Club 80-90 Forums

Morning Lords and Ladies

Got a bit of a leak from the base of the oil filler neck so bought a replacement gasket from Brickwerks. Went to fit it yesterday but it looks like an engine out job because of the small amount of clearance for a spanner/socket head. Is that right, or am I being a pansy?

petrol wbx ? It may be possible to do it with just the back box off but access is pants, it may be possible to do it with a crescent ring spanner if you can borrrow one to try or you can bend a cheap unloved one to go over the top of the pipe

mmm, back box removel, eh?

with the state it's in, that ain't gonna happen without a fight and I'm pretty sure it's me that come off worse.

but the whole exhaust will need replacing this year, so when that happens - and as i have the gasket ready - maybe i'll ask them nicely to slip it in at the same time.

will look at the crescent spanner option, but it is REALLY tight.

The nuts can be tightened in situe using a thin (i.e. cheap and disposable) 13mm spanner. This may sound bad BUT possibly a bicycle spanner may be ideal, they don't have to be earth-shatteringly tight.

I'm not sure you'd be able to back the tube off enought to remove old gasket, clean surfaces, replace gasket and reseal with everything else in place. Isn't the engine bar in the way as well ?

Ian.

engine bar in the way, sounds about right, it's raining so I'm not going to look, but I know when you are building up the engine it's one of the first bits you fit
there are oil leak additives out there like Kseal and Radweld for cooling systems, but I don't know if they are at all useful and what the downsides of them are - they are on the shelf in your bigger motor factors, maybe as a temp fix till the exhaust job - which may be easier engine out if it's rough, that's what I'll be doing on mine later in the year too

I've used the stuff for leaks in hydraulic systems on a boat steering system - it worked well sealing the leak almost immediately.It works by swelling the seals as far as I can gather so most likely is no use in this situation.