In my last post I mentioned a stiff gear change and a "not-yet-life-threatening-oil-leak" from somewhere. Let's start with the gear change. Initial thought was that the spring clip on top of the gear box extension needed some adjustment. But it turned out to be fine, with the gear lever aligning perfectly in the 3rd and 4th gear plain. Only the pivot points needed a good clean and some fresh lubrication. And of course the gear lever knob needed tightening up. All rather straight forward! And far too easy, so to appease my mind I checked underneath the gearbox for any leaks. And indeed there again were some traces of oil. But with the cross member removed the plug in the oil galley was completely dry. But the M12 mounting bolt was completely covered in oil, including the thread. Strange to say the least! Only explanation I can come up with is that the hole for this bolt is machined to deep as a result of which oil can enter from the top? Decided not to take any chances and after a good clean everything was refitted with some sealant between all part, just to be sure!
The "not-yet-life-threatening-oil-leak" turned out to be coming from the front of the engine. The front pulley oil seal to be precise. And it was worse than expected. So it needed addressing sooner rather than later!
I had some doubts about this job, prompted by the fact that due to the custom fan shroud the working space is a bit restricted. But I needn't have worried! The pulley's mounting bolt came of at the third attempt with my trusty 38mm ring spanner. And the pulley itself could be removed by hand!
With the pulley of the engine the oil leak immediately became clear. There was a very pronounced groove worn into the pulley's mating surface by the oil seal;
I could have put in a new seal at this stage and hope for the best! But that would probably mean doing the same job again after the 10CR! And as I do have some spares stacked away at various places I decided to replace it with one of my new spare pulleys;
Left me with removing the old seal (easy with a large screwdriver) and fit a new one. This turned out to be less easy as space is limited to use a hammer properly. But after some 15 minutes of gently tapping, the seal was in place;
And with the front of the car on stands again I took the opportunity to check the font bearings. They were fine, no funny noises and no play at all. Final check point was the alternator. During the last drive I thought it was becoming noisy, pointing to worn bearings. But with the fan belt removed, the alternator spun freely without any noises and no play at all on the bearings. Another item I needn't worry about for the time being (knock on wood!).
I could have put in a new seal at this stage and hope for the best! But that would probably mean doing the same job again after the 10CR! And as I do have some spares stacked away at various places I decided to replace it with one of my new spare pulleys;
Left me with removing the old seal (easy with a large screwdriver) and fit a new one. This turned out to be less easy as space is limited to use a hammer properly. But after some 15 minutes of gently tapping, the seal was in place;
And with the front of the car on stands again I took the opportunity to check the font bearings. They were fine, no funny noises and no play at all. Final check point was the alternator. During the last drive I thought it was becoming noisy, pointing to worn bearings. But with the fan belt removed, the alternator spun freely without any noises and no play at all on the bearings. Another item I needn't worry about for the time being (knock on wood!).
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