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Complete Engine Oil Leak Guide for the L300 (4D56T)


 
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Yobbo



Joined: 06 Jul 2018
Posts: 12
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 19:24    Post subject: Complete Engine Oil Leak Guide for the L300 (4D56T) Reply with quote

Having had my battle bus off the road for a while I decided to go the whole hog on curing some troublesome oil leaks in preparation for a now much stricter MOT test.

The leakage I had on my van was really quite bad, it was dripping all over the place, staining the driveway and requiring frequent top ups, quite embarassing really!
It was seemingly coming from behind the engine covers, getting onto the corner of sump pan lip, then all over the bottom of the alternator, not to mention the back of the gearbox bell-housing.    
So after doing ALL the work and putting the belts back on, I fired up the old girl and let her run for 45+ mins with the engine covers off, in utter disbelief my L300 was NOT producing a single drip of the black stuff! ASTONISHING!

Below I'll try and provide an comprehensive list of places to look if you are indeed suffering with the 'black drip' like I was.
If you want to and I'd suggest it beforehand, Google search 'Tojo Timing Timing Belt Guide' many things are covered in there and it really helped me out in visual terms.
Also the Delica L300 manuals themselves are great, particularly the 'Engine' and 'Intake and Exhaust' documents in this context, oh and BEWARE Exclamation some bolts in the 'engine bay' can be quite weak!
If there is no torque rating then be cautious, if there is use then lower value from the manual if there is one.
I found that tightening bolts using a 3/8ths ratchet (rather than a 1/2") and holding it near the head till the bolts no longer rotated was enough, don't be tempted to over torque...
When changing the timing belt a while ago I'd managed to snap the pivot bolt for the upper belt tensioner, with it being so deep in the block the threaded part could not be retrieved, so that gave me three options -
a) Rebore and tap the pivot bolt hole to M8 and also drill the tensioner hole to suit, putting in place a much shorter bolt.
b) Helicoil the block.
c) The dodgy option, weld the remainder of the long bolt's head to the tensioner.
Guess what I did...  Rolling Eyes
 
Also, I'd discovered someone had over-torqued two bolts on the intake manifold and chewed up the soft aluminium threads in the block, delightful...


It would serve well to do a few thorough de-greasing sessions prior to starting the work and part way through when you've got bits off to see if any leaks emerge.
I used 'Gunk' decanted into a spray bottle, plastic brushes and some rags, plus hot water in a garden pump spray bottle, and brake cleaner to finish off.


*** OIL LEAK CHECKLIST ***

THE ENGINE BLOCK

- Rocker Cover Seal + Half Moon Seal + Rocker Cover Bolt Bungs
* Clean up the surfaces then smear the cover and bungs with a thin layer of RTV Gasket Sealant, the bolts only need 6Nm of torque so don't be daft!

- Oil Cap Seal
* Sometimes flipping this can cure the leak, you'll need a screwdriver to remove the locking clip

- Dipstick
* If it's loose expect splurting while the engine is running    

*** The Seals ***
* Its a patient job so have plenty of time, obtain some long nose pliers then drill a small hole and then thread a small self-tapping screw in and either pull it towards you or better yet lever it out against something.
You may need to bore a hole on the other side of the original to shimmy the seal out and obviously don't damage the inner surface of the seal mount when drilling as you'll hate yourself for eternity.
If the seal is being an absolute pig you can prize it out either by pulling with a hook and pick tool or with a small flat blade screwdriver and again, something like a bar or handle to lever against - it's okay to rest it on the outer edge of the seal mount.

- Camshaft Seal
* I wedged a breaker bar in between the arms ot the sprocket to loosen, a bit naughty but don't rest the bar on anything that could be damaged easily.

- Upper Balance Shaft Seal  
- Lower Balance Shaft Seal
* For the Balance Shafts there is a custom tool pictured in the Tojo T-Belt Guide but no mention of dimensions; so you need a steel bar (Lx450mm,Wx35mm,Dx5mm), bore a hole big enough for your 12mm socket, and then drill 2x 6mm holes 30mm apart each side of the centre hole, you'll then need two M6 x 50mm ->HIGH TENSILE<- fully threaded bolts and nuts.)

- Crankshaft Front Seal
* If you've read the Tojo Guide then you'll understand that in order to get the bottom engine cover off you need to remove the crankshaft pulley! (Slow clap, Mitsubishi...)
There's talk in that guide of using a custom fabricated tool to unlock/lock the crank bolt but to be honest most people use the 'Breaker Bar Method' to get the bolt loose.
Also if the pulley is not budging once the bolt is off then a 6" Jaw Puller will do the trick.
On reassembly, tightening up the bolt is less trivial with the absence of a locking tool -
The best way I've found is the 'Flywheel Jam Method' by wedging a screwdriver or chisel in the centre bottom teeth of the flywheel and securing with lots of cable ties on the bottom subframe bar, but it's tricky as it often slips.
What I tried with success is to use a fat headed stone mason chisel to lock, and then put a trolley jack underneath to apply some pressure to avoid the slip.
Tiny bit of thread lock on the crank pulley bolt, and torque up to a max of 180Nm, job's a good'n!

