Hello all, UK owner here, I have just purchased a 95 Japanese FD. I love the car.

I am very new to owning cars, this is only my second, so I am a bit "green" under the hood still (but I am an engineer at heart so I understand a fair amount and learn quickly.)

Unfortunately she seems to have at least one oil leak. One of them seems to be the oil pedestal, which should be easy enough to fix with some new o-rings. However there also seems to be a fair amount back by the bell housing. Could this be a rear seal on the engine? Or is it possible the tranny is actually leaking oil. I realise this could be difficult to diagnose without pulling the motor but I wondered if anyone here was savvy regarding common leaks.

The leaks are slow, probably only 1 drip per day at most.

Here are some pictures, click for larger:


Under the turbo?


Under the bell housing


More bell housing

Thanks for any advice.

 

Transmission oil will smell strongly, and is very distinct.

Best to degrease the engine, then go for a drive, and see if you can isolate the leak that way.

Turbo drains are a very common leak point.

 

Thanks aaron, I will do that.

I have watched some of your videos on youtube and you are a huge inspiration. They are great to watch and hugely informative. Thank you.