Hello again all,

 

So I have had a bit of an oil leak that is very hard to locate. It has been going on for a while but it is incredibly slow - no large puddles. However so far my engine oil level does not seem to have changed at all so I'm beginning to wonder if the gearbox may be the issue. Problem is the handbook is no use for figuring out how to check the level - it just says this needs to be left for a service. Not sure if it is releated, but every once in a while when I enter 2nd gear I get a loud clunk sound rather than a smooth change. However that has been going on for a lot longer than the leak and it utterly random as to when it happpens. All other levels seem fine and the car has no power steering,

 

However would anyone know how to not oly check the current gearbox oil level, but also where the oil refiller point is, in case it does need a top up?

 

I also see from these forums I need 75w90 ag4 oil.

 

This is for a UK RHD 1998 R plate skoda 1.3mpi petrol engine.

 

Cheers!

2.4 litres (max) 75W-90 GL-4

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/322412-gearbox-oil/

 

Photos from the gear driver. 

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/69896-felicia-gearbox-oil-level-check/

 

Rob, if you see fresh oil dropped you can usually tell if it's gearbox as the old gear oil it has a distinctive smell of sulphur and engine oil doesn't, sometimes you can tell by colour if the engine and gearbox oils are different colours but that doesn't allow for the oils being old and picking up dirt before they get to the ground. You could look at the colour of the oil on your dipstick to see if it differs a lot from what's on the ground but the smell would be better.

 

The clunk could be gear lever, its linkage or the gearbox.  Having a low level of oil in the gearbox won't help so topping up could be a very good idea (it doesn't have to be GL4 now with many modern gear oils but that's another debate about oil beliefs). 

 

For topping up Castrol TRANSMAX Manual FE 75W or Millers Trident Professional MTF 75w90 - or better still Castrol TRANSMAX MANUAL MULTIVEHICLE 75W-90 or Millers EE Performance MTF 75w90,

 

If you are able to drain or suck the old oil out (best done with the oil hot) and refill wit fresh new oil then as D.FYLAKTOS has found changing the gear oil, particularly that old, with fresh new gear oil can help, and better quality quality gear oil will protect more and for longer.

 

For full change if you want Castrol then go for this one (distributed by MG Owners Club but available elsewhere too). - https://classicoilsshop.co.uk/castrol-syntrans-75w90

 

Alternative Castrol is Castrol TRANSMAX Manual FE 75W

 

For a British oil blender, my choice for best use and protection, Millers EE Performance MTF 75w90, look for sales, old stock is fine less than 5 years since being bottled, just give the bottle a quick shake and leave to stand for 5 minutes before using, labels get changed so older stock can be sold off at lower prices to get the new label stock in.

 

If you want to pay less go for what the "professional" use (lower price and performance) -  Millers Trident Professional MTF 75w90.

 

HTH.

Cheers for replies so far!

 

Right so I just made a start this morning - located the speedo, cleaned the area up, removed the 9mm bolt and the lock plate - however the actual unit itself still seems absolutely locked in place! Looking at the thread linked it should just pull out but that is not happpening.

 

Is there a trick I'm missing here, as looking at the other threads here I don't want to risk parts ending up in the gearbox!

 

Cheers.

1 hour ago, robchap said:

Is there a trick I'm missing here, as looking at the other threads here I don't want to risk parts ending up in the gearbox!

 

 

You must be very careful

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/322412-gearbox-oil/

If it broke it you have a serious problem.

Spray some WD-40 or a Degrease cleaner spray around, let it soak and slack a bit, if didn't comes out then leave it.

Go to a repair shop, the mechanic may have another idea but if don't then just flush the old gear oil and put 2.4 of new one, i did it the last time without removing the stick.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/524227-skoda-felicia-gearbox-leak/?do=findComment&comment=5858952

Works perfect !

Oh well it seems it is off to the mechanic - I have soaked the hell out f it all day and it is still rock solid jammed in there. I've never understood why checking gearbox oil levels can't just be like checking engine oil and use a dip stick. And of course at the end of it all there may not even be a leak from there. And to make it even more annoying I found a local garage just five minutes down the road that actually has the oil recommended by NTA16 in stock and reasonably priced.

 

Anyways cheers for assistance!

Sometimes  refitting the lockplate and using it as a leaver will help free it up. Either twisting clockwise/counter clockwise, or gently in an upwards direction.

 

1 hour ago, robchap said:

Oh well it seems it is off to the mechanic

First thing they will do is resort to brute force anyhow.

Edited 24 June, 20241 yr by R_U_AFA
Spelling error

3 hours ago, robchap said:

I found a local garage just five minutes down the road that actually has the oil

 

75W-90 GL4

A Synthetic would be an excellent choice, very good feeling in gear changes.

22 hours ago, robchap said:

I have soaked the hell out f it all day and it is still rock solid jammed in there.

