Rear main seal gone???

[wagoon 2,429]

 

Im guessing my wagon has decided to let a rear main seal go. It has been using about 1 litre of oil per 5000kms for the last 3 services (5k services) but got home tonight and noticed a trail of oil on the driveway had a look underneath and found the above. There is oil dripping from the rear of the sump, the steering arm the bell housing, gearbox crossmember and the front seat support rail under the car lets just say its everywhere. So am I right in thinking that would be a rear main seal? Cant see any oil film above the sump and the oil film is only halfway up the gearbox.

 

Has anyone had this happen and still drove their car without ceasing their engine if you continued to top up the oil? I'm worried that even if I keep the oil up to the engine(leak looks bad but it's not like it's dropping a litre of oil.....yet) the seal might completely let go and drop all the oil out at once and I will cease the engine as I drive a lot of highway and won't be able to stop the engine fast enough. I ask this stupid question because I do have a spare engine to put in the car but the clutch in my wagon is nearly gone so I thought I would change the clutch while I had the engine out. But this will require time to get the flywheel machined and then I will need to gather parts like clutch and gaskets etc for the engine swap. Even if I don't do the clutch right now I still need to drive my car 33km's one way to get to work, so I would be driving it for probably week and a half before I had the chance to do the engine swap anyway.

 

Just had a thought, could it be the sump gasket instead of the rear main? Bit hard to get under tonight to have a look but it is definitely coming from the rear of the engine and there was no oil smoke on the exhaust

 

 

I have posted this in my crappy wagon build thread but thought it would get seen more in here. Mods please let me know if I need to remove one of them as I will remove the one in my build thread.

 

[SLO247 1,713]

Doesn't sound like it but make sure its not the oil pressure switch. They go suddenly.

 

If you can deal with the mess I'd say it'll be fine to drive.

 

My old XH pressure switch died about 25kms from a mates place. We had a loaded car trailer on the back. We still drove it back, then returned the trailer and I drove it home before fixing it. It used about 5L for the 10km drive home and tapping away loudly the whole way.

 

Once I filled it and fixed it it wasn't the same but it still ran and drove fine. Just had lower oil pressure haha.

 

If you plan to change the motor, smash some stop leak and thick oil in and drive it.

[wagoon 2,429]

I did wonder about the oil pressure switch but didnt think they went bad like that, although with most of the oil being on the passenger side it makes sense. If that's all it is then I have spares of them and I will just replace it. I don't really have the cash to spend on the engine change now so if I can get away with a cheap fix I will definitely go that way. Might grab a spare one and change it in my lunch break at work and see if that helps. 

Thanks SLO

[slydog 7,873]

Almost looks like my shed floor except mine has trans fluid too LOL. But I would check the sump bolts first as they have a habit of backing out. If any are loose just get your bolt and grab em with a pair of vice grips enough to leave a mark on em then when you wind em back in the burred up thread hols in the block better.

[wagoon 2,429]

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!

Changed the oil pressure switch before I left for work this morning, pulled over and checked twice on the way to work as well as at work and no oil leak. Well no major oil leak anyway, just the usual stuff. Thank you SLO. I honestly didnt think the oil switch let go like that, ah well just one more thing to put on the learned from ozfalcon list although its becoming more of a manual than a list.

 

Sly I like that idea with the sump bolts as I know my sump gasket had been weeping ever since I bought the car. So I will get under the car on the weekend and check for loose bolts and try that. Although I will probably start with pliers first as if I use vice grips Im likely to flatten the thread completely.

[SLO247 1,713]

Love a happy ending.

[Mr Polson 10,214]

Your lucky, sounds like the pressure switch didn't fully let go.

I was driving a XF back that I picked up for parts, got it off my old man who'd had it for years and not looked after it, gave it an oil change before I left for the 300km trip.

 

Around 125km in the oil light came on. Dad had told me this happens sometimes and just put it in N then back into D so I done that and it was fine for a little bit, then it done it again but didn't go off.

