OIl Leak - top of engine

[DaytonaRS7]

seems my 2011 LR4 has classic land rover issues.

This time i noticed oil on the front on the engine, dripping all the way down onto the alternator, power steering rack and frame rail. this is a new leak. only shown signs of a leak since after i changed the oil about 1 month ago.

i know i did not spill a single drop and the housing is not cracked. I changed the oil with a slightly, maybe too thin of oil (0w20) for my high mileage (140k) car. i have since swapped out the oil for Valvoline 5w20 high mileage oil. i did not remove the filter when i swapped the oil, so there is no chance of spillage in the area.

maybe the too thin of oil has created a leak? maybe it will fix itself now?...doubtful.

anyway, without disassembly, the furthest i can trace it to is the top of the engine. the crevice between the passenger side valve cover and the intake manifold has minor oil residue down the length of the block, but there was a small pool of oil in the same crevice right next to/behind the oil filter housing base. is the oil filter housing gasket known to leak? i kind of hope so as its a rather simple fix.

Ive read that sometimes valve cover gaskets leak, but since the leak was concentrated directly next to the filter housing, im hoping for the easier solution. Also, the valve cover gasket was replaced by the previous owner (at land rover dealer), albeit about 80k miles ago.


any advice is welcome. thanks in advance.

 

[cperez]

I will keep an eye on my engine even though I have half your mileage and it’s a 2013...

Reason being that last night I changed my oil and halfway through the refill process I realized that the dealership had sold me 0w-20 instead of the 5w-20 I had ordered over the phone. I was ****** because I had specifically decided to stick with 5w-20 after reading numerous threads here. And shame on me for not double-checking the product before I left the parts counter, that’s on me and it won’t happen again.

Still, I will take it as a chance to compare and will definitely keep an eye out for any seepage. This is the first time during my ownership that it has had this oil weight (~45K miles of driving so far). Not expecting any issues at all but you never know.

 

[PaulLR3]

I had the same passenger side valve cover leak at about 95K miles and it was dripping into the alternator. New valve cover gasket and replaced the alternator. I was told that oil dripping into the alternator will shorten it's life. I already got 95K miles out of the first one so installing a new alternator seemed reasonable.

 

[DaytonaRS7]

curious....how much was the valve cover gasket replacement?

hopefully i don't have to go that route since i feel it is not leaking from the valve cover....rather from the oil filter housing gasket.

 

[umbertob]

Oil filter cartridge cover or its o-ring could be the culprits, although you say you didn't remove the filter upon changing oil... Why didn't you, anyway?

Remove cover, pop filter off (might as well replace it now), closely check for tiny cracks in the housing, change o-ring regardless of original gasket conditions, lube o-ring with a drop of motor oil and screw cover back on engine. Tighten to about 20 ft.lb, which isn't much. Too little torque and it might leak, too much and it may seize or even crack - it's just plastic after all, and after spending 8/10 years attached to a hot engine I guess it may turn a bit brittle eventually?Hopefully that's all it is.

 

[DaytonaRS7]

sorry, maybe my post wasn't clear.

1 month ago, changed oil with 0w20 oil, and changed filter. there was no oil spillage.
a week later I noticed minor leak down the front of the engine, directly infront of the oil filter housing. i assumed leak was due to too thin of oil on an old engine.
2 weeks after oil change, replaced oil only with 5w20 High Mileage oil. did not replace filter since it had been done 200 miles ago.

the leak is not from the oil filter cover/cap/o-ring.
i feel the leak is from the base of the oil filter housing.

 

[PaulLR3]

curious....how much was the valve cover gasket replacement?

hopefully i don't have to go that route since i feel it is not leaking from the valve cover....rather from the oil filter housing gasket.

Not sure since my CPO warranty covered the valve cover gasket replacement. I bet it's a $1000 event at a dealer. Since the alternator was still functioning I paid for that and it was $950.

 

[Michael Gain]

The oil filter housing gasket is a easy job and is part number LR010735. If youre convinced that is the source of the leak I would just execute the repair.

As Paul mentioned, it might be worth taking a harder look at the valve cover gasket. The repair manual directs you to apply RTV sealant to the front edges of the gasket--about 2 inches worth of additional sealant. One of those points is right behind the oil filter housing.

I think that this procedure implies that the gasket is prone to leakage is these location. Hence needing to add "create-a-gasket" to an already present, rubber gasket. Just my two cents

 

[DaytonaRS7]

The oil filter housing gasket is a easy job and is part number LR010735. If youre convinced that is the source of the leak I would just execute the repair.

As Paul mentioned, it might be worth taking a harder look at the valve cover gasket. The repair manual directs you to apply RTV sealant to the front edges of the gasket--about 2 inches worth of additional sealant. One of those points is right behind the oil filter housing.

I think that this procedure implies that the gasket is prone to leakage is these location. Hence needing to add "create-a-gasket" to an already present, rubber gasket. Just my two cents

excellent. this is the kind of information im looking for.

i have convinced myself its the oil filter housing gasket, but that may simply be because it would be the easier solution. but im not narrow minded....anything is possible.

just looked up the service manual for valve cover remove/install. seems injector removal is necessary. being my mileage, this is kind of a breaking point. specialty tools (injector puller) and most likely at least $400 worth of new injectors.
I may just try tightening the valve cover bolts when i replace the oil filter housing gasket. maybe it'll make a difference. wishful thinking.

 

[mklinker]

curious....how much was the valve cover gasket replacement?

hopefully i don't have to go that route since i feel it is not leaking from the valve cover....rather from the oil filter housing gasket.

Replacing the valve cover is a PITA... have to remove the fuel rail and injectors.