Don't go to the garage yet, stay on it a little longer.  The secret is time and patience, two things some don't have or don't want, the way to do it is to use a good penetrating/releasing fluid, soak it and leave it to soak in for around 24 hour before trying to loosen.  You could then try the trick try R_U_AFA has suggested - if it didn't work first time the just repeat the steps, soak and leave (another 24 hours, time and patience) and try again,  That generally works on stuff you don't need a hot flame on, but it does require the afore mentioned two factors.

 

Personally I'm not a big WD-40 Multi-Use fan and would use PlusGas or GT85 as that has so many other uses and is a better and longer lasting lubricant the Multi-Use.

 

Both GT85 and PlusGas were formerly British sadly no more.

 

https://www.plusgas.co.uk/en-gb

 

https://gt85.co.uk/about/

Edited 25 June, 20241 yr by nta16
typos

Hello agqain all,

 

Seems he can't book it in until friday so I have few more days to get a homebrew solution. I have bought some proper penetrating fluid and sprayed about a 1/4 of a can on it.  So will let it soak and have another go trying to use the catch as a lever as per the suggestion. Not sure why but the little sod is absolutey jammed solid :(

 

Would just taking it out for a drive without the bolt and lock, or maybe just trying to tap around the genral area with a rubbber hammer (but not on the actual shaft) help at all?

 

Cheers!

2 hours ago, robchap said:

 

Would just taking it out for a drive without the bolt and lock, 

 

or maybe just trying to tap around the genral area with a rubbber hammer (but not on the actual shaft) help at all?

 

 

And if comes out while you driving what's going to happen? Gear oil all around.

No way !

 

Let it soak for a day and then very gently knock it a bit with the rubber hammer.

16 hours ago, nta16 said:

 The secret is time and patience, two things some don't have or don't want, the way to do it is to use a good penetrating/releasing fluid, soak it and leave it to soak in for around 24 hours before trying to loosen.  You could then try the trick try R_U_AFA has suggested - it it didn't work first time the just repeat the steps, soak and leave (another 24 hours, time and patience) and try again,  That generally works on stuff you don't need a hot flame on, but it does require the afore mentioned two factors.

 

 

2 hours ago, robchap said:

Would just taking it out for a drive without the bolt and lock, or maybe just trying to tap around the genral area with a rubbber hammer (but not on the actual shaft) help at all?

Up to you, it's your car, you'll get the benefit or consequences.  If the fitting is at the top you won't loose much oil (more than you might have already lost) on a short drive.  What comes out of the fitting (speedo drive?) will it get damaged if it jumps out on a short drive(?),  If you want to try it you can let us know what happens.  Personally on such hot days I'd leave it until tomorrow night when it's cooler and the 1/4 can of proper penetrating fluid has had plenty of time to soak in (did this stuff have the invasive American  WD-40 Company logo at the bottom of the label on the back if not blazed on the front).

 

Let us know how you get on.

 

On 24/06/2024 at 07:06, robchap said:

removed the 9mm bolt and the lock plate - however the actual unit itself still seems absolutely locked in place!

Have tried going from above and below and using tools with long handles, for leverage, to rock the cable fitting side-to-side and levering it out from as many angles of the circumference as possible, if not try that next time, Sod's Law it either pop out at first touch or a fraction just before you're about to give up for good.

 

7 hours ago, robchap said:

maybe just trying to tap around the genral area with a rubbber hammer (but not on the actual shaft) help at all?

Mabey on the knurled ring, which secures the cable to the drive unit, there's not much room to swing a hammer down there, is there (a interposed piece of wood as an extender mabey)

Think key is to get the unit to spin round a bit, before upwards.

Okay some forward movement at last!

 

Instead of using the lock plate as a lever, I was able to use it as wrench instead and finally managed to at least get the knurled knob to begin rotating - which I was able to speed up with some angles pliers. However still not able to get the actual unit and cable out it is still in tight. So I have applied more of the DP-60 fluid and am letting that soak a little longer before having another go.

 

I ended up taking the car for a very low speed drive just up and back down the road without the lock plate in place, but has not made a differance, but the speedo is still reading so it does not seem to have harmed anything.

 

Righto, will keep you updated as things progress.

I've never heard of DR-60 let alone used it but I have used GT85 and PlusGas off and on going back to the 1980s and 1990s.  PlusGas doesn't seem as good as when it was British made but perhaps that's rose-tinted glasses and the fact that GT85 returned and seems to be a very good penetrating releasing fluid.  Rapideeze used to the one I used and was great but they went during IIRC the 1990s hence my looking for a replacement as a penetrating/releasing fluid.

 

Careful with knurled knob and use of pliers you don't want to strip the knurling, I was thinking of some small waterpump / pipe fittings / box joint / "Groove Slip Joint" type pliers barely open so that you don't over-grip them on the knurled part.

 

This type of thing only as an example. -

 

Success!!!!

 

Seems the pen fluid has paid off - was able to get a decent drip with some rubber gloves and just began screwing it back and forth until it finally gave. Predictably the gear did fall off but I was able to grab it before it could drop fully in!