 

So I quickly put it in neutral and turned it off coasting to the side of the road where I checked the dipstick and there was no oil left in the sump.

[gerg 10,871]

I would check the sump bolts first as they have a habit of backing out. If any are loose just get your bolt and grab em with a pair of vice grips enough to leave a mark on em then when you wind em back in the burred up thread hols in the block better.

 

My clevo does that, really annoying too. After 50,000 km, I've had to tighten them about 4 times now. Must be a vibration thing in the block. Happens worse down one side compared to the other.

[slydog 7,873]

My clevo does that, really annoying too. After 50,000 km, I've had to tighten them about 4 times now. Must be a vibration thing in the block. Happens worse down one side compared to the other.

 

Yeah when I ran bolts old Gaz told me the bolt grabbing trick with the vice grips. Only got to mark em not flatten em off and they just hold better then. Of course I used a Windsor stud kit when I rebuilt if properly though.  

[wagoon 2,429]

Ok so when I changed over the oil pressure switch the warning light on the dash glowed constantly. I cleaned the oil off the connector which did not help. I did notice that there looked to be a rust preventitive coating on the blade of the connector which I have just removed with a file and still the light glows.

The leaking switch was a very low profile switch. The replacement switch is the cylinder type sitting on a long tube away from the block. The replacement switch worked fine in my xe sedan with literally the only difference between the 2 engines being wagon is 200ci and sedan is 250ci.

So what have I missed to stop the oil light staying constantly on?

[gerg 10,871]

Are you sure the replacement one isn't a gauge sender? By your description it sounds like one.

[ando76 4,354]

What he said^^^.

 

the s pac (oil pressure) gauge runs a VDO sensor. It is a round cylinder, about 1"1/2 in diameter and protrudes a long way from the block. It has like a riveted fitting for the wire.

 

The 'low profile' switch you are referring to is the oil light style and frankly they are useless. Well they will alert you to the fact that you have just toasted your bearings. That's about it. A good replacement for that style when not running the gauge is a 30psi Hobbs switch. At least that way you have half a chance of saving your engine.

[ando76 4,354]

Of course pictures would help. We all love pictures

[wagoon 2,429]

DOH!!!  Spot on Greg, as I read the first few words I said to myself "good on ya of course that's what it is". Yeah Ando your description of the vdo sensor is spot on, that's the replacement one I put on.

 

Guess it's not worth wasting my time and money with getting another pressure switch then. Might just chuck a bung in the the hole and zip tie the connector in the harness up out the way.

 

Thank you once again for pointing out my complete lack of knowledge

[gerg 10,871]

It all clicked when you said "cylinder". I've seen many different makes of engine but the oil light switch always looks the same on all of them, like a little hat. Anything that looked like a can was generally a gauge sender.

[deankxf 20,314]

DOH!!!  Spot on Greg, as I read the first few words I said to myself "good on ya of course that's what it is". Yeah Ando your description of the vdo sensor is spot on, that's the replacement one I put on.

 

Guess it's not worth wasting my time and money with getting another pressure switch then. Might just chuck a bung in the the hole and zip tie the connector in the harness up out the way.

 

Thank you once again for pointing out my complete lack of knowledge

good opportunity to fit an S pack cluster perhaps..

[Mr Polson 10,214]

A new pressure switch is cheap, they're no more than $20 from memory?

The senders are pricier.

[ando76 4,354]

Pm me your address again cuz. I have a pile of senders here.

[wagoon 2,429]

good opportunity to fit an S pack cluster perhaps..

With the so called rust repairs performed by the person that painted the car I will be lucky to get another 4-5 years out of the chassis before it literally falls apart. The dirt back roads in my area are a smoother drive than the bitumn backroads.

The engine still chews oil so I am regularly checking it and I do care for the running gear pretty well so if the standard pressure switch isnt much chop I wont bother with another one.