Thread: Oil leak - help me identify source

You should probably begin with telling us the year and model of your vehicle.

Originally Posted by Red90

You should probably begin with telling us the year and model of your vehicle.

Sure, no problem, here you go:-

MY16 Discovery Sport TD4 with ZF HP9 transmission and Diesel TD4 2.2 engine, efficient driveline, and Haldex gen V.

Soooo.… does that drip look like transmission fluid or gear oil?

Sorry. That is outside of my knowledge base. I’d be pretty ****ed if my four year old luxury mobile was leaking though.

Is it out of warranty?

Originally Posted by Red90

Sorry. That is outside of my knowledge base. I’d be pretty ****ed if my four year old luxury mobile was leaking though.

Is it out of warranty?

Thanks for your helpful input.

Is the bottom bolt loose? The oil appears to be seeping from under the flanged head.

Smell a sample of the oil.

Originally Posted by Mamil

Thanks for your helpful input.

No problem. I’m enjoying your passive aggressive responses. It was a serious question. Your four year old vehicle is not under warranty? I’ve never seen a modern vehicle leak oil. I suspect you will not find anyone that has seen that unless it is a common design flaw.

There is no way anyone can fix your issue from the photo. You need to pressure wash the whole area clean. Then go for a short drive and determine the exact source. Then look in the workshop manual to figure out what seal or gasket is compromised.

Originally Posted by Graeme

Is the bottom bolt loose? The oil appears to be seeping from under the flanged head.

Smell a sample of the oil.

Hi Graeme, nah that bolt isn't the problem, that's just the lowest point of the casing so it's pooling there. I know where it's coming from - the shaft seals between PTU and transmission, just don't know which side is leaking, hence trying to identify whether it's ATF or gear oil.

Have tried smelling it but doesn't seem to smell of anything, mind you after a few minutes with my head up in the engine bay I'm not sure my nose is particularly sensitive anymore! What is the difference in smell between ATF and gear oil - if it's possible to describe in words?

I was thinking more of engine oil vs the various gear oils. The gear oil is very unlikely to be EP which has a very distinctive smell so the only comparison would be any difference in viscosity, which isn't likely to be sufficiently different to be definitive for used, leaked oil.