Disco 2 Oil Leak

Intestinalworm · Jan 4, 2020

2003 Discovery 2 Td5

Had a good run with no leaks for a while (coolant and oil). Have noticed last couple of weeks though that when I park on a slope on the road outside (vehicle facing down the road: 20-30 degree decline) that there is an oil spot the next day - size of a dinner plate at the front end of the engine below the radiator and roughly in the middle between the headlights. Otherwise no significant leaks noticed. Any thoughts on likely source?

Shimsteriom · Jan 4, 2020

If you park on the flat does the oil leak appear in the same place?
Sometimes oil can move around/along components in the engine bay before dropping off making you think it might be coming from a certain location.

sierrafery · Jan 4, 2020

Check the front camshaft seal

Intestinalworm · Jan 4, 2020

Shimsteriom said:
If you park on the flat does the oil leak appear in the same place?
Sometimes oil can move around/along components in the engine bay before dropping off making you think it might be coming from a certain location.

Leaks on the flat are largely not noticed (driveway is flat). Parked on the decline always at the same spot (front of engine and middle) and noticeable - elongated dinner plate size.

Intestinalworm · Jan 4, 2020

sierrafery said:
Check the front camshaft seal

Alright then, will have to do some research on that then and add to Job List. Might tackle when I do oil change sometime in March.

sierrafery · Jan 4, 2020

Off course just if you see traces of oil around it, more space if you remove that top fan shroud though

Intestinalworm · Jan 4, 2020

sierrafery said:
Off course just if you see traces of oil around it, more space if you remove that top fan shroud though

Looks easy! Did put a new rocker cover seal and injector loom in a while ago; will check the camshaft seal soon!

iansoady · Jan 4, 2020

It is an easy job to change the front seal.

tilly2 · Jan 4, 2020

takes longer to take the cover off, than do the replacement...

Stanleysteamer · Jan 4, 2020

Piece of pistachio to do, one of the more satifying jobs on a D2 and I have yet to find one that had a more dramatic effect for so little dosh!

tilly2 · Jan 4, 2020

And make sure you do a nice clean up job, getting rid of all that cruddy oil... Smuggness will follow as you look at your nice clean engine...

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

Okay - removed acoustic/thermal cover and fan shroud to get a good look at the front camshaft oil seal. It's an EU3 engine so the EGR cooler sits in front of the seal and blocks it a little. Anyway, noticed that oil had indeed been slowly oozing out from the bottom of the seal! Interestingly, I could easily just pull the seal out with my fingers - very loose fit! I would assume that after 17 years the original plastic seal has become hardened and shrunk a little with heat/oil exposure?

Okay, just one question now - aftermarket or original seal (fairly significant price difference). Any thoughts/experiences?

I assume there is also a rear camshaft oil seal - is it worth renewing this as well at the same time?

Here's a pic of what I seen - already wiped some oil off (can't see oozing oil trail on the bottom side):

tilly2 · Jan 8, 2020

Its the O ring that loses its elasticity, and fails to seal. You can see how flat it is against the cap, almost as if its been cooked and set in that shape. Common issue with old O rings that have been exposed to oil and heat.

I stuck a Bearmach on mine off the Bay. No issues and an easy fit. Really need to do the rear one now.

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

tilly2 said:
Its the O ring that loses its elasticity, and fails to seal. You can see how flat it is against the cap, almost as if its been cooked and set in that shape. Common issue with old O rings that have been exposed to oil and heat.

I stuck a Bearmach on mine off the Bay. No issues and an easy fit. Really need to do the rear one now.

Yeah, noticed the flat o-ring; that would explain the loose fit then (similar issue to fuel cooler o-rings)!

Will go and buy an aftermarket seal online from Rimmer Brothers then. Might be worth changing the rear seal as well as I think there is oil slowly oozing out at the back of the engine as well. I assume the rear seal is also easy to replace?

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

tilly2 said:
Its the O ring that loses its elasticity, and fails to seal. You can see how flat it is against the cap, almost as if its been cooked and set in that shape. Common issue with old O rings that have been exposed to oil and heat.

I stuck a Bearmach on mine off the Bay. No issues and an easy fit. Really need to do the rear one now.

I assume that there's no point of just changing the o-ring seal?

jamesmartin · Jan 8, 2020

Intestinalworm said:
Yeah, noticed the flat o-ring; that would explain the loose fit then (similar issue to fuel cooler o-rings)!

Will go and buy an aftermarket seal online from Rimmer Brothers then. Might be worth changing the rear seal as well as I think there is oil slowly oozing out at the back of the engine as well. I assume the rear seal is also easy to replace?

just fit a new oring and use silicone sealant ,the rear seal is part of the rocker cover gasket

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

jamesmartin said:
just fit a new oring and use silicone sealant ,the rear seal is part of the rocker cover gasket

Silly-billy I am! I replaced the rocker cover gasket not that long ago - so yes, that should all be okay as far as the rear oil seal is concerned! Might just change the o-ring then on the front camshaft oil seal and save a bit of money! Does anyone know what size the o-ring is so I can just buy one off eBay?

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

jamesmartin said:
just fit a new oring and use silicone sealant ,the rear seal is part of the rocker cover gasket

Just noticed on the Rimmer Bros website -
ERR5369 - Rear Camshaft Oil Seal?

Anyway, will just focus on sorting the front seal for now - internet search shows the rear seal doesn't seem to leak(?), but as stated the leaks are more likely around the half-moon seal which is part of the rocker cover seal.

Intestinalworm · Jan 8, 2020

jamesmartin said:
just fit a new oring and use silicone sealant ,the rear seal is part of the rocker cover gasket

Okay, thinking about keeping the original (LR) plastic plug and fitting a new VITON o-ring to it then? Have done a bit of reading/research and a number of people on forums have commented that the LR seal is a tight-fit and takes some effort to press on whilst the aftermarket seal (Bearmach) pushes on easily; also mentioned Bearmach seal starts to leak within a year or so of going on. I assume the LR seal uses a VITON o-ring? Might be a small but crucial difference between LR and aftermarket as far as materials/dimenions to make the difference? Will have to look around for the correct size VITON o-ring and slip that on the current (LR) plastic plug. I note that the LR seal as per http://www.discovery2.co.uk/camshaft_seal.html costs AUD 38.10 from Rimmer Bros, whilst they sell an aftermarket one for AUD 7.50.

Okay, had a look - found a "BS330 Viton O-Ring 2.125" ID x 0.21" Thick" (that's the correct spec I believe)on ebay for AUD 16.64 delivered to Australia. With that in mind, might just try my luck with the aftermarket seal from Rimmer Bros!
.

tilly2 · Jan 8, 2020

jamesmartin said:
just fit a new o ring and use silicone sealant ,the rear seal is part of the rocker cover gasket

I was under the impression there is a separate rear seal.

Disco 2 Oil Leak

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