Very light oil leak

[mark 1]

I own a 1994 L reg 3.0L surf and noticed a very small oil leak when i park up, it only seems to drip 4 or 5 times once it has been turned off. I keep checking the oil level and it seems o.k., so it must only be a very slight leak.
On inspection it seems to be coming from the rear of the block between the block and the gear box bell housing, there is also a piece of sponge between the block and bell housing that looks like it is made to measure, e.g. a manufactured part.
Any ideas about my small leak, is it normal to get small leaks on a surf this age, do i need to be alarmed and what is the sponge for and do other surfs have it.

[TonyN]

Its probably either the rear crankseal, or the gearbox input shaft seal if you have no other traces of oil on the sides of the block.

The first is a normal thing with most engine, the second is rarer. Both will run down the inside of the bellhousing and drip out the bottem.

Both need the gearbox to come out, so people normally leave it it gets annoying, sometimes it'll happy drip slightly for years without causing a problem (apart from on your drive!) If you have a manual gearbox when it gets bad enough the clutch will get oily and slip, if its a auto, there is really nothing it can do affect the car, apart from make a mess.

The sponge is a sound deaden/vibration suppresant thingy, you have one between the fuel pump and the block as well. They are normally soaked in oil and yuk and crumble to bits when taking them out, so it goes in the bin and the car is perfectly happy without it.

[mark 1]

Cheers for that, that's why all surf owners should be members of the forum.
That has set my mind at rest and educated me all in one.