Gearbox oil leak
Having recently allowed his brother-in-law to replace the clutch on his wife’s 2005 Citroën Xsara, this customer discovered a few drips of oil on the driveway. Not wanting to pester the brother-inlaw, who had done the job as a favour, he asked us to establish where the leaking oil was coming from.
We confirmed that the oil was coming from the gearbox and it was likely the result of a slight misalignment of the driveshaft.
On the Xsara, the driveshaft is held at the back of the engine by a centre bearing that is disconnected to remove the gearbox when replacing a clutch. Doing this allows the driveshaft to be extracted from the gearbox before the gearbox is dropped down. Consequently, when the gearbox is put back, the shaft can be guided in afterwards. If the centre bearing is left attached, the shaft can damage the oil seal as the gearbox is put back into place.
After removing the driveshaft, a new oil seal stopped the leak and the gearbox oil was topped up.