Need some advice…at least so I’ll know what I’m talking
about before I take the car to a Jag mechanic.
For about two years, the car has been leaking oil from the
back of the engine. It appears to be coming from up pretty
high, but not all the way up from the moon shaped cam cover
seal. I know this, because I’ve been in and out of there 2
or 3 times and have even wedged a dry towel over those moon
seals, driven a couple of days, and they remain dry.
Meanwhile, oil will literally be streaming down both sides
of the bell housing when I pull back into the garage - some
getting on hot exhaust parts and smoking things up. I can’t
be totally sure, but the leak pretty much only happens when
the car is running. I see a minor seap in the front of the
engine, from the head gasket, just ahead of the exhaust
manifolds and this is really not a concern, and not the
source of my problem. Also, I have replaced the o rings in
the little U - shaped pipes right where the oil filter
screws in. No help - and really too low (and too far on one
side of the engine) to cause this trouble. The best vantage
point to the back of the engine is from the exhaust side,
but all I can see is the oil running down the side of the
engine block/bell housing. From underneath, I see about the
same quantity of wet oil coming from somewhere over the
starter, but it’s harder to see much on that side.
So, like I said, it is tough to get a good look at what’s
going on at the back of this engine because it’s so close to
the firewall. What are the potential sources of this leak?
There is a plate, secured by I think 4 bolts at the back of
the head (probably about where the cam would extend if it
were a few inches longer) but I think the oil comes from
just underneath that somehow - that plate seems to stay
pretty dry. I’d (really) rather not take off the head only
to discover that the leak is somewhere between the engine
and the transmission and that when the oil is under
pressure, pushes itself out somewhere between the block and
the tranny. There isn’t any oil mixing in with coolant
which makes me think the head gasket itself is probably ok.
Some of you guys have had this engine apart and I thought
you might have some insight on this. Thanks for any input.
-Travis–
1995 XJ6
Norman, OK, United States
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In reply to a message from Neil Moaner of Maldon Bennett sent Sat 18 Feb 2012:
hi I had a 94 xj6 with an oil leak that came out from the back of
the engine just below the starter motor. it only leaked when the
engine was running. I found that the breather hose that came from
the cam cover to the intake pipe elbow was a small hose it looked
like a quastion mark it was about 5 inches long , and it had
colapsed thereby stopping the ventilation from the crank case and
forsing the oil out from between the engine block and the plate
thats bolted to the back of the block. replaced the hose and had to
pull the tranny and flywheel, and replace the gasket on the back of
the block. the gasket was shradded. I am not saying thats your
problem, but I had a oil leak that was similar to your story. good
luck joe–
jaguarjoe 54 XK 120 rdstr 1961 MKIX 97xj6
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In reply to a message from TravisT sent Sat 18 Feb 2012:
OK. So I’m cramming a rag under this plate to see if it
gets wet in about 5 miles of driving. I hope it does so at
least I’ll know what I’m dealing with. And from
Jaguarjoe…you mentioned that you had this problem but on a
94 xj6, hence a aj6 engine instead of my aj16. Is there a
difference with regard to the rear crank seal between these
two engines? If it’s not the rear crankshaft gasket, then
it has to be the head gasket, right? I am not really
equipped to move engines and transmissions around and would
be more tempted to get to it in situ…maybe with a great
new set of ratcheting wrenches.
Also, thanks for the part number info and pictures guys.
In reply to a message from TravisT sent Sun 19 Feb 2012:
I hope your oil leak is that plate at the back of the
cylinder head. While tight, it’s possible to do in place.
My X300 developed a similar leak, but with one difference.
The oil was only high on the starter side of engine/bell
housing, not both sides.
On mine, turns out that the oil gallery’s rear plug’s o-ring
had perished. A $3.00 part that required dropping the
transmission from the car.
The rear crank seal is the same between the AJ6 and AJ16
engines, but the mounting is different. On the AJ6, the rear
oil seal is retained by a dedicated mounting plate, on the
AJ16, the engine’s transmission adapter plate also serves as
the rear oil seal mount.–
The original message included these comments:
Jaguarjoe…you mentioned that you had this problem but on a
94 xj6, hence a aj6 engine instead of my aj16. Is there a
difference with regard to the rear crank seal between these
two engines? If it’s not the rear crankshaft gasket, then
it has to be the head gasket, right? I am not really
equipped to move engines and transmissions around and would
be more tempted to get to it in situ…maybe with a great
new set of ratcheting wrenches.