Clementine's Garage
Clementine the Cat
 
Image of flower
Yellow R4
 
Réparateur d'automobiles

Oil leak

Foofighters 27

Enthusiast
Messages
112
Hi has anybody got any photos of the sump taken off ,I've oil coming out of the hole ,where you can see the fly wheel but I'm unable to figure out where the oil is coming from ??
Many thanks mark
 
Hi there, on most engines oil leaking from the flywheel area points to a crankshaft seal failure. Bit of a pain to fix if that's what it is I have to say. Regards Brian.
 
The oil could be from the camshaft seal or the crankshaft seal. To get to either the gearbox would need to be separated from the engine but the sump doesn't need to be removed. If it is the sump seal then you can look at the area by removing the thin metal plate behind the lower part of the gearbox. Is the leak bad enough to need fixing?

This is the best photo I have of the area:

bottom-end-large.jpg
 
I would go along with the crankshaft seal. Mine leaked like mad, but I replaced the camshaft one at the same time. It's not too big a job if you have a garage. I found that getting the gearbox spline back into the clutch an absolute nightmare. I seemed to struggle for hours on my own trying to get the spline in. The way I managed it eventually was to leave the clutch plate slightly loose on the flywheel and then tighten the nuts up fully once all was back in place by using the hole for the water pump/alternator pulley before I put it back on, which took only a matter of minutes. Just a matter of turning the flywheel to bring the nuts up to the hole where they are easily accessible. It's one of those rewarding jobs, a tiny part, but you do get a good sense of accomplishment when you have succeeded, and you also get a greater understanding of the front end mechanics, gearbox, suspension, steering etc.
 
Hi I'm kinda new to this ,so what else is to do to get the gearbox out would I need a winch for the gearbox out ???
Thanks mark
 
Hi the Haynes manual ,the photos are not very clear ,anyone got any photos of camshaft seal and crankshaft seal ,just so I know what I'm looking for ,any photos would be appreciated .
Many thanks mark
 
Easiest way is to lift whole engine and gearbox out of the car.
Not so much of job considering that you will need to dismantle gearbox from engine to get access to seals, so you anyway need to remove steering rack, drive-shafts (and both wheel hubs - because it is impossible to remove drive-shaft without disconnecting ball joints), gearbox linkage, clutch cable.
Additional job is to disconnect pipes to the engine radiator and heater device, fuel line from fuel pipe, gas cable, starter cable (one that you pull out when need to start engine in cold days), and 3 engine mounts.

Here you can see camshaft and crankshaft seal
http://www.renault4.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-i-done-r4-gtl.3996/page-5#post-39611

and how to connect everything (flywheel, clutch, gearbox) back in place......dismantling is in opposite direction ;)

Lot of job for "small" part. But crucial part.
 
Hi thanks so much for the photos,these are what I was looking for ,looks like a big job for me .so will have to find some time ,I will let you know how I get on .
Many thanks mark
 
Back
Top