1st Dec 2014, 22:29
Hi, sorry to hear of your leaks. I have a 1984 Bentley Eight with 105,000.
I had a bad oil leak from the rear crankshaft oil seal. I purchased one from Flying Spares (20€ approx). Got the gear box pulled back and a seal fitted. 6 hours work at a total of 320€.
Steering pump was dripping so I drained the fluid and put 1 grade heavier in; no more leak.
It was doing 13/15 MPG (in Europe we have 8 pints per gallon). I fitted an LPG unit; it is 1/2 the price of petrol. It is doing the equivalent of 26 MPG.
I fitted new iridium plugs and a new cap. What a car.
Kevin Deasy (Ireland).
26th Aug 2014, 23:28
I was a Rolls Royce salesman, then eventually a partner in the franchise. I started in 1970 and retired in 2006. All Rolls Royce cars leak oil. One of our technicians once told me that it was because the seals let oil pass rather than be tight and wear. If it is a pan gasket leaking however, there is no excuse for that. The engine needs a new pan gasket.
The Spirits and Spurs from late 1980 until it must have been in the 1990's were all plagued with the right rear window closing slowly or just not working. Another problem that people are now experiencing world wide is the case for the power seat motor cracking from age. Replacements are not available from Crewe, so aftermarket replacements have to be obtained. The original was plastic like Tupperware, and to get an aftermarket unit costs about $1,000 U.S. money.
The best Rolls are the ones now made by BMW. The ones built by Vickers between 1971 and sometime in the late 1990's when Vickers sold Rolls Royce to BMW were all plagued with problems, and the factory reps in that period had a lot of attitude. I was told often that a poorly built car that I was complaining about was "COMMERCIALLY ACCEPTABLE".