 

Your not wrong about the sulpher smell of the  gearbox oil - hit me the moment the speedo came out. And even better news - the leak is deffo not from the gearbox - could seee plenty of oil in there even before I 'dippped' it.  So I still have a mystery leak but at least that on one suspect eliminated, and I have saved on the cost of the visit to the garage.

 

Cheers all for the assistance and ideas!

19 minutes ago, robchap said:

I still have a mystery leak

 

You have to lift the car for inspection, maybe if from the rubber bushing of the gearbox axis.

 

 

Once I'd found the source of the actual leak if I was keeping the car I would get the gearbox oil hot and drain or syphon out as much as possible and replace with fresh new good quality gear oil, it won't stop the gear problem probably but it could help, and help the gearbox generally.

 

To find the oil leak you could wipe clean and dry all underneath and in engine bay then run the car to full temperature, cooling fan cutting in and then look again for the leaking oil tracking down, or throw on something dry that will highlight the wet or damp areas.  Or you can buy and add engine oil leak detection dye and look for the glow, you could even add a few drops in the gearbox.  Just one as an example only. - https://www.ringautomotive.com/en/product/RLD4

 

ETA: you can buy kits with the dye, torch and glasses, I always try to let the chemicals do the hard work (like a good penetrating/releasing fluid) plus now you've learnt to have time and patience in your tool box too, two things many professionals often don't have available, or keep in stock for some.

Edited 26 June, 20241 yr by nta16
ETA;

8 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Or you can buy and add engine oil leak detection dye

 

https://youtu.be/3z11DfAZwWs?si=ZuM9rUoyAo1WygXv

I'm deffo going to have to check out those kits. It just seem strange. I've definately got a leak - but it is very slow. If I park the car for an hour or so and then move there is no oil or sign of a leak! It needs to be left for a good day or two to see signs of it. But when I check my levels nothing seems to have gone down - engine oil, brake fluid, or (as I know now) gearbox oil. Bloody rum. But yeah I think I will replace the gearbox oil at some point soon as I doubt the car has ever had it replaced and it has done about 70k miles and at least I can now remove the plug pretty easily.

 

What about those 'stop leak' additives you see in motor stores? Are they any good. Do they actually work as advertised or are they just a junky gimmick?

 

Also (I should have probably asked this before I started hitting things with a rubber hammer) - but does anyone know the name of the or part number for the speedo attachment that goes into the gearbox? in case I ever have this problem again or need to replace it, I can find speedo cables online easily enough, but it eems that the actual metal end plug,  the geared bit, and that lock plate are not included.

 

Cheers!

Sorry no idea of the part but it might be one of those parts you can only get from scrapyard / recycling / eBay so take care, others will know better than me.

 

I think you are better trying to find the source of the leak than putting any stop leaks type stuff in, that more for general leaks on used/abused stuff just to keep it going rather than a cure.  Not leaking for a day or two doesn't mean that much as it may be just that it takes that long to be noticeable.  A teaspoon of oil on the ground can look like a lake but it would not be a noticeable loss on the dipstick or in the gearbox.

 

With the car parked up gravity usually applies so a small leak from higher up the engine will drop at the bottom of the engine, often at the lowest point which often is the drain plug which mays some think the drain plugs is leak when it's not, though if old or incorrect washers are used at the drain plug this is possible but usually easily noticeable.  You could also check at the engine oil filter or lots of other places, anything with a joint and or clip.

 

How often is your engine oil and filter changed, when was it last done, have you noticed the leak since then or before?

 

3 hours ago, robchap said:

What about those 'stop leak' additives you see in motor stores? Are they any good. Do they actually work as advertised or are they just a junky gimmick?

 

If there is a big leak those additives are not going to save you.

They supposed keep the O rings-gaskets-bushings etc soft so they seal as they should be so no leaks.

Don't relay on them, in the past some use them to "patch things" so they will sell the car to the next byer as "used but with no problems".

11 hours ago, robchap said:

What about those 'stop leak' additives you see in motor stores? Are they any good. Do they actually work as advertised or are they just a junky gimmick?

Wouldn't bother, I'd say only use these in an emergency situation.

 

11 hours ago, robchap said:

11 hours ago, robchap said:

in case I ever have this problem again

 

Something on the unit to stop it seizing in place should work, a bit of grease, a little oil.

With a bit of digging round the part is a revolution speedcounter and the part number is "002409191b" - in case anyone else has this problem.

But with that said the part seems no longer available, For my one I have cleaned everything up to shiney as new and put a little rub of the oil around the shaft so hopefully if I ever need to check again then it won't be the same faff around like this time.

 

Regards the leak I'm gonna wait until after the MOT - it only just scaped by last year because of emissions. If it passes then I will grab some of those test kits and try and locate the issue and also do a complete gearbox oil change.  But as I said since noneof my levels are going down in any meaningful way at least it is not an emergency issue.

 

Cheers again all!