Transmission fluid check

[landoman]

Got a leak in my transmission fluid
Need to check the level of the fluid before I drive it to repair shop

Been told need to check the transmission dipstick

not sure if my defender 11o has one

defender 110 2015 year

if it does where might I look

[POD]

Transmission dipstick? Is it an auto?
The 6-speed manual ZF gearbox certainly doesn't have a dipstick, in fact it is a pain to check the oil level in these boxes; the only accurate way to check the oil level is to drain the gearbox and put the correct amount back in it (2.2litres if memory serves). Unlike most manual gearboxes, if you fill it until oil comes back out the filler hole, it has too much oil in it. For some unknown reason, this is a problem.

[loanrangie]

Transmission dipstick? Is it an auto?
The 6-speed manual ZF gearbox certainly doesn't have a dipstick, in fact it is a pain to check the oil level in these boxes; the only accurate way to check the oil level is to drain the gearbox and put the correct amount back in it (2.2litres if memory serves). Unlike most manual gearboxes, if you fill it until oil comes back out the filler hole, it has too much oil in it. For some unknown reason, this is a problem.Defender has an MT82 box not a ZF.

[big harold]

Are you sure it's the transmission? Might be transfer case check plug on the back.
Not common for transmissions to leak.
The "o" Ring will leak on transfer case and will come down front side between the 2 extension housings.
Mark

[carpdvl]

Allen bolt on right side of transmission midway up is filler plug. Take that off, bend a long zip tie at 90 degrees and use as a dipstick. If you have a bit of oil in there should be good to drive to your mechanic. To be safe could throw a bit more in for a short drive

No way to check accurately otherwise other than to drop the fluid and refill.

Have you had an Ashcroft mt82 adaptor fitted by chance? I just had to pull my transfer box off as the seals on that had gone

Apparently, in my brief calls around, it's not uncommon for the O-rings on that to fail and it to start flinging gearbox oil out

[POD]

Defender has an MT82 box not a ZF.

Quite right, my bad, the MT82 is not made by ZF. That aside, I stand by the other info.

Also agree it is far more likely that the transfer case is leaking, the O-rings at the front of the intermediate shaft leak and the oil comes down between the gearbox and transfer case. The oil level in the transfer case can be checked at the filler plug at the rear, in the late Defender it is not supposed to be used as an oil-level reference because the box is on a slight tilt, but it's certainly close enough to check that there's enough oil to drive across town. In fact, unless there is a large pool of oil under the vehicle, I wouldn't worry about checking it for a short drive; what looks like a big mess on the underside usually represents a surprisingly small amount of oil lost from the box.

A repair to the intermediate shaft leak on the transfer case is a big job and needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing (i.e. not someone who told you to check the transmission dipstick on your Defender). if the O-rings are replaced (which involves removing and dismantling the box) it will leak again almost immediately unless the casing is machined and bushed.

EDIT: carpdvl's post (immediately above) makes a very good point, if you have the Ashcroft coupling kit and it fails you can lose a large amount of gearbox oil into the cavity at the rear of the gearbox. Had one of their early iterations fail on a mate's Defender and it made a helluva mess.

[Robmacca]

Transmission dipstick? Is it an auto?
The 6-speed manual ZF gearbox certainly doesn't have a dipstick, in fact it is a pain to check the oil level in these boxes; the only accurate way to check the oil level is to drain the gearbox and put the correct amount back in it (2.2litres if memory serves). Unlike most manual gearboxes, if you fill it until oil comes back out the filler hole, it has too much oil in it. For some unknown reason, this is a problem.

This is interesting.. I've spoken to MR Automotive regarding filling these boxes and they quite often fill it to the filler plug which works out to be 2.4 to 2.5ltrs of oil. They never had a issue with doing this. There is 2 plugs on the side of the box that can be used to fill your GB, one is higher than the other. If u use the lower one (closest to the TC), then all should be fine... as always, u need to ensure that the GB breather is not blocked as well

[POD]

This is interesting.. I've spoken to MR Automotive regarding filling these boxes and they quite often fill it to the filler plug which works out to be 2.4 to 2.5ltrs of oil. They never had a issue with doing this. There is 2 plugs on the side of the box that can be used to fill your GB, one is higher than the other. If u use the lower one (closest to the TC), then all should be fine... as always, u need to ensure that the GB breather is not blocked as well

Yeah it seems obvious to use the filler hole as a level, but according to the LR workshop manual it's just not cricket. What exactly the problem is with over-filling to this small degree is not stated. If my recollection is correct, the gearbox takes 2.2 litres and the transfer 2.4. I wonder if it is due to the fact that the engine and transmission are not horizontal in these vehicles; obviously the rear-down tilt means that if you use the TC filler plug as a level, there is less oil than there should be, possibly the gearbox filler is forward of the centre line so puts it above the proper level. If this is the case, other vehicles with this gearbox (installed horizontally) would use the filler plug as a level plug, like every other vehicle. And if THAT is the case, it would be a simple matter of raising the rear end a little when filling both.

[MLD]

Are you sure it's the transmission? Might be transfer case check plug on the back.
Not common for transmissions to leak.
Mark

the Ashcroft MT82 adaptor is known to leak. the seal scores the seal face and oil from the transmission leaks. i'm on my 2nd Ashcroft adaptor since their release and my current is leaking chronic. mine is not an isolated example. i think my alignment between transmission and transfer is out contributing to the accelerated failure.

[Robmacca]

the Ashcroft MT82 adaptor is known to leak. the seal scores the seal face and oil from the transmission leaks. i'm on my 2nd Ashcroft adaptor since their release and my current is leaking chronic. mine is not an isolated example. i think my alignment between transmission and transfer is out contributing to the accelerated failure.


Which one do u have now - the Red or Blue one ?

[spudfan]

As far as I am aware, if you use the filler plug as a guide level instead of putting in 2.2 litres the gearbox can over heat. 2.4 litres is the capacity for a dry fill at the factory. If you fill to the filler plug, owing to the angle of the gearbox you will exceed 2.4 maximum fill.
Also only use MVMTF Plus 75W-90 to GL4 specification. GL5 will react with some of your gearbox components.

[carpdvl]

the Ashcroft MT82 adaptor is known to leak. the seal scores the seal face and oil from the transmission leaks. i'm on my 2nd Ashcroft adaptor since their release and my current is leaking chronic. mine is not an isolated example. i think my alignment between transmission and transfer is out contributing to the accelerated failure.Just pulled my blue one for a LOF one piece for this reason