- Crankshaft Rear Seal
* This requires seperating the gearbox from the engine so most of the time its left alone, I genuinely don't think it would be worth it replacing unless you had a severe leak from there, I definitely didn't do mine!

- Fuel Pump Front Seal + Fuel Pump Top Seal + Side Inspection Plate
* I've never had to deal with this but by the looks of it you'll need to fabricate a locking tool for getting the sprocket off for the front seal, while the belts are still on you may be lucky with a compact impact gun in loosening the big bolt.
For the top seal there's a fair few guides out there if you have a search.
As for the inspection plate, there's a flange with a penny-like indent that's visible from the passenger side of the cab, check the two 10mm bolts aren't loose.

- Water Pump Seal

- Front Lower Case/Oil Pump Case bolts and the missing Weird Bolt Shocked
* Myself and another L300 owner called Richie discovered we were both missing a bolt that presides to the bottom left of the water pump and just above the oil pump case, now apparently this is a 65mm deep hole which takes an M8 bolt, however mine nipped up properly with a 55mm bolt - god knows why but it was definitely oily in there.
I actually made my bolt by chopping a longer one down in 5mm increments starting at 65mm, I put some gasket sealant on the washer I used for the bolt just incase, it would seem that there's a nearby oil gully in which the bolt threads into.  
Quite odd that it was missing but my feeling is that people may have removed it, lost it when working on the engine, or mixed up the bolts and used it elsewhere. Whatever.

- Any other front engine bolts
* Just go around with your 3/8ths ratchet and 12mm socket and make sure nothing's unusually loose. I found that my water pump bolts were quite slack.

- Power Steering Pump
* Check the bracket bolts here - loosen off the adjustment bolt, remove the PS belt, and pull the pump toward you to gain access to the two bolts that secure it to the block, probably tight but may as well be anal about it, also check the upper bolt and one around the front side of the engine.

- Sump Pan
* The bolts are very small and therefore weak so take caution, there is a paper gasket but instant stuff is also used so that should be scraped off with a plastic tool, cleaned down, and new sealant applied.

- Sump Plug Bolt/Washer
* Ideally, new washers should be used each time but they often get reused, if you are going to be a tight arse then I'd suggest lightly sanding the mating surface then annealing the copper washer with a propane torch till it glows.

- Oil Filter
* Loose fit makes oil sh*t.  

- Vac Pump to Sump plastic pipe
* Located on the back of the alternator, oil used to love pooling up on there! If this goes while you're driving it's game over sunshine, so check for possible splits.

- Alternator Oil Feed Unions
* These all take a top and bottom washer for the banjo bolt, in reality they probably won't leak unless loose, get yer spanners out.

- Oil Cooler and Feed/Return Lines
* Located at the front driver's side of the vehicle this if damaged could leak, check the end connections too.
Also if there's corrosion to the lines, oil could from these, replacing these maybe tricky though an option is to chop out the bad bits and then slip a suitable silicone hose on to rejoin, to paint them over with a zinc based corrosion inhibitor paint might be an idea.

THE INTAKE/EXHAUST/TURBO SYSTEM

- Air Intake Pipes
* The oil breather hose on the Rocker Cover allows for ventilation of oil vapor however as it joins up to the intake this feeds back into your turbo, then intake, and if the hose clamps aren't tight then it can mist out of these joins.
Don't be alarmed to find it an oily mess it's only natural - I'm going to consider fitting an oil catch can and blocking off the intake tube to keep things clean.
Upgrading to proper jubilee clips is a good shout as the original ones while charming are a bit naff!

- Intake Stub Gasket
* I used gasket paper, made an outline of the flange and then used a compass cutter for the holes.

- Turbo to Intake Silicone Hose
* Might be worth replacing the hose if the original is shot - it's 1.75" inner diameter.

- EGR Gaskets
* Mine is blanked/deleted but again, sooty and oily exhaust gasses can escape, baked on by years of heat the bolts on my exhaust manifold were very graunchy, go steady with plenty of penetrant.
My blanking plate seal on the manifold disintegrated so I put a new one on with some exhaust gum for good measure.  

*** Intake/Exhaust Manifold and Turbo - Removal and Refit Procedure ***

- Intake Manifold
* I took the time to clean out my intake manifold, lots of carbon crap in there, use a hard plastic brush, lolly sticks, hot water, detergent, carb/brake cleaner, light sandpaper on the mating surfaces and inside the tubes if you wish.
Or you could pop it in the dishwasher when the significant other is out of the house... laughing8
To take it out of the van, you must first remove the two bolts that secure the turbo waste gate actuator bracket then the split pin at the end of the stem which is accessed from the underside of the van.
Also remove the small boost hoses from the turbo and all of the bolts securing the manifold to the head, a bit of swapping around with a short socket extension here, you'll figure it out...

