Malcolm Clarke Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 TR6 Gearbox has a slight oil leak. Not bad enough to justify having the box out. Its just annoying. Has any body experience of stop leak oil additives. Slightly worried about possible effect on overdrive operation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Hi Malcolm, do you know where on the GB the leak is. If it is the selector rods then no need to remove the GB. Simply take the top cover off and do any work on the bench. The attachment plate between GB and OD is a prime candidate for leaks as these are known to crack (I think that is my problem). As for your leak stopping wonder fluid - don't go there. A basic GB may well appreciate the stuff but an OD wouldn't. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel Triumph Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Also check that the breather is clear. If blocked, pressure will build inside the 'box and O/D causing oil leaks. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malcolm Clarke Posted December 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Oil drips from hole in the bottom of the bell housing, and is definitely gearbox rather than engine oil. Possibly talking complete twaddle. But as the drips continue long after the car has been run. I suspect leak is from the layshaft end cover gasket. Which I should imagine is below the oil fill level. Rather than the main shaft/pinion cover seal/gasket. Which I imagine is above the oil fill level. Just wondered if anybody had tried a leak stop "snake oil". And more importantly if their overdrive still functioned afterwards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 The rear scroll seal on the crank leaks when stationary. But that would be engine oil. The layshaft gasket is fixed down with a plate - I can't see that leaking; but then there is oil behind there. In my opinion don;t use the leak stopper Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel Triumph Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 I wouldn't use the wonder oil leak fixer either, as it's impossible to know what effect it may have on the O/D until it's too late. The gearbox and overdrive on my TR6 used to leak plenty until I realised it had no breather. Once I installed a breather (on the O/D casing), it stopped dripping though it does still keep a light covering of oil. By the way, I'm a bit of a pedant... The TR6 has a lip oil seal on the back of the crank, not that it's relevant to a leak of gearbox oil. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malcolm Clarke Posted December 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Hi Roger & Nigel, You have rather confirmed my concerns as to leak stop. Can see it potentially solving one problem and creating a far bigger one (as in us overdrive) I will also check out breather, as in is there one and is it able to. I have monitored the leak for a while, its not disasterous, more of a niggle, and plays on the mind a tad, if going any distance abroad. Whilst I have carried out many road side emergency repairs in odd parts of the continnog, topping up gearbox oil might be a bit tricky. Malcolm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Hi Malcolm, the breather on the OD may well be disguised as a cylindrical 'thingy' See pic below - it is the arrow at the bottom Also consider drilling a 1/8" holes in the front left corner of the top cover - on eht epic below you can just see the head of a loose fitted split pin under the line pointing at the pointing at reverse Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dingle Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Malcolm Clarke said: Hi Roger & Nigel, You have rather confirmed my concerns as to leak stop. Can see it potentially solving one problem and creating a far bigger one (as in us overdrive) I will also check out breather, as in is there one and is it able to. I have monitored the leak for a while, its not disasterous, more of a niggle, and plays on the mind a tad, if going any distance abroad. Whilst I have carried out many road side emergency repairs in odd parts of the continnog, topping up gearbox oil might be a bit tricky. Malcolm A bad leak in the GB/OD made me paranoid about the oil level dropping too low. Checking it while travelling was inconvenient to impossible. So I drilled a hole in the tunnel cover opposite the fill plug so the oil level could be checked without jacking up the car and crawling underneath it. I fitted a hex head fill plug and the whole checking/fill process takes only a couple of minutes. The hole in the tunnel cover can covered with a jack hole plug. Even though the OD leak has been fixed, I still appreciate the ease that the oil level can be checked. Berry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Hi Berry, I have a hole in the tunnel cover but I still have to remove the H frame and carpet to use it-- checking from underneath proved to be much easier. I'm interested in what you've done to access the hole through the carpet. This would save me jacking up the car, overfilling, dropping to drain excess oil the jacking back up again to replace the plug. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Hi Mike, the Jon Skinner carpet sat has the carpet over the tunnel in two sections. The front section stops just before the 'H' support, so the carpet can be lifted along with the under felt. This allows access to the tunnel access holes. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 Thanks Roger, I have the carpets out for some work on the O/D. I'll look at what's involved in cutting my carpet just behind the H frame. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew Smith Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 A common place for leaks is the adapter plate between the gearbox and overdrive unit. Give it a wipe and nip up the bolts, although you will have to remove the gb tunnel to do a proper job. Cheers, Andrew Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 (edited) Maybe find out where the leak is coming from first. Clean as much as the gearbox as you can and drive the car around before inspecting again. You might need to blow some talcum powder on suspected leak sources. When you fix the leaks it ight be a good idea to drive around a bit with the H frame & tunnel removed - feels and sounds a bit like Ken Miles at Le Mans but at least it saves having to dismantle these items again if the leak's not repaired. Edited December 11, 2019 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dingle Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Mike C said: Hi Berry, I have a hole in the tunnel cover but I still have to remove the H frame and carpet to use it-- checking from underneath proved to be much easier. I'm interested in what you've done to access the hole through the carpet. This would save me jacking up the car, overfilling, dropping to drain excess oil the jacking back up again to replace the plug. I am able to just lift the carpet to expose the plug without having to remove the H frame. My carpets probably look a bit frumpy, but are not very visible to other eyes. Also, since I am a yank, it is on the drivers side. Berry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 3 minutes ago, dingle said: I am able to just lift the carpet to expose the plug without having to remove the H frame. My carpets probably look a bit frumpy, but are not very visible to other eyes. Also, since I am a yank, it is on the drivers side. Berry Thanks.I'll have a look at what I can do. Lifting the car to check the oil is no great chore at the moment but I'm not getting any younger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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