[dizmo]

my drive shaft and gear box on my 180 have a reasonable amount of oil collecting around them.I want to top up the transmission fluid as its been like this for a while now... I had a full service a few months back so the oil is relatively new, not sure whats in it.... got some Castrol Manual smx, is it ok to just top it up with whats in it already?

Is it the bolt that sits directly above the transmission that i need to undo to top it up. it looks obvious but im not sure, Any advice would be greatly appreciated?

D

 

[roverdave]

no you cannot use normal oil in the gear box it has to be MTF 94 which you can get from any ford parts dep, part number is MVYK00020 £25+vat but if the gear box is leaking oil sound like the diff seal has gone the part number is MTRX100060SLP £15+VAT but you may find that this is because the end bearing casing has broken down which will mean you will need to replace the box or have your box striped down and reconditioned as the the seal will go within 10 miles i only say this cos it was what happen to me back in november all the best dave

 

[dizmo]

Thanks Dave, i'l get some of this mtf 94... out of intrest what are the signs of the end bearing casing breaking. cheers D

 

[roverdave]

jack the car up and get under the car if the seal where the drive shaft gose into the box is not sitting flush and looks to have come away from the box i.e 3 to 7mm gap you will find that the bearing casing has gone, this is cos the wrong oil at some point was used and or the bearing casing is made of plastic and can fail. But it could just be that over time the seal has just worm and is leaking but i wouldnt drive it with out oil or little oil cos this could end up causing the bearing to go / damage the box. P.s when you do drive it rumbble as you slow down in gear cos this is a sign that the bearing has gone to hope you get it sort dave let me know

 

[Rally Matt]

we have seen a couple of cases of bearings failing due to wrong oil used. It is also possible that a diff bearing has just failed through wear, usually the inner plastic race breaks up, this allows the ball bearings to gather rather than be spaced out and this causes the diff to run slightly off square, the oil seal can be forced out in extreme cases, or it can just be the seal getting uneven wear.

I would always suggest re-building a known good gearbox rather than buying someone else's cast offs. The biggest part of the cost is removing/re-fitting the box.

MTF 94 will be available from LandRover dealers, Xpart Dealers, Honda Dealers and good trade motor factors.

We buy it in big 25ltr barrels but you can buy a 2.5 ltr bottles which is more than enough. Usual fill form empty is 2.2 ltrs.

 

[roverdave]

any joy in sorting this yet

 

[dizmo]

any joy in sorting this yet

Thanks for the info guys, only just got back from a trip, im going to have a look later in the week to see what I can do. when driving the car I dont feel any rumble or problems, so im hoping its not to bad. need the belts changed soon, so I might get it all done together. I will fill you in with whats happening, when I get a chance to investigate.

Many Thanks

D

 

[dizmo]

Quick up date, Right so iv drained the gearbox oil, got about 2ltrs out of it, filled it back up with about 2ltrs of mtf94. Iv examined the drive shaft and it seems to be the smallest of leaks around the seal,(cant really see from where.) only a tiny amount of oil seemed to escape, looked like alot more before I emptied out the old stuff. No sign of any damage.

Changing oil made a huge difference to the gear shift, its now very smooth, before this it would sometime clunk into gear and I had to have the clutch planted to the floor even with the sheddist kit. The gear change is now great, couple with the sheddist clutch kit and new oil all seems to be real smooth and actually made the zs a pleasure to drive around town now.

Thanks for the advise guys, this oil has made the world of difference.

 

[Rally Matt]

It would have been worth changing the seal at the same time, it will continue to leak and will only get worse with more wear. What did the oil look like that came out?

That can give a big indicator to the condition of whats happening inside the gearbox.

 

[dizmo]

I would have liked to have replaced the seal but i have no idea how to do so. Is it something I could tackle myself?

The oil from the gear box was very clear, looked pretty new when it came out, I believe it was changed about 6 months ago.

On the other hand looking at my engine oil from the dip stick, its very black, I think that this could do with a change as well. What oil do you recommend I use for this?
Many thanks

D

 

[Rally Matt]

changing a diff oil seal is pretty straight forward, just undo top wishbone knuckle joint, remove lower stirup on strut, hub nut off, ease Outer CV back out of hub, then remove shaft inner joint. (remember to drain gear oil first or you will get a puddle at this point.

Remove seal and replace, sharp blade knife is good to lift the edge of the sealand then prise out with a suitable tool. Fitting is simply line up square and use a suitable drift to seat home.

Refit shaft and suspension parts etc use new spilt pin on upper knuckle, re-fill gearbox oil job done, 25 mins if you take your time.

Engine oil should be semi synthetic 10/40 and fit a genuine oil filter, pattern ones are not the same and not as good and probably more expensive! Use good quality branded oil.

We use Forte oil flush before changing old oil to really clear out the crud. Remember oil is supposed to get dirty, it carries the carbon and crud out of the engine to keep it clean inside. A good flush additive is really worth while.