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Gearbox input shaft oil seal.


DiscoStu

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Hi all, great forum. I only discovered it a few days ago, been engrossed ever since going through a couple of years worth of threads. I'm really popular at home now :)

I hope this is not too much of a breach in etiquette but I have posted about this topic on another forum before discovering this one. Unfortunately responses have been slow to come so far.

My problem is this:

I spotted a small drip from the bell housing wade plug hole around 3 weeks ago, decided to monitor it. Appears to be ATF.

Shortly after this my O/S trailing arm bracket snapped when coming home from work which led to an axle swap. This kind of pushed concern for the drip to the back of my mind.

With a replacement axle on and sorted, I went to renew my MOT yesterday. Amazingly it passed but whilst there dropped about half a litre of ATF on the workshop floor - again from the plug hole.

I have spoken to a local specialist who says it can only be the input shaft oil seal, around £200 plus vat to replace.

As reasonable as this seems, I'm the new Dad of a little girl (1 week and 2 days :)) and I begrudge paying £200 for anything that I can do myself. Has anyone here tackled this job, and if so have you got any advice to pass along? Also, do you agree with the diagnosis?

I have also been advised to check my gearbox breather as this could be the possible cause of the problem.

All advice gratefully received,

Stu. (1994 300Tdi)

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Yes, it's the input shaft oil seal that needs to be replaced. I agree that the original cause could be the gearbox breather but I don't think this your case. My guess it that the bearings in the gearbox are worn and this puts more stress on that particular oil seal. And, of course, another cause could be the oil seal itself.

To replace that oil seal u need to gain access to the inside of the clutch housing. This means taking engine out or the gearbox+transfer box out. Your choice.

Then, all you have to do it will take you about 1/2 hour.

You can do it like u can see here: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=6719 - that is not fully taking the gearbox out.

I recently replaced mine but this was part of a more complex job. But u can see a picture of front plate (that needs to be taken out) and the incriminated seal (bottom hole) here: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?s=&s...st&p=146977

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If you can take the box out and replace for £200 of you own time then go for it. Without proper kit and helping hands it might take the best part of a day to do. That £200 looks very tempting to someone who has changed a box in the past by himself :)

So far I've had to take the gearbox out of every LR I've owned (2x S3's, 200tdi D90, Disco 300tdi), and I'm about to take the box out of my latest Disco (synchro's gone :angry: ).

I'd agree with the comments about needing proper kit (plenty of tools and an engine hoist), an extra pair of hands and a healthy dose of 'mechanical experience'. It's not an impossible job to do yourself, but it can be fiddly at times and downright infuriating at others (usually trying to re-fit the damn thing) - remember it's V.Heavy, and difficult to manouvre.

If you've got the mentioned resources and time, then go for it - a large garage or covered area would be good in the current weather conditions!!! ;)

Alternatively, if you have the job done for you at a garage, see how much extra they'll charge you to fit a new clutch, clutch release bearing and clutch release arm at the same time - it could save you a lot of time and expense in the future, and the parts aren't too dear.

Dunk

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Thanks very much for the replies folks. And thanks for the links Cipx, very helpful indeed.

Thankfully I have a large car port and garage and a willing helper in the shape of me Dad :P

Will have to do without the engine hoist but ramps, jacks and mechanical know how I can put my hands on! I'm relatively new to LR's (Had mine nearly 2 years but has been very reliable), but used to be a mechanic until I wised up and got a cleaner job :)

Stu.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi guys, just a quick update and a question.

I'm halfway through the job, had to take the box out in the end. Thre was just no way of "Encouraging" the nose cone off the front of the box with the bell housing still attached so it had to come out.

I've got my Dad and Brother coming round today to help me put it back in. It was a real struggle to drop it on my own, I think that £200 is looking better value all the time.

My question is regarding play in the input shaft. How much is acceptable/expected on a 150000 mile car? I can see the input shaft bearing moving in its race and i'm thinking of cipx's comment above about it being knackered and responsible for my leaky seal. Wonder how long the new one will cope.

I dont have a DTI and the box is going back in today regardless, i need to use it tomorrow. So how much of a wiggle will you accept, is it worth refurbishing it at some point in the future?

post-4002-1185088365_thumb.jpg post-4002-1185088440_thumb.jpg

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Probably a bit late, but to help replace the gearbox and to minimise the risk of having a slip & the weight hanging on the input shaft, it is worth making a couple of long studs (remove the heads of a couple of long bolts or buy a length of the threaded rod from B&Q).

Fit these into the back of the engine & when you jack the box up engage them with the holes in the bellhousing.

Makes realignment of everything sooo much easier.

Once fitted up & proper bolts in then remove the studs & put the bolts in.

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There's usually a small amount of play in the input shaft bearing - it's a ball race, same as the transfer case front bearing is. I suggest you replace it anyway to remove any doubt. Good on you for doing it yourself anyway - even if it takes a few days you've still saved yourself £200 and have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.

When you come to refit the gearbox - put a plank on the gearbox crossmember sloping down towards the front of the vehicle and slide the box up until it's over the crossmember, then jack the bellhousing up, remove the plank and then locate the gearbox back on the engine as normal.

Les.

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I gave my mate a hand the other day to replac the clutch in his p38 diesel and i noticed there was quite a bit of play in the gearbox input shaft but only the faintest tell tale of an oil leak from the seal.

So i reckon do as you have done new seal and monitor afterwards.

Lynall

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When you come to refit the gearbox - put a plank on the gearbox crossmember sloping down towards the front of the vehicle and slide the box up until it's over the crossmember, then jack the bellhousing up, remove the plank and then locate the gearbox back on the engine as normal.

Les.

Damn. Wish I'd thought of that :)

I ended up with a dirty big ratchet strap and a brace across the inside of the car, axle stand and trolley jack and six pair of hands! I really didn't think I could get the box out without removing the cross member.

I think I'll put the bearing on "The List" for future attention.

Thanks for the encouragement lads, just got to wait till tomorrow morning for my exhaust to arrive at the local place. A number of holes and splits in every section, happy days.... :ph34r: :ph34r:

Stu.

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