CLEAN OIL LEAK

There’s an oil leak under the centre at the back of the engine on my 1988 Ford Escort 1.3. At first I suspected that it was from the engine, but I regularly check the level of the engine oil and this has not changed.

When I checked the consistency of the oil, I discovered from the smell that it’s gearbox oil. Tracing the oil back I believe it has come from the driveshaft seal and then thrown up the back of the engine, dripping down when the vehicle is stationary.

I intend to replace the oil seal soon and would like any advice you can give me on the procedure.

Andrew Blunt

My first advice would be to check that the driveshaft does not move laterally when pushed up and down. One of the regular problems that I used to come across on the early front wheel drive Ford Escorts, was the failure of the outer differential bearings.

This didn’t always result in the bearing noise you may have expected, but often allowed the wear to get so bad that the driveshaft was allowed to move up and down against the oil seal whilst in operation.

The result was a gearbox oil leak from the driveshaft seal, but the remedy often involved replacing the differential outer bearings. This does require the gearbox to be stripped down, and you may feel that the job should be passed to a gearbox specialist.

If the problem is simply that the seal needs replacing, then the job should be quite simple. After removing the driveshaft and levering out the old seal, the new one should be tapped gently into place after ensuring that the seal lip has been lubricated.

As with fitting any seal it is important that you ensure the seal is not damaged or distorted when fitting it.