Alfa Romeo Forum banner

Oil leak on 3.2

4K views 29 replies 9 participants last post by  krisp 
#1 ·
Hi, I've noticed a small(ish) but consistant amount of oil under the car. The oil lands about 6 to 8 inches directly across from the centre of the passenger side wheel (maybe an inch or 2 back from the centre). Any idea if theres a usual culprit to start with?

In general its a well looked after car, so its not got a whole load of issues (i hope!).

Thanks
 
#5 ·
Hi Marc,

if it is gearbox oil, this may help. The 3.2 Busso has the same 6-speed gearbox than my 3.0:
 
#6 ·
Thanks everybody so far.
I,ll get the car out the garage and have a more thorough look underneath. In the meantime a few more facts:
1) there doesnt appear to be any unusual noises from the gear box. And changes are good and smooth.
2) no knocking when turning left or right. Will have to double check if there is when its on full lock.
3) oil that is leaking (and left on garage floor) is very clean (looks fresh) if that helps?
 
#9 ·
Ok so i've had a little check around the car.
Gear box oil level is low, just below minimum.
The CV joints seem to have lots of horrible dirty old oil over the rubber gaters. Left is worse than the right. When steering is on full lock and turning left, there is a horrible grinding noise....but only on full lock.

Any thoughts.
 
#17 ·
Hi Marc,

I also took SAE 75W-80 (Motylgear 75W-80). Its writtten in the manual, the oil must be compliant to API GL-4/GL-5 and MIL-L-2105D.

I topped my 166 gear box up with a small hose from above. But I now think, it's better to access the dip stick from behind the left front wheel. But in case of the 916 I have no clue....

If take out the dipstick please check the rubber material if its gone hard and if it slides out very easily. It should fit tight, otherwise it will leak at higher speeds.
 
#18 ·
Best get a long tube, and a small funnel. One end of tube in gear box dip stick hole and the other end insert funnel. Cable tie funnel around headlight aperture with bonnet open and keep topping up funnel with the gearbox oil. Make sure gearbox oil is nice and warm so it flows into gearbox freely. Once topped up, drive for a few miles to get to normal operating temp and then check level again and to up if required. Need patience. ?
 
#23 · (Edited)
Well if it was a V6 and had recently gone bang I would say the diff had exploded and there will be a hole punched in the casting somewhere, but assume not in this case.
It could be any of the mating faces but seems unlikely too. Could it have been overfilled, have you checked the level (method of checking is dependent on the engine and box. The 3.0 V6 at least has a dipstick) mine when I drained it had a considerable amount of water in it too (source unknown but possibly the dipstick seal), so that could push the indicated oil level up and cause leaks.

Most obvious source though is the drive shaft oil seals. I would check where the drive shafts join the gearbox, wipe any excess oil off the joint (even better use an engine degreaser and get all residual leaked oil off) and then see if it reappears. It should be more obvious where it is coming from if you have thoroughly cleaned it.
 
#24 ·
View of rear of differential housing and gearbox.
935880


The seal on the dip stick has been commented on previously. The flange of the differential housing is a potential leak point however I would have thought it unlikely.
Hopefully this will make it easier for you to understand what you are seeing.
 
#25 ·
On gtv 3.2 I am sure there are two drain plugs on gear box. 1 to completely drain gearbox and diff and another half way up to drain well, only half the oil. I guess it is to keep oil in diff etc...or some other reason.. I could be confused and thinking of jts gearbox but it would be good to check you have correct plugs and gasket / washers fitted and they making a good seal.... Just an idea. I think the gearbox requires 2.5 litres of oil and the a bit more to top up after short drive. It easy to over fill it but a quick check on dip stick would let you know.... 🍀 The dip stick is on top of gearbox accessible from under bonnet.
 
#26 ·
Phase3dude, you are confused, the 3.2 gtv uses the same type of box as the 3.0, which I have pictured above.
The JTS uses the same type of gearbox as the TS which is very different.
Oil capacity for the 3.0 /3.2 is 2 litres. Dip stick is at the back on the differential housing low down.
 
#28 ·
Thanks for the comments.
Checked the dip stick and level was low (so not over filled) presuambly because of a consistant slow leak (and it is a.slow leak, its not flowing out!). Topped back up, but not over filled.
Sounds like i need to get underneath it then and give it a bit of a clean to see where oil reappears.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top