Oily bellhousing
Discussion
Hi guys,
Upon removing the gearbox on my 2004 Ford Focus Petrol 1.8 in order to replace the clutch , I noticed a quantity of oil drip out of the bottom engine / gearbox joint.
Upon inspection , there was no trace of oil on the clutch , flywheel or the crankshaft seal , yet the side of the engine was wet with oil , not only on the area enclosed by the gearbox , but also right up the whole side of the engine , meaning I have an oil leak somewhere above the gearbox which is running down onto the engine / gearbox joint .
My question is , could this external oil leak have found its way past the joint and into the clutch housing ?
Secondly , Haynes state that part of the seal renewal proceeded involves removing the sump.
I don't doubt that it's necessary , but I was wondering why ?
Many thanks.
Upon removing the gearbox on my 2004 Ford Focus Petrol 1.8 in order to replace the clutch , I noticed a quantity of oil drip out of the bottom engine / gearbox joint.
Upon inspection , there was no trace of oil on the clutch , flywheel or the crankshaft seal , yet the side of the engine was wet with oil , not only on the area enclosed by the gearbox , but also right up the whole side of the engine , meaning I have an oil leak somewhere above the gearbox which is running down onto the engine / gearbox joint .
My question is , could this external oil leak have found its way past the joint and into the clutch housing ?
Secondly , Haynes state that part of the seal renewal proceeded involves removing the sump.
I don't doubt that it's necessary , but I was wondering why ?
Many thanks.
If the seal is the type that is in a housing fixed to the rear of the engine by 6 or so 6/8mm bolts, there are good reasons why the sump needs removing.
The case of the housing seals against the top face of the sump. The sump comes up with a little pressure against the base of the housing.
If you change it without removing the sump it can be pushed higher than it should be because of that pressure, making it not centred around the seal and it won’t last long.
The right way to do it is to remove the sump, fit the new seal and bolt it up. Then fit the sump with a bead of sealant all the way round. The seal housing won’t move because it’s been bolted up first.
If you don’t remove the sump you’ll also struggle to get a good bead of sealant up under the base of the housing as well as struggle to fit it concentrically.
If you look at one of the many YouTube videos of this job you’ll see what I mean.
Also, if it’s this type they can leak from the seal itself, around the housing in several points, and between the housing and sump.
All those leaks could end up with oil in the bell housing without touching the clutch though they’d be unlikely to end up with oil above the bell housing.
The case of the housing seals against the top face of the sump. The sump comes up with a little pressure against the base of the housing.
If you change it without removing the sump it can be pushed higher than it should be because of that pressure, making it not centred around the seal and it won’t last long.
The right way to do it is to remove the sump, fit the new seal and bolt it up. Then fit the sump with a bead of sealant all the way round. The seal housing won’t move because it’s been bolted up first.
If you don’t remove the sump you’ll also struggle to get a good bead of sealant up under the base of the housing as well as struggle to fit it concentrically.
If you look at one of the many YouTube videos of this job you’ll see what I mean.
Also, if it’s this type they can leak from the seal itself, around the housing in several points, and between the housing and sump.
All those leaks could end up with oil in the bell housing without touching the clutch though they’d be unlikely to end up with oil above the bell housing.
Mark Hulme said:
Thanks for your reply mate !
That's what I thought , but could it get inside the bell housing ?
Yes That's what I thought , but could it get inside the bell housing ?
But very unlikely when it's under no pressure
Water spray of the road doesn't gererally get Inside that God some force behind it especially when doing 60mph following a truck
I have now resolved the issue !
On close inspection of the crankshaft seal , it was clear that no oil was leaking from it .
Everything was reassembled and the transmission has performed perfectly ever since !
All comments from all you guys made perfect sense and I sincerely thank you all for your help.
Best wishes. M. Hulme
On close inspection of the crankshaft seal , it was clear that no oil was leaking from it .
Everything was reassembled and the transmission has performed perfectly ever since !
All comments from all you guys made perfect sense and I sincerely thank you all for your help.
Best wishes. M. Hulme
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