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Sudden oil leak on Disco 1 -- what are common culprits

The wife's '95 Disco 1 3.9 V8 has always leaked a smidge of oil here and there...marking its territory they say. Keeping rust at bay, they say.

Well lately, it's been making my driveway a mess. Splotches about the diameter of a tennis ball every morning, most of them under the front left (when you are facing the bonnet) side. The splotches seem to be under the oil filter, and when I look I can see drips hanging on the oil filter too. The filter is good and tight.

All the oil lines around the area are covered in oil as well. Do these cars use an oil cooler? As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING under there is COVERED in oil. It's a mess. Most if it seems to end up dripping off the oil filter or near it, off an oil line or something.

What are the common seals that fail and start leaking on the 3.9?

For example, on my mk1 MX5 the cam angle sensor O-ring likes to give out and piss oil all over the back of the engine. Or the valve cover gasket leaks oil all over the exhaust and into the spark plug wells. Anything in particular I should be looking at?

This leak is bad enough I need to fix it/have it fixed. I can deal with a little drop now and then but this is ridiculous.

Thanks for any insight...

Reply to
Anthony
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Tennis ball sized - that's trivial for a Land Rover!

Is it blackish? - probably engine oil.

Something clean? - power steering oil (about the right place for your puddle) or auto transmission fluid (more likely to be the other side. (Incidentally, it is more common practice to describe left and right when viewed from the driver's seat looking forward.)

Have you checked the power steering oil level?

Don't guess - wash it off and observe when clean.

Reply to
Dougal

2 words....

LAND ROVER...

On the 7th day God created Japanese vehicles, THANK CHRIST FOR THAT!

Reply to
PaulpULVITZKA

And on the 18,250th day, the Land Rovers were still playing in the mud.

Reply to
Rich B

I had something like this last year. I was driving up hill out of Besan=E7on, when suddenly the oil warning light came on. I parked the Disco (1 300 TDi), got on my back underneath the car and saw an oily oilfilter. Went to the nearest Land Rover 'concessionnaire' who tightened the oil filter even tighter, and sent me on my way. To no avail. In Chamb=E9ry I found out the oil pressure sensor, mounted just above the oil filter, was the culprit. Had to wait two whole days for a new one to arrive, but after I replaced it, problems were over.

Richard

Reply to
Richard

On mine it was the oil cooler hose junction .. betwen the flexible hose and the pipe. Exactly same symptoms, I changed oil filter and sealing ring a few times before I bit the bullet, gunked and cleaned the engine/area, and found it.

There's also the pressure sensor just above the oil filter that sometimes goes. but that normally doesn't weep, if it goes, it goes and a lot of oil gets lost quickly. ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx mobile

On mine, the Vacuum pump split at the end, and pissed oil everywhere.

Reply to
Alex Threlfall

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