Greetings, gurus and guys....
So I noticed a little bit of oil on the waffle section at the back of my engine. Some peering with a torch shows a bit of oil on the rearmost port side engine bolt. Could this be the gasket that goes between the black section and the bare metal section failing? Could have sworn those had been replaced in the not-too-distant past....
Anyway, any thought or hints or suggestions would, as usual, be most gratefully received.

Here are some photos. I only had my ultra-wide with me, so not the best quality shots, sorry. But should give an idea of the location and extent of the problem.

Here we can see the oil pooling on the waffle.

This is the highest point I could trace any oil to. I assume the gasket between the black cover and the bare metal engine body is leaking....

This also puzzles me. Where would this come from?

 

Somewhat disappointed to see no response whatsoever to this post. First time that's happened with a technical issue.
Anyway, I'll be taking her in for an oil change and greasing on Monday, and talk to my mechanic then. The "How much leakage makes a cam cover gasket worth changing?" thread that comes up in Related Topics suggests it's not a hard job at all. But before I rush out and buy gaskets, I do need to confirm that I need them....

 

Oops, I typed and forgot to press the other button, old age is a brilliant thing.

Looks like cam gasket AND the D seals at the rear.

Rather common about every 10 or so years.

The 6ltr Goretx gaskets are 100% on the older Paper Style.

I use them and the OE rubber D Seals, which I liberally coat in Hi Temp RTV Grey. I use a light smear of the same on the gaskets, old habits die hard.

DO NOT touch those Banjo oil pipe bolts, I have never had one leak, and stripping the threads in the Tappet Blocks is too easy to do, and then its engine out to rectify.

I would wash that area down, carefully, and leave it running while you top up your bodily fluids, and see what appears. A SMALL amount of oil can make a huge mess mostly.

 

Thanks very much, Grant. And no worries - age cannot wither you, nor custom stale, your infinite sagacity. At least re Jaguars....

Surely it can't be the D seals, assuming you mean the half-moon plugs. I replaced those a couple of years ago with the machined metal ones, via a Forum member in Vancouver. They aren't supposed to leak, dammit.
And checking my records, the cam cover gaskets were replaced with the upgraded EBC9627 and EBC9628, along with the intake gaskets NNA3020BA, in December 2019. Surely they wouldn't be leaking already? Four years later? If so, I shall be miffed in the extreme.

I'll clean the area as well as I can (very hard to reach down there, at least to the waffle part), and see what dribbles out when the engine is running. She's currently a little low on oil (within spec, however) but I'm not going to top her up yet as she gets her oil changed on Monday, so it'll all be drained anyway, and then give it a test.

Which are the banjo oil pipe bolts I should never touch? I don't want to fiddle with the wrong things by mistake.

Thanks again!

 

Maaaaaate you should see life from my side, one eye, half a leg, and arthritis has become my NEW friend, but LAUGH I do, and that is almost more important the Jaguars, not I said ALMOST.

Below those D Seals, one each tappet block are a single Banjo Bolt, one on each side. The pipes they secure ra ethe oil feed pipes TO teh camshafts. The will not be leaking, but if your mechanic exhausts all other points, and they are, MUCH CARE IS NEEDED, as they only grip the inner threads on that alloy casting by about 4 threads, oops Mr Jaguar. Longer bolts are readily available, and we all strongly recommend fitting them if the engine is ever out for any reason.

I would simply spray some P/pack degreaser as best you can, let it soak a while, spray some more, another bear for you, then pour water down there. I use a watering can, its less messing that the garden hose.

The oil switches are notorious, and that oil can weep and run all over the place, so maybe give them the finger feels, on the underside, and see if thats the cause.

 

Thanks again, Grant!
Almost, indeed.....
Mind you, they always say that the alternative to getting old is... not ever being able to get old.

I certainly won't be accidentally fiddling with those banjo bolts myself, that's for sure.

Degreaser is certainly something my addled brain didn't even think of for some addled reason. Earlier, I tried wiping it up with a rag pushed down with with a long stick, which didn't do a great job. Degreaser it is, then flushed away. I presume there isn't anything down there that a spot of water will hurt.

Where are the oil switches that I could give them a finger feel? Looking at The Book, I don't think I have that large Oil Pressure Sender, but I might have the switch. Looking at older photos from 2019 when the cam gaskets and D seals were leaking (with lots of oil on the waffle section and around), the oil pressure sensor and switch are vertical behind the capstan, so I'll take a look. They were dry back in 2019, at any rate.

These got replaced in very early 2020, and I note my records then showed that I first noticed the leak from oil pooled on the ground. This one is not nearly as large, but if it is the gaskets, I will be peeved....


Anyway, many thanks for your wisdom and advice, as always.