- Turbo Oil Feed Pipe
* There is a threaded bush that goes into the block and then the smaller threaded part that's on the pipe itself - on re-assembly wrap these up with a fair bit of plumbers tape.
These can be accessed from above or below but much easier from above if you've taken off the intake manifold off, also there is the union to the turbo cartridge - this has two copper washers that go top and bottom of the banjo bolt.
I got a turbo oil return seal kit (Mitsubishi TD04L) from eBay that had these in with the gasket.

- Exhaust Manifold
* Before taking the exhaust manifold off which I will cover shortly, you must first de-couple the exhaust or in my case side-exit! Shocked from the downpipe.
Then remove all of the exhaust mani nuts and washers, they're apparently easily lost by the way. Rolling Eyes  

- Turbo Oil Return Gasket and Intake/Exhaust Gasket
* Some trickiness involved with this, I would highly recommend using a decent bungee cord wrapped onto the locking clasp of the hopefully upright passenger seat, you can use this to suspend the exhaust manifold and turbo assembly vertically to give you access to the turbo oil return pipe.
First of all connect a bungee hook to the seat clasp and then wrap it around a few times till you've got enough length for the other end to meet the exhaust manifold, decouple it from the block's studs then slot the hook into the farthest right upper hole of the mani.
Check for slack on the bungee here, then carefully maneuovre it forwards and to the left till it's tilted somewhat vertically, now you will find the return hose and its demonic clip...  Twisted Evil
I really could have done with some long nosed pliers but struggled without, you should pull the clip up towards the turbo pipe which once de-coupled will allow it to slide out of the hose feeding back into the block.
I found that a pretty secure place for the heavy awkward manifold/turbo assembly was to sit one of the downpipe studs into the square plated engine mount plate (where there seemed to be a few lost washers and nuts),
this gave a good static position to work from - you may have to adjust the bungee by wrapping or unwrapping to get the desired tension -
you definitely don't want to drop that lot down onto the torsion bar and ATF lines, but once resting there you can turn the bottom end toward you revealing the two 10mm oil pipe bolts, either a spanner or mini (chopped down!) 10mm 1/4" socket to remove.
Replace the oil gasket and torque up to a mere 8-10nm, to be fair you could just use a spanner here but try and be equal with the pressure on each side, the bolts should stop spinning and that'll be enough.

* Fit a new inlet/exhaust gasket, I got a triple layered one from Milner Offroad for peanuts, it only goes on one way, I tried the wrong way first Wink .
Now the hard part, if you left the exhaust connected slot the two downpipe studs into it then ensure you've got the evil clip on the neck of the oil return pipe, jostle the pipe back into the hose, get the mani back onto the studs, then try your utmost to get the clip back onto the hose in the correct position bandhead
If you can do it with fingers then you're some sort of mythical beast who should have their DNA tested...  

* Fit the exhaust nuts and washers and torque to 15-20nm, I started from the inner-most studs working outwards.
* Fit the turbo oil feed pipe as outlined earlier on - the banjo bolt has a max torque of 19nm, and go steady with your spanners on the end that feeds into the block, especially the 10mm locking nut its delicate.
* Re-fit the intake manifold with the turbo to intake hose already on the turbo, then attach the wastegate actuator - hopefully your split pin didn't disappear!
Again, 15-20nm on the bolts, apply threadlock to any bolts where the block's threads have been stripped and tighten the best you can i.e. on the verge of slipping.
* Re-fit your exhaust, 30-40 on the nuts.

* Have a shower then lie down with a beer because you are exhausted. tard  



That's about it I think, if anyone can think of anything I've missed please say so! salute


Cheers
Dave Y
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Vanimal



Joined: 16 Aug 2017
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 19:54    Post subject: Reply with quote

Harry Potter and The mystery of the matching missing bolt!

I'm really hoping mine has solved my problem!

Awesome post mate, hopefully it saves a lot of people a lot of time and swearing 😂

Richie
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Yobbo



Joined: 06 Jul 2018
Posts: 12
Location: Hull, East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 21:28    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers Richie, the mystery bolt is no longer!
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andyman



Joined: 08 Dec 2012
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 21:22    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice one Dave - seems you don't mess about. I on the other hand have had an oil covered engine for last 8 years. Doesn't use enough to drip though, but your post may give me the courage/embarrassment to investigate and fix before the MoT man gives it the thumbs down!
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PinkPig
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:13    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fantastic post. Thank you.
Now I just need a free week to do it all!

So one question - what are you going to use for rust protection on the front half of the chassis? ;-)
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Yobbo



Joined: 06 Jul 2018
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Location: Hull, East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:59    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys!

For the powers that be, it might be worth making the thread a sticky as searching these forums can usually be a chore.

I think they years of muck and oil have formed a particularly thick layer of homebrew underseal that not even degreaser or brake cleaner could cut through without agitation hahaha...

Next step is to fit the new shocks, adjust the front wheel bearings, fit new steering rack boots, and get a huge chunk of welding done on the arches and elsewhere - by the looks of it the rear heater unit is gonna have to be dropped out! Also ignoring the sunroof rust for the time being, I dare not remove the headlining to see what lurks under!! thefinger
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 13:51    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agreed and also moved it into the L300 technical FAQ's forum.
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