7 replies to this topic

[minime94]

Hi I have a crankshaft oil leak to be honest it's getting quite severe now does anyone know what work would be involved to fix it it it's the crankshaft oil seal not sure what side but think from clutch side cheers. Ollie

[Cooperman]

Is the oil coming from the timing cover seal at the front of the engine or the transfer case at the clutch end?
If it's the former then you need to remove the radiator and front pulley and fit new seal and gasket onto the timing cover.
If it's from the clutch end then it will be the famous primary gear seal, also known as the 'red seal', which is leaking and you wil need to remove the flywheel to gain access to the primary gear. You should check that no oil has gotten onto the clutch plate and fitting a new clutch plate is also a good idea.

[mk1leg]

thats good advice.............rad end is the easy job........but the clutch end......will require special tools..............good luck......

[minime94]

Okay cheers I believe it's not from the clutch side so that will be a job to do only just had to replace my head gasket haha anyway how do you find out weather you head is unleaded or leaded the previous owner fitted a 1275 metro engine and told me to use lead additive but many people told me the metro engines are unleaded ???

[Cooperman]

You must be able to see which end of the engine the oil is leaking from. Is it radiator end or clutch end? Now that's a pretty basic thing to check so that you know what needs doing.

[najmulhaq01]

I had a problem of oil leakage from clutch side of my mini 850 - 1961. Upon removal of clutch housing and subsequently fly wheel along with clutch plate the culprit was not the red seal rather it was flywheel seal, which I forgot to replace during engine overhaul.

[bmcecosse]

Oil leaks either end are generally caused by crankcase pressure - make sure at least one breather is connected directly to the carb side inlet - to suck away the nasty fumes and ensure no pressure....... Don't worry about unleaded - and don't waste money on additives. DO set ex valve gaps to 15 thou, and check/reset every 3000 miles.

[tiger99]

najmhlhaq01,

You must be one of the few people who still has a flywheel seal. They always failed, and leaked lots of oil into the clutch. There is a modification to prevent this, which consists of fitting a new primary gear 22A79, or at least new Deva bushes, parts 22A81 and 22A82, to the gear, of the type which do not need lubrication, and blanking off the oil feed with a brass plug, part number 12A604. You then just remove the flywheel seal, as it is no longer doing anything useful.

This modification ought to have been fitted in about 1962, when it was first introduced. I had a 1962 848cc van in about 1968, and when I changed the clutch I noticed that the modification had been done, because the flywheel had been machined for the seal but it was not fitted.

Unless you want to keep your Mini exactly as the original, I would recommend this modification to avoid having to change the seal regularly, and replace clutch plates ruined by oil.

But it is really interesting to know that at least one original, without this modification, has survived for so long!