Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
Rear crank oil seal
Hi all,
Not off to a good start having owned my Discovery 4 for only a week and have been plagued with problems. The chap I bought it from made a nice case of it being all up together and would have anything it requires on MOT done before handing it over to me. Day one of owning it and we had what was diagnosed as a faulty brake pedal switch (numerous scary errors). Day two we woke up to a puddle of engine oil on the driveway. It was parked on a slight downward slope and all the oil was running out the front of the under body protection plate. I unbolted and was rather unpleasantly met with a splash of accumulated oil. It seems the leak is coming from between bellhousing and engine. Would rear crank main oil seal be a good guess? What sort of work is involved in this? I am so disheartened about the whole thing, I checked it over thoroughly when viewing but didn’t feel I could get my tools out and start pulling panels to really scrutinise it. Thought it was an honest sale...
25th Jan 2020 5:22 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5044
It might be worth checking over the engine thoroughly before condemning the crank seal. If for example the oil cooler has sprung a leak it tends to pour down the back of the engine. It could also be a turbo oil line leaking amongst other possibilities. Best thing is to get it in the air and check everything.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
25th Jan 2020 5:45 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20842
I've replaced exactly 0 rear crank oil seals in 15 years
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
I have heard about the oil cooler and filter faults. The filter itself is bone dry and the oil cooler (looking from above) seems dry also, I have looked and probed down as far as I can get and still seems dry, could it be leaking from the underside which wouldn’t be visible? Both turbo drain pipes are bone dry. I cleaned the area last night spotless and in under a mile driving carefully so as to not blow the oil everywhere underneath, it was already all accumulated and dripping from those two mating faces.
25th Jan 2020 5:53 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5044
Place a long probe between the vee in front of the oil filter and see if it comes out with oil on it!yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
25th Jan 2020 6:04 pm
19sam90
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
I put a cable tie down inside the v of the engine under the filter and it came out dry, not even slightly damp...is there anything else that people think it may be worth looking at as nothing seems obvious other than oil accumulating where engine meets gearbox
26th Jan 2020 4:04 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5044
Remove the oil filter and check the housing is not cracked and the seal is correctly fitted. Make sure you refit the filter correctly.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
26th Jan 2020 4:17 pm
19sam90
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
Oil filter installed correctly, and not leaking. Top side of engine (with what is visible) is all dry
26th Jan 2020 4:41 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5044
Get in there with a lamp/mirror and check thoroughly the back of the engine to see if there's oil present. If not you'll have to get it on a lift. How much oil have you had to top up?yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
26th Jan 2020 4:50 pm
19sam90
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
So we picked the Discovery up last Friday and on the dashboard it said the oil level was at maximum, at the end of the following day it had dropped one bar. I will have one more thorough look about, but sadly think I will end up having to get it lifted
26th Jan 2020 5:06 pm
2Springers
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Surrey
Posts: 109
Really hope you don't have that fault
My 2011 D4 had the rear cam seal go just before my 7 year service - mileage was around 60k.
I had spots but not large quantities of oil dripping onto the drive.
LR have a tool to allow a fix with the body on but I only found one dealer (Harwoods Gatwick) who would do it that way and the book time I think was 7 hours. A senior tech advised that the tool can bend / snap so that's why most dealers will only do the repair with the body off.
My Harwoods quote from September 2017 was:
1. Engine
N/S/R camshaft seal leaking-will require diesel pump cam belt-should have bolt for camshaft pulley!
£729.72
I actually had the fix done with the body off and most of the cost was labour - the seal itself was only around £30. I used a place down in Sussex and would recommend them if you are okay to travel.
LR techs did tell me that the seal was redesigned around 2013 and that this was not an uncommon fault on some D4s
Finally if you have this fault it might be worth talking to LR and see if they will help with the cost. They are aware of this issue apparently.
26th Jan 2020 5:59 pm
19sam90
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
I really hope it’s not as bad as it seems. Do you think that anything could have been disturbed in the timing belt replacement? The seller said in the last fortnight he changed the front and rear belts including all bearings, idlers etc. He supplied me the old parts, so works have definitely been carried out
26th Jan 2020 6:48 pm
19sam90
Member Since: 19 Jan 2020
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 32
It is scaring me now that he managed to carry out the works with the body in place still and may have caused damage somewhere...
26th Jan 2020 6:51 pm
Disco_Mikey
Member Since: 29 May 2007
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Posts: 20842
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Surrey
Posts: 109
Yep body wouldn't have come off for belts.
They did mine body off because they were doing the cam seal at the same time.
I wouldn't panic yet - best get it up in the air and let someone have a look - my leak was pretty easily spotted - yours might not be the same issue I had as others pointed out.
I was just giving some information on what I went through with mine when it WAS the rear cam seal.
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