I topped it up,
When i first got my Consort from my grandfather in May 1975 , as well as it having a cracked engine block, the fluid flywheel also leaked. I drove it like that for about a year before taking out the engine/gearbox complete.
But during that first year of driving it, what I did about the oil leaking from the flywheel, was to strap a small tin under the bell housing to catch the oil (and I used to then remove the tin, at least twice a week, pour it through a sieve, and put it back into the flywheel). I'm not suggesting that you do the same entirely, but it might be worth something similar to catch the oil and compare the amount coming out with the amount you're putting back in.
The easiest thing to initially check is the filler plugs, be very sure that the leak is not coming from there.
When you're certain that it's not the filler plugs , then you'll have to remove the gearbox again, then remove the bell housing, then remove the driving member from the flywheel, and, I'd even suggest that you remove the flywheel as well. Then check the flywheel, the driving member, and the driven member, on the bench.
Other than that, a good idea would be some contraption that captures the oil with an easy method to retrieve it (without having to crawl under the car twice a week - as I did as a teenager LOL)
