Just driven 60 miles from Manchester to York and on the motorway it felt like the clutch was slipping as the revs kept rising but the speed didn't and when I went to accelerate the boost would only just go above zero psi with the car revving like mad.

As I got closer I heard a wining which I thought might be the turbo so stopped on hard shoulder and called recovery.

Recovery guy looks under the Bonnet and there is gearbox oil all around a bung on the top of the gearbox on the nearside of the engine and a loose bung which he replaced.

He reckons the wining is from the gearbox as there is no fluid in there and the clutch was slipping because it was covered in gearbox oil.

I picked it up from the garage this afternoon just before driving it back with it's new speed sensor as speedo isn't working (still not working probably the cluster fault)

My thinking is the garage have done something whilst fitting the sensor and that it the reason why this had happened.

I am writing this on my iPhone sat in a recovery truck on my way back home very ****ed off!

I am going into the garage first thing in the morning to complain but don't really know where I stand if they just deny all knowledge and claim it wasn't them.

Obviously I could be looking at an expensive repair bill of new clutch flywheel gearbox ...etc

Thanks for reading my little (rather large) rant!

Bad luck - hope you get it sorted

Sorry to hear that and hope you get it sorted out with them as its obviously something they have done.

Just out of interest if transmission fluid is causing the clutch to slip will this eventually burn off or will it need a new clutch?

Just out of interest if transmission fluid is causing the clutch to slip will this eventually burn off or will it need a new clutch?

If they can clean it enough then it might be okay.. typically places will try and do it on the cheap by spraying lots of clutch and brake cleaner on however once contaminated with the oil, really, it should changed.

Then again it might drive fine if it is cleaned properly

Edited 4 February, 201214 yr by Lew_VRS

Hows the clutch got covered in oil, its inside a just about sealed bell housing,

Sure its not the clutch slave cylinder thats leaking on top of the bell housing and its not brake fluid thats all over gearbox and running into bell housing causing clutch to slip

It seems to have been coming out of a loose bung on the right side of the engine underneath the coolant temp sensor ontop of what I believe is the bell housing. Will post a photo later and check brake fluid

Has someone tried to top up the gear box oil though the timing hole in the top of the bell housing?

In which case it wouldn't go into the gearbox, just onto the clutch and flywheel.

Another possibility is that the breather has somehow become kinked or blocked and then as the gearbox has warmed up the pressure inside has blown out a seal and forced oil into the bell housing.

Has someone tried to top up the gear box oil though the timing hole in the top of the bell housing?

Certainly sounds a bit odd. Plus anyone with a fraction of a brain cell should realise that timing hole bung might not make a 100% seal and thus could allow other fluids to mix with the "gear oil" they have just added....

You can clean a clutch by boiling it on the hob (used to do this for old Morris minor clutches) but as other have said fit a new one especially when you've got to take it out anyway.

I am thinking some numpy might have topped up the fluid by using the bung in the bell housing.

I have attached a pic of where the bung is and you can also see transmission fluid everywhere.

Might be a good excuse to go for an ECS stage 1 clutch kit and lightened flywheel

Are you sure it's not leaking from the roadspeed sensor? In your picture, it would be in the centre, just off the top.

Did they check the wiring for you or just replace the sensor?

Did they do an instrument output test (makes the needles sweep)?

I am not sure if they did an instrument output test but I will mention it to them. How would you do this?

I am not sure if they did an instrument output test but I will mention it to them. How would you do this?

Hook up the diagnostics such as VCDS and ask the instrument cluster to perform an output test. The needles should sweep. If they do, the problem is most likely outside the cluster. If they don't, it is most likely a problem with the cluster.

Is that hose/filter interfering with the roadspeed sensor cable? I can't quite see from your picture. I assume that they at least checked the sensor has power.

The possibilities (since the roadspeed sensor has already been replaced) are wiring, cluster and a split drive gear in the gearbox. To exclude the latter, drive the sensor with an electric drill.

Right it is now all sorted and I have got my stage 1 clutch and flywheel. It drives amazing in all the forward gears but reverse is a nightmare and is almost impossible to get in. My box did end up being reconditioned but I am not sure if the problem could be the linkage or if it might be the box?