I bought a 4x4 cossie a short while ago with an apparent small oil leak.
Turns out it is the distributor leaking from the base and the phase plug.

The last owner fitted a new one and I have just changed it aswell with one from Burton @ 150 quid but its still the same.

Basically the leak only happens when its either under braking or cornering,I dried it all up and ran it stationary for 20 mins reving it at various revs and it is dry,but do 5 miles on the road and it willl be soaking again?

No other leaks anywhere,breather is fine ect...it has a big wing sump fitted though??

 

Bit unsure here, are you saying oil is actually coming out of the phase plug connector on the side of the dizzy, and leaking between the base of the dizzy and the block ?
There should not really be any reason for the leak here, as it's not even a pressure fed area.
The dizzy has no seal in the base between the shaft and the body, just the std crushed iron particle bush, the outer body of the dizzy has a seal around it where it goes in the block.
Do you have any piccie ?
The only normal prob with dizzy is sometimes they pick up the top bush and spin it in the housing wrecking the dizzy body, I replace these with a oilite bush for a permanent fix.
I've got lots of dizzy bits so should be able to sort yours but something very odd, you 100% sure it's from where you say ?
tabetha

 

tabetha,the oil is coming out of the holes in the base and the plug aswell,you can see oil inside if you take the cap off-its a fair leak.

It must be something missing on the block like a baffle plate hence the pic request?

SCS originally built this engine but they dont know either.Internal mods are 6 studs,big wing sump..It never did this before the rebuild according to the previous owner.

 

I do remember there is a small metal shield up the front and pretty sure it's in that corner, held by two hefty rivetts if I remember right, jesus from what you say it's a huge leak, from that area anyway.
I'll take some pics in the morning, and email them to you, as I can't host them, so pm me your email so I can do it as soon as I get a chance, around 1pm/ish it will be.
tabetha

 

PM'd

 

the plate is below the breather hole, so not near the dizzy

 

For some reason I thought there was(another) plate around the jackshaft area, but as you say jon only around the breather.
I had a look at my block, and am mystified as to how oil could be getting that far, the area is totally open, the only thing I can think of is the oil pump is excessively worn on the driveshaft and oil is coming up the hole through which the drive hex goes in the block between pump and dizzy, but even then it would be spilling over out of the very open area around the drive spur on the jackshaft that drives the pump, very odd, it would then have to get past a(dizzy bottom) bush and a scroll, then another bush(in dizzy top) to appear where it does.
My advice would be to remove the dizzy and turn the engine over on the starter to see if the area fills up with oil through the hole which the drive hex goes in, if it does it is pump out time.
tabetha

 

it's had a recent genuine pump fitted.cheers

 

I would check your oil pressure next, if it is excessively high, it could conveivably cause the filling of the area around the jackshaft with oil and push it up the dizzy body between shaft and spindle, all in theory never seen it happen, at the end of the jackshaft ther eis a hole where the pressurised oil comes out, it travels down the jackshaft which is hollow from the front bearing to the rear bearing then out.
tabetha

 

Cheers for that,when I took the dizzy out last time there was oil lying to one side of the hole.
But after running the car at a standstill there is nothing coming out of the dizzy at all its only when you drive it,even gently.

What do you think about the big wing sump ,could this cause it?

I did a search and another gibbs engine had this problem but the bloke wouldnt let on!

 

I'd make sure the crank breather system is nice and clear, shouldn't have but sounds like excess pressure carrying oil, only thing I can think of really.
tabetha

 

Sorry I know it's been a long time for this topic. But I got exactly the same problem that the oil came out of phase plug connector. Just wondering how you guys solve this at last?
Thanks!

William

 

 

Eventually I got and replaced a new distributor, no more leaking oil. FYI

 

You must have the only Sierra Cosworth in Taipei, tell us more how you got it etc and post some photos. Thanks.

 

Hi mate thanks for the reply, mine is really bugging me as it was leaking from distributor so I purchased a new distributor from BURTON POWER ENGINEERING and the new one is doing the same thing,so just may be unlucky and got a duff one and may have to risk buying ANOTHE one,Thanks Dan