Oil leaking under fan belt
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Ben_W
Member
Looks like it could be just the sump gasket. Would still be a big job to replace though, because of the amount of stuff that needs to be removed to get the sump off- I haven't had to do it myself.
First I would confirm the source of the leak- give it a really thorough degreasing then keep checking as the oil comes back to see exactly where it's coming from.
First I would confirm the source of the leak- give it a really thorough degreasing then keep checking as the oil comes back to see exactly where it's coming from.
ShortyNavros
Member
I just replaced my sump gasket last thursday, Ben W is not wrong, was a large job.
Okay this is by no means comprehensive step by step guide, it is general, but gives more detail than the bloody service manual, which listed virtually nothing. Also sorry I don't have any pictures to go with it. (All bolt sizes are from memory, accuracy not guaranteed).
*NOTE* This is also a large job to attempt, not for the faint hearted, took me about 8-9 hours to get the sump back in place with the gasket on and I let it cure overnight before refitting the front diff. Most difficult parts I found, breaking old sump gasket seal without a proper tool, removing sump (had to remove idler arm to get the drag link out of the way), balancing the front diff out on a trolley jack (it weights a heap, and I was doing this with the car on jack stands)
Here is what you need to do:
0. Drop the oil and remove oil filter.
1. Remove CV bolts (12mm) on both sides which attach to front diff, remove 4 nuts (14mm) from front drive shaft, strap these bits somewhere upwards out of the way so they dont catch on the diff when you lower it and so they dont hang loose. To get the CV joints and front drive shaft to stay still you will have to rotate by hand and then lock the front hubs and the 4wd gear stick in the cab, just rotated what you want to undo to the right position and lock everything up so it wont move. Jack the front of the car up and use car stands.
2. Place trolley jack under front diff so it is supported. Remove bolts from front and transmission cross members, should be two on each side (19mm from memory) for the front and then 1 each side for the transmission cross member (17mm from memory).
3. Use trolley jack and a wood block and do a balancing act to remove the front diff with the two cross members still attached. have the centre of the trolley jack just off centre from the diff to the drivers side, it is hard to find the centre of weight as the diff is not symmetrical.
4. Now the diff is out of the way you can remove the little guard piece at the rear of the sump which obstructs the rear driver side couple of sump bolts, (I have no idea what purpose it serves) its held by 4 bolts, 2(14mm?) on the transmission and 2(14mm?)up on the sump.
5. Remove all sump bolts, and attempt to remove old gasket (this is freaking hard), I used an old good quality carbon steel knife and heated with a propane blow torch till it was red hot and then used a hammer to bend it 90 degrees so it has a 3cm tip on it, then grinded the tip so it was nice and thin/sharp. You can then insert the sharp 90 degree tip end in the old gasket sump to attempt to break the seal, slowly work your way around, and you can eventually pry it off with some screwdrivers. Be careful here I made some small marks on my sump edge which is not ideal, however with enough gasket goo any minor marks should fill in, you just want to avoid bend the sump edge out of shape.
6. Now in the service manual it says you should be able to get the sump off. I found I couldn't as it was obstructed by the steering linkage drag link piece. So I undid my idler arm and let it hang loose to I could move the drag link away to the sump was un-obstructed.
7. Once the sump it off, clean all the old gasket and oil, and use new liquid gasket to re-seal the sump, make sure your bead of gasket goes inside the bolt holes. When doing up the sump bolts don't over tighten, according to the SM they dont have to be done up that tight. Also the sump bolts have a special order they are supposed to be tightened in, I gave up on this as by this stage I just wanted to get everything back together as this was a massive effort.
8. Re-fit everything in the reverse order, I like to give everything a bit of grinding with a wire brush and a fresh coast of paint while I am at it.
Okay this is by no means comprehensive step by step guide, it is general, but gives more detail than the bloody service manual, which listed virtually nothing. Also sorry I don't have any pictures to go with it. (All bolt sizes are from memory, accuracy not guaranteed).
*NOTE* This is also a large job to attempt, not for the faint hearted, took me about 8-9 hours to get the sump back in place with the gasket on and I let it cure overnight before refitting the front diff. Most difficult parts I found, breaking old sump gasket seal without a proper tool, removing sump (had to remove idler arm to get the drag link out of the way), balancing the front diff out on a trolley jack (it weights a heap, and I was doing this with the car on jack stands)
Here is what you need to do:
0. Drop the oil and remove oil filter.
1. Remove CV bolts (12mm) on both sides which attach to front diff, remove 4 nuts (14mm) from front drive shaft, strap these bits somewhere upwards out of the way so they dont catch on the diff when you lower it and so they dont hang loose. To get the CV joints and front drive shaft to stay still you will have to rotate by hand and then lock the front hubs and the 4wd gear stick in the cab, just rotated what you want to undo to the right position and lock everything up so it wont move. Jack the front of the car up and use car stands.
2. Place trolley jack under front diff so it is supported. Remove bolts from front and transmission cross members, should be two on each side (19mm from memory) for the front and then 1 each side for the transmission cross member (17mm from memory).
3. Use trolley jack and a wood block and do a balancing act to remove the front diff with the two cross members still attached. have the centre of the trolley jack just off centre from the diff to the drivers side, it is hard to find the centre of weight as the diff is not symmetrical.
4. Now the diff is out of the way you can remove the little guard piece at the rear of the sump which obstructs the rear driver side couple of sump bolts, (I have no idea what purpose it serves) its held by 4 bolts, 2(14mm?) on the transmission and 2(14mm?)up on the sump.
5. Remove all sump bolts, and attempt to remove old gasket (this is freaking hard), I used an old good quality carbon steel knife and heated with a propane blow torch till it was red hot and then used a hammer to bend it 90 degrees so it has a 3cm tip on it, then grinded the tip so it was nice and thin/sharp. You can then insert the sharp 90 degree tip end in the old gasket sump to attempt to break the seal, slowly work your way around, and you can eventually pry it off with some screwdrivers. Be careful here I made some small marks on my sump edge which is not ideal, however with enough gasket goo any minor marks should fill in, you just want to avoid bend the sump edge out of shape.
6. Now in the service manual it says you should be able to get the sump off. I found I couldn't as it was obstructed by the steering linkage drag link piece. So I undid my idler arm and let it hang loose to I could move the drag link away to the sump was un-obstructed.
7. Once the sump it off, clean all the old gasket and oil, and use new liquid gasket to re-seal the sump, make sure your bead of gasket goes inside the bolt holes. When doing up the sump bolts don't over tighten, according to the SM they dont have to be done up that tight. Also the sump bolts have a special order they are supposed to be tightened in, I gave up on this as by this stage I just wanted to get everything back together as this was a massive effort.
8. Re-fit everything in the reverse order, I like to give everything a bit of grinding with a wire brush and a fresh coast of paint while I am at it.
Last edited:
Ben_W
Member
Excellent info, Shorty. Well done!
ShortyNavros
Member
Could also be a front main seal issue? But I have no knowledge in this area
ShortyNavros
Member
That was the seal I was referring to, I believe it is a relatively easy fix due to not much labour. Still I have no experience in this area
