My new 1988 range rover vogue SE 3.5 V8

[Guest mortus]

Yesterday i bid for a range rover, not expecting to get it, and when i returned from my rugby game i had WON!! so 4 hours later sat a 1988 range rover

classic with a 3.5 EFI V8 and its automatic, its got a 40mm BODY lift and its got disco springs all round (it did have a 3 inch lift and 36 inch wheels but the previous owner swapped this onto his new disco 200tdi)

its got a slight lean to the left, and its got a bump in the rear tailgate, it doesnt lock

the last owner has dropped off something too sharp for the rangies over hang let alone it having a tow pack on

this is how the body was lifted

the shock turrets have been cut/trimmed

NOW then, this is the strange part, i honestly have no idea about rangerovers or automatics, but is there surposed to be a sump plug here?

where the sticky outy bolt is? this is on the autobox

I have checked the transmission oil level and its says its fine, but it is leakin oil out this hole. and if you look up it you can see gears :|

thanks

chris

[steve_d]

The hole with the bolt in is the drain hole for the bell housing and the gear teeth you see inside is the starter ring gear on the flywheel.

If oil is coming out then you need to identify what type it is. It could be engine oil indicating you have a leaky rear crankshaft seal or it could be transmission oil which has a distinct smell and may appear to be red. The transmission oil could be leaking from the seal between the transmission and the torque converter.

That bolt hole is normally left open, which you should do unless the oil leak is extreme. It may take a while for anything to drain out before you can assess how bad the leak is.

The hole is normally plugged when you take the car off road so that you don't get water in there. You can see the blanking plug (with the square head) parked to one side of the hole.

Steve

[SteveRK]

The oil residue looks like it could be either auto box or engine oil. It 'appears' that the previous owner has recently fitted the bolt to either keep his drive clean or mask the problem during the sale

I have a manual box on mine but if its either seal it might not be too difficult to replace once the box is dropped down - assuming you can do this on the autos rather than lifting up into the interior as per the manual?

[Guest mortus]

Thanks steve, i felt a right prune today when i went to my local landrover garage and said ive got a hole in my gearbox...

its only a slight dribble of red oil like 5 drips worth. so nothing major.

[steve_d]

Thanks steve, i felt a right prune today when i went to my local landrover garage and said ive got a hole in my gearbox...

its only a slight dribble of red oil like 5 drips worth. so nothing major.

Sounds like the answer you wanted.

Unless you intend to go wading you leave that hole open and as I said, alongside the hole is the bung. You remove it from its stowage position and screw it into the drain hole.

Steve

[paintman]

Red is likely to be ATF so you have a slight leak on the front seal of the autobox.

If you did want to sort it then you need to lift the car before removing the box (from underneath & the carrier shown in the manuals is well worth the trouble of making, the gear & transfer box together are very heavy) as the bell housing is BIG & can make getting the thing out from under the car difficult (!!).

Don't be tempted to leave the Torque Converter attached to the flex plate, it needs to come off with the box or correct refitting is impossible.

Be careful the TC doesn't slip off as it is heavy and holds a LOT of fluid which doesn't come out when you drain the box(but does when you tip the TC on its side )

After replacing seals be sure the TC is fitted at the correct depth and ensure it doesn't slip forward when refitting the box or you WILL split the gearbox pump when bolting it all back up together again. No pump=no pressure=no drive.

Whilst the pump is not difficult to replace it means you have to take it all off again.......

2 long threaded studs into the back of the engine make refitting gearboxes sooo much easier.

[Guest mortus]

riiight, that sounds pretty complicated for me at the moment, but its only a little drip every so often and i will just keep topping it up, altho it really isnt dripping that much at all.

the rangie is SORN now as well and getting bobtailed soo as i can be bothered and find time.

im in need of some measurements to do this, as there really isnt a lot about 4 door bobtailing on the internet.

any help would be appreciated.

thanks

Chris

[Guest mortus]

right, this may sound like a stupid question... but how the hell do i open the fuel filler thing, like the metal door thing that shuts... i cant find a switch for it anywhere, and it wont pull open...

shed any light guys?

[SteveRK]

switch is on the steering column shroud (right side)

[NickSuzy]

Hi There

It should be located on the steering column.

Cheers Nick

[steve_d]

The flap is locked as part of the central locking.

First make sure the locks are in the open position and also try locking and unlocking the door and listen for the actuator which is below and slightly behind the filler flap.

You can get at it from behind the trim inside but there is no access hatch as such.

Steve

[Bowie69]

Pretty sure the button thingy came in after 1991, my early 1991 range has no button, but locked on the central locking (broken, so it was cut with a hacksaw) and my late 1991 model with the high filler is on the button left hand side of the steering column, behind the stalk.