Series 3 Newbee - Mystery Oil Leak. Help please?

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thspeller

thspeller

Active Member
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Location
London
Hi All,

Having finalise realised my dream I have a 1974 Series 3. It left a few spots of oil on the drive but nothing I was worried about. After a decent drive, it was dripping reasonably well from (what I believe to be the fly wheel housing) on to the cross member and down onto the floor. There was also some oil on the clutch pedal which had been feeling a bit soft on the drive. I’ve added some photos. I am new to land rovers and just desperate to enjoy it - just burdened with a growing list of issues. Any help would be amazing- just keen to know how much trouble this is. Tom
 

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Welcome :)

There will always be things to fix. What you have there though is a leaking rear main seal. Many leak a spot or two from there but that does look quite oily and probably needs replacing. I believe it can be done in situe but the gearbox will need separating from the engine and sliding back to gain access. Good to do the clutch at the same time.

The oil leak on the clutch pedal will be a leaking master cylinder. This wil need replacing before it fails. Keep an eye on the clutch fluid level in the meantime.
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of old landy ownership. I believe it is possible to get them oil tight but it would be a struggle and only temporary. Their incontinent nature is one of their charms, mine is a one vehicle ecological disaster.

Col
 
Team - thank you so much. This place is like having an army of mechanics all willing to offer free advice. So, to summarise:

1. Oil is likely to be worn rear crank seal. A couple of follow up questions - (a) is this dangerous to drive in the short term? I just want to enjoy it for the rest of the summer and (b) I would need to take to a garage as I don’t have the skills yet to DIY - is this likely to be a costly engine out repair?

2. Oil on clutch pedal is likely to be spent master clutch cylinder. Again (a) is this dangerous in the short term? and (b) would replacement be an approachable beginner job? I am wondering whether you can replace without removing the clutch pedal box entirely. Also, last time I tried a job (brakes) the problem just grew as all the brake lines had seized to their nuts and then all hydraulic lines ended up needing replacing.

Thanks all for their input. For someone who has to pay a garages to do their work, you lot are invaluable at trying to accurately identify the problems.

Tom
 
thspeller said:
Team - thank you so much. This place is like having an army of mechanics all willing to offer free advice. So, to summarise:

1. Oil is likely to be worn rear crank seal. A couple of follow up questions - (a) is this dangerous to drive in the short term? I just want to enjoy it for the rest of the summer and (b) I would need to take to a garage as I don’t have the skills yet to DIY - is this likely to be a costly engine out repair?

2. Oil on clutch pedal is likely to be spent master clutch cylinder. Again (a) is this dangerous in the short term? and (b) would replacement be an approachable beginner job? I am wondering whether you can replace without removing the clutch pedal box entirely. Also, last time I tried a job (brakes) the problem just grew as all the brake lines had seized to their nuts and then all hydraulic lines ended up needing replacing.

Thanks all for their input. For someone who has to pay a garages to do their work, you lot are invaluable at trying to accurately identify the problems.

Tom
Click to expand...

Probably not very dangerous to drive in the short term, but major oil leaks will be an MOT fail, and are unsightly, wasteful and bad for tarmac.

Clutch master is easy to replace without removing the box. It is common for parts on landrovers to seize, but replacement is usually cheap, and it is a good thing to replace brake lines occasionally.
 
Working on a series landy is a great way to improve your mechanical knowledge and skills. You just need some patience, some half decent tools and a good vocabulary of swear words. Don't fret about oil leaks, just keep your eye on the dipstick, can't comment on the clutch master, I've not had to do mine yet. Good luck.

Col
 
The rear crank seal is likely to be a bit costly to have done by a garage. It's the labour cost that does it. The seal is probably less than a tenner. The engine can be pulled out to do it, might be easier. For the sake of a few more quid, as they're in there it's worth replacing the clutch. Find to drive as it, most leak s little old from there but if you're leaving a little pool after each journey then it probably needs to be looked at. Keep an eye on the clutch fluid as the reservoir is quite small, if it all leaks away without top ups they you will have no clutch.
In the meantime it's good to try and identify a proper old school garage who you can trust and charge sensible labour rates. It you suggest your location I'm sure someone on here will be able to recommend a Landy friendly place.
 
You can live with the crank seal for a while, parking facing down hill helps, just check the oil lvel regularly. If you are not using leave the oil level on min and only top it up before longer journeys. Change the clutch master cylinder ASAP, its cheap, a DIY job (but fiddly) and once they leak they can fial quite quickly and leave you stranded. (You can drive without a clutch, but trust me its hard and you risk damaging the box)
 
Ha, done both my front and rear diff seals, replaced the knackered master cylinder, got do the engine seals next. As said, the new MOTs require the vehicle to be oil tight..eek..

The gooey mess underneath might mean I also have a leaky gearbox as I had a strange problem where I couldn't select third or Fourth for a short while. Ah "selector clip things fallen out" I thought, then there was a sort of clunk when I put the clutch in & selected reverse and I could get all gears again. The oil was a bit low, I got about another litre in there, and it's done about 250 miles since without a problem.

Anyway, the only problem with fixing the leaks is it's not so well rust proofed underneath now.
 
Do the clutch master ASAP, mine was leaking a little for several months - dripping onto the pedal, then one day about 20 miles from home I got stuck in traffic and it poured out, topped up every few miles and just made it. Went from "ok to live with" to "stuffed" without warning.
Before you do the rear crank seal - see how sensitive it is to oil level, if you keep the level near the bottom of the dip stick they leak less when they are standing, if its the rear parking down hill helps too.
Check the breather as it may be blowing the oil out.
Jet wash the engine and go for a drive, I was 90% sure I had a rear crank seal gone but it was leaking from eslewhere and running down. Check the rocker cover as the oil will run down and to the rear so it all ends up looking like a rear crank leak.
 
I would recommend getting decent OEM for the crank seal these can be £30 each as for the clutch do the slave cylinder at the same time , I prefer paying a bit more for Lucas / TRV clutch parts which last longer than the Cheepos
Changing master and slave is a bit awkward but you can get a spanner on from inside that helps with MC ,

You can fit a wading plug to the bell housing handy for keeping water out and leaking oil in
This will save your drive a bit and just drain it when you want , it also confirms it’s oil leaking past rear crank seal

Welcome
 
Get some of the oil leaking from crankcase on your finger and smell it if it smells like cats Pee it is gearbox oil not engine oil.
 
Welcome! That growing list of burdensome “jobs” will eventually come to feel like an enjoyable and rewarding pastime, as you tackle each one with help from people here and armed with a Haynes manual and a cup of tea!

My first landy was daunting and the sweet running period between something going wrong is only ever temporary, but you’ll eventually replace so much and come to know your landy so well you’ll “trust” and know if she’s happy just by listening to her!

Enjoy!
 
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