Hi there!

I have a fairly straightforward question which may generate some not so straight forward responses

I recently had my clutch replaced (two weeks exactly), while the shop was at it (a reputable shop by all accounts) they replaced the rear mail seal as it was leaking, as well as the u joints and some exhaust bolts.

Everything was fine until yesterday when I noticed a large pudle under the truck.

I'm pretty sure it is oil as I wasn't about to taste test and the dipstick was reallllly low.

I have called the shop who did the work to see if they will take a look at it, which they will.

My question is, who should be on the hook for this? I'm inclinced to think they are if the seal was improperly installed no?

Which generates another question...is there any other possibility than a main seal here?

Now Im asking more questions .

I have probably lost a little over a litre of oil at this point, however I cant be sure how long this has gone on, although I see about a half dozen oil stains in my parking spot that werent there before, so maybe a week?

The rear and lower engine, oil pan and plug are fairly soaked, as is the front of the transmission and correlating supportive crossmember. I dont see any oil higher up on either engine or transmission.

The truck is definitely getting old (277 km's), so I could understand if a new seal here forced a leak somewhere else, but that doesnt seem to be the case.

It hadnt leaked this much before, in fact I dont think it leaked at all before the clutch was replaced (which was on its last legs at the time).

Anyhow, sorry for the long winds a blowin, but I figured I would give as much info as I thought relevant.

I much apprecite any input here as it will hopefully prepare me for the worst and reward me with the best.


As a sidenote, I wish I had invested in a Ranger much earlier, the mileage, reliability combined with ability and economics make this arguably the best vehicle Ive ever owned.

Thanks again!

 

If it's the same leak ,then they should.

 

AND take a look at the clutch disc when removed, if covered with oil replaced it, don’t waste your time with washing it off; it will wear out faster than you think.

If the seal is leaking and was improperly installed then the shop should replace it for nothing BUT who is going to make the decision on the “improper install”.
Most shops will say it is a bad seal and get a replacement but the labor (and in this case the BIG MONEY) will be on the customer.
You may have to go after the manufacturer but that’s the rest of the story.

 

That's what I thought. \o/ <-- *drowning guy*
If the clutch is soaked (which I haven't driven since but seemed to be having issues now, minor slipping but is hard for me to tell, I haven't experienced slippage before on any vehicle. There has also been some hard shifting, where the shifter is actually more difficult to put into gears) does this mean I will probably get to buy another new clutch also? This was the most expensive cost with the repair in the first place.

I'm not sure I wan't to know the rest of the story, but it might be a good read. Thanks for the replies \m/

 

So a couple of weeks later everything seems functional again.

The shop replaced the rear seal, placed the bill in front of me, then lost it in the conversation...

No mention of oil on the clutch plate, not sure they would have anyway.

If it did get doused in oil, how long can I reallistically expect it to last? How long should a properly installed clutch last?

 

I would think if the oil got on the clutch disc then you would see a problem right away.
slippage you would feel as soon as you took off.
If they washed it off of the clutch assembly, (disc/pressure plate), somewhere down the road you may experience some clutch chatter.
Chatter is when you go to take off from a dead stop and there is some vibrations through out the truck like chattering; you will know it !

How does the clutch feel now when you start off from a dead stop.
if OK then you should be a while before anything shows up.
Keep all the paperwork on the work and notes from you… just in case there is some questions later on down the trail.

Good Luck with it…

 

The Puddle is back.

I remember the last time I was at the shop the guy was saying maybe the spindle or spline on the rear of the engine was worn and may need to be repaired or replaced to fix the problem.

Not being an expert in the field I would tend to agree that if the part is worn and needed repairning or replacing it should be done, and should have been done the first time. Not sort of a hope for the best scenario, which seems to be the case. If this needs to be done, how screwed am I?

I haven't mentioned here that the slave cylinder was also replaced along with the clutch originally.

I have now noticed the clutch reservoir looks really low (an inch or two down), but I cant find full and low indicators anywhere, the lid says fill to the top of the step? . So I filled it

At this point I'm not sure if it is brake fluid (for the clutch) or oil that is the puddle, but everytime I drive there is a puddle about 4-6 inches in diameter left behind in the parking spot . How do I tell which fluid it is?

As frustrating as this is, I need to get it fixed so I can now part ways with the truck :). I'm thinking my next step is to take it to a major transmission shop like aamco, and hope I get the straight goods on what needs to be done so I can either scrap it or fix it. The shop I took it to was a small private shop, but did check out well. Maybe not so much for the next guy .

Thanks for your time and replies.

 

If the clutch slave is low it might be it.
If the brakes are working OK, no soft then it probably isn’t that.

Look at the oil, rub your finger in it and look at the color, then smell it.
What doe sit look like and smell like ?

Red is transmission fluid, usually.
Dark, sometimes burnt smell is usually engine oil.
Lighter color with dirt from the ground in it then it could be either brake or clutch.
Brake fluid is usually in the wheel area and will be all over the backing plates, unless there is a leak in the lines but usually if the brakes are leaking you will feel it in the pedal.

Another thought, take a clean piece of plywood or something, large enough to cover the area where it might leak. Place it under the truck in the evening and in the morning crawl under and see the area where the fluid dropped and compare the puddle to the location on the truck.

good luck.

 

Sorry to burn your time on stuff I could figure out myself, which I now have. It seems to me it is engine oil. This was from a smell test, as I wasn't to keen on a taste test. The oil level is low again. I have thought about using some stop leak, but Im thinking this is a rather large leak and cant be stopped with that stuff.

I wonder if maybe it is a combination of both rear main seal and slave cylinder leakage though, which might explain why the clutch reservoir is so low.

The brakes are in an entirely different reservoir, and I know they aren't leaking and are fine.

Im pretty sure this is the rear main seal again, but as I said, it was described to me I might be needing a new spline or have it dressed? I haven't really found the time to find engine schematics but I'm guessing this means a new crank$haft? Can the spline be dressed as is to be functional again?

Is this a typical problem for these 3L 6 cyl. engines this long in the tooth?

Should I just be using stop leak and hoping to live with it?

 

If you are looking at getting rid of said truck anyways, use it as a trade in. Why waste money on the oil/ main seal problem?

 

It might be more valuable if the problem isnt there. I have yet to explore the option of seeing how the original shop might deal with the problem. If they can fix it then Im that much better off.

I have spent a fair chunk of change on other things for the vehicle as well as the clutch. At this point Im just hoping to maximize the return on money already invested. Its not like I have a lot to throw around but yeah...

Its pretty lame there was never really a rear main seal issue before I took it in, it was the clutch that needed replacing. Apparently there was a minor rear seal leak and so the shop were nice guys and decided to replace it. Now I have a real problem that I paid money to have.

I suppose all I really want to know is if this problem is fixable (ie worn rear spline) without any further major repairs? If so, great, if not its gone.