Hi All

Wondering if any of you kind chaps can give me your thoughts, views and advice on a recent problem I've found.

I've noticed an oil leak coming from what I believe is the transmission, nearside driveshaft area of my 2004 Panda 1.2 Dynamic Dualogic. I have attached a photo with the green circle indicating the area of wetness, and the red circle where it is dripping from. It is definitely oil, it's quite clear and has left a very small pool of oil on our drive, with the car being stood for a few days, so its not leaking massively, just a bit.

Just wondering if any of you knowledgeable guys can give me an indication of likely causes for this leak.

Didn't know if this is relevant or coincides with the leak, but in the last couple of weeks I've also noticed the car lurches (best way I can describe it, its not judder) when I pull away when accelerator is depressed very slightly. It only happens when car is crawling along and goes away once it gets past 5 - 10 mph.

I would be extremely grateful for any thoughts you can give me concerning this, and many thanks in advance.

If it was mine, I would start by washing it completely to see if the leak actually comes where the drip starts...
and if its just the end-piece of the gearbox housing, I would see if I could find a "new" piece cheaper than a used gearbox, and just swap the piece.

But I wouldnt drive a panda leaking too much oil - consider topping up before use..

good luck

As TobiasBB I would try to identify the source as accurately as possible as it may well have a bearing on what to do next.
I have seen engine oil make it as far as there, and drip gently on to the driveway.
My Dualogic tends to be a bit more juddery on warm damp mornings so could be coincidental.
If the leak turns out to be Selespeed fluid then you may have decisions to make, but best to be certain before proceeding further.

I really appreciate your replies and comments guys, thanks. And I agree with trying to find the source would be the best way to go, thing is the car is still under the dealers warranty, and I'm wondering if its worth taking it in to get his mechanics to look it over. The warranty doesn't cover oil leaks and seals unless removal / overhall of engine, transmission or differential components is needed. What would you do under these circumstances?

I'm pretty sure the oil is more than likely to be gearbox, as the engine oil is due a change and is quite dirty, and I checked the selespeed oil level a few weeks ago and that looked quite dirty as well. The oil leaking seems very light in colour and clean.

Go back to dealer to find out exactly what is leaking and v from where, presumably that would be free under warranty.

Hi Guys

A quick update for you concerning the Dualogic leak.

I took the car back to the dealer, and just had a call back from him to say his mechanic has had a look at it and the cause of the small leak was the nearside driveshaft seal. He then told me the seal was adjustable (thats a new one on me, didn't know driveshaft seals were adjustable), so his mechanic has tightened it up, cleaned it up and it shouldn't leak anymore. They also did some diagnostics on it and found no issues regarding the lurching that I mentioned, but the mechanic did say it could be the fact that very light pressing of the accelerator might cause the automatic clutch to engage and disengage as it is struggling to decide what the car actually needs under crawling, so possible cause being driving style, which I admit is something I have struggled a bit with since having the car. I have to say that the drive to the dealers was perfect, so I'm less worried about that. The dealer assured me that if there were any other problems to get in touch with him and he'll get it looked at.

So there we go, hopefully the leak is all sorted now. Cheers for all your advice and comments, much appreciated.

I had the exact same problem on my Panda, juddering on taking off. It was cured ,for 3-4 months by having the HP pump purged . Unfortunately it went back to the original problem and two further attempts to purge it failed, so it went in part x.

bigshorty said:

Hi Guys

A quick update for you concerning the Dualogic leak.

I took the car back to the dealer, and just had a call back from him to say his mechanic has had a look at it and the cause of the small leak was the nearside driveshaft seal. He then told me the seal was adjustable (thats a new one on me, didn't know driveshaft seals were adjustable), so his mechanic has tightened it up, cleaned it up and it shouldn't leak anymore. They also did some diagnostics on it and found no issues regarding the lurching that I mentioned, but the mechanic did say it could be the fact that very light pressing of the accelerator might cause the automatic clutch to engage and disengage as it is struggling to decide what the car actually needs under crawling, so possible cause being driving style, which I admit is something I have struggled a bit with since having the car. I have to say that the drive to the dealers was perfect, so I'm less worried about that. The dealer assured me that if there were any other problems to get in touch with him and he'll get it looked at.

So there we go, hopefully the leak is all sorted now. Cheers for all your advice and comments, much appreciated.

Click to expand...

It is possible that the bolts around the seal housing were not as tight as they should be, but other than that there is no adjustability.

Keep an eye on it. If they have not cleaned the are, do so and then watch to ensure all is cured.

Engine oil and gearbox oil will be 'oily' on your fingers.
Gearbox oil has a sulphurous smell.
If it is clutch hydraulic fluid, that will be lighter colour and cleaner. On your fingers, rubbed together feels dry, as it takes the oils out of your skin.

portland_bill said:

It is possible that the bolts around the seal housing were not as tight as they should be, but other than that there is no adjustability.

Keep an eye on it. If they have not cleaned the are, do so and then watch to ensure all is cured.

Engine oil and gearbox oil will be 'oily' on your fingers.
Gearbox oil has a sulphurous smell.
If it is clutch hydraulic fluid, that will be lighter colour and cleaner. On your fingers, rubbed together feels dry, as it takes the oils out of your skin.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the words of advice Bill

Would the bolts around the seal housing not being as tight as they should be cause a leak?

I will do what you suggested, as I have never heard of adjustable driveshaft seals myself. My partner and I both had a feel of the fluid that was leaking and it was definitely oily on the fingers, and did have quite a potent smell to it. It also looked quite clean and light in colour, from that I am pretty sure its not engine oil, and the fact the engine oil level hasn't dropped either. The clutch hydraulic fluid level is right on the max mark when the car has been left for a couple of days, so I'm pretty sure it's not that leaking either. Brake fluid level hasn't moved either, leaving the only other possibility from what I can see being gearbox oil.

I've got a mate who is a mechanic, I think I'll get him to have a look and see what his opinion is as well'

I'll update this thread when I've done my investigations and let you know the results.

If the housing bolts are not tight, oil may leak from the housing face. But this is unlikely to cause it to leak from around the seal.
With it clean, any further leak should be evident.

It's been 5 days since getting my Panda back, and we have done a fair few miles in it since and there is no sign of any oil leaking yet. I did clean the area as well as I could, so would easily notice oil around that area, only thing is it was apparently quite a small leak, so whether there has been enough time for it to show is debatable, but I'll keep an eye on it and let you know what I discover over the next couple of weeks.

Cheers for all the comments and advice.

Hi,
I have a Lancia Delta with 1.6 Multijet 120 (fiat engine) (200.000 km) and a selectronic gearbox (very similar to dualogic or selespeed) Can I ask you for your advise:
The system is running fine but I have had a small leak somewhere from the selectonic unit for about 2 years. I have replaced the oil in the selespeed and the gearbox about 2 years ago.

1. Is it normal that when I open the car through passenger door and check the selespeed oil level it is right to the top of the container, well above the maximum level. But as soon as the pump is activated the level drops well below the minimum level...

2.The pressure in my system is between 35-40 bars. I heard it is meant to be lower than in Alfas, but does anyone know if it is acceptable?
Thanks a lot for your advice,
Artur