Rav4 oil leak

[berbick0107]

Hi all,

I am looking for some help please ,  I have owned my 2009 rav4 sr180 for about 4 years now , just after I purchased it the head gasket failed,  so I had the 3/4 engine fitted by main dealer. Whilst they were doing the work they asked if I would like to put a new clutch in at my cost and i said yes please. All seemed good as I had a nice new engine and clutch fitted. However, after only 30000 miles the clutch started to slip so I went back to where work was done and asked why the clutch would fail in 30000 miles ? surley it should last longer than that! , so mechanic took it out for a quick drive and confirmed yes clutch has gone and I was told because it had been longer than 18 months since work was carried out I would have to pay another £1000+  to have another clutch fitted. I couldnt afford this and was really disappointed in toyotas response so I decided to take my rav to a local garage to have clutch fitted.

The mechanic said the problem to the slipping clutch was apparent as soon as the undertray was taken off because there was an oil leak between the engine and gearbox -so over time engine oil had contaminated the clutch which caused it to slip!

I was told by my local mechanic that the oil leak seemed to be coming through the flywheel bolts which he thought was strange and unusal.  Because of this I had a new rear mainseal fitted and thread sealer was applied to flywheel bolts as well as a new clutch pushing my bill up! . Everything had been going ok for about a month but when I looked underneath car today the oil leak is back  -  absolutley gutted. It’s not alot of oil but its going to be enough to wreck another clutch!  Has anyone ever heard of this problem before or know how i can solve it ?

I wish I had noticed this oil leak sooner after the work was carried out on the engine by the main dealer then I would have been covered under warranty. I really don't want to part with car as its a cracking motor !! 

I would appreciate any advice or ideas on where i go from here please. 

Many Thanks 

 

[gjnorthall]

First of all check the crankcase ventilation system to ensure that matters aren't being made worse by crankcase pressurisation. Check also that the leaked oil is engine rather than transmission oil. Rear seal leakage is quite common and unless it's really excessive or the bell-housing drain is blocked - it's difficult for the oil to get on to the clutch face. Leaks along the flywheel bolts will go directly on to the clutch face and it's usually apparent when examining the area around the flywheel bolt heads. It's quite a common problem on some cars and manufacturers such as Mazda specify the use of a particular thread sealant. It makes sense to use sealant whenever you're dealing with a situation where the crankshaft boss tappings aren't blind and to avoid using an impact wrench on the bolts when sealant is used. Again it's not uncommon for replacement seals to fail fairly quickly if the mating surface isn't cleaned up and / or the old seal has grooved the mating surface.

Given the short time that's elapsed - it would be reasonable for your mechanic to remedy the problem

[berbick0107]

5 hours ago, gjnorthall said:

First of all check the crankcase ventilation system to ensure that matters aren't being made worse by crankcase pressurisation. Check also that the leaked oil is engine rather than transmission oil. Rear seal leakage is quite common and unless it's really excessive or the bell-housing drain is blocked - it's difficult for the oil to get on to the clutch face. Leaks along the flywheel bolts will go directly on to the clutch face and it's usually apparent when examining the area around the flywheel bolt heads. It's quite a common problem on some cars and manufacturers such as Mazda specify the use of a particular thread sealant. It makes sense to use sealant whenever you're dealing with a situation where the crankshaft boss tappings aren't blind and to avoid using an impact wrench on the bolts when sealant is used. Again it's not uncommon for replacement seals to fail fairly quickly if the mating surface isn't cleaned up and / or the old seal has grooved the mating surface.

Given the short time that's elapsed - it would be reasonable for your mechanic to remedy the problem

Thank you for your reply very helpful , where would the crankcase ventilation system be located? Is it a valve of some sort? 

Thanks again 

[gjnorthall]

The main ventilation hose will be connected between a spigot on the cam cover and the air line from the air filter. Ensure that the rubber hose is clear, isn’t kinked or collapsed.

Did you see the clutch plate removed from the car by your local mechanic?  Was it badly worn or unworn but dark and glazed due to oil contamination?