Common Oil Leaks

[fightingtiger]

Hi Team

Very new to Land Rovers so asking for some experienced options.

As part of my RWC for my ExMil 1970 2a 2.25 LWB the guy said " we get it's a Land Rover but I need to be able to have it run for 10 minutes in my shop without it dripping oil over the floor - then I'll sign it off " :-)

His suggestions was give it a really good clean, look for leaks and do what I can to seal them.

So question - are there any no brainer - you must fix this first leak areas.

I have seen full gearbox/transfer case gasket kits - how much of that can go onto fix leaks without pulling the gearbox out ?

Any thing you think is a goto must inspect/fix.

I plan to teflon tape each plug and bolt as I go as I have seen that strategy has worked for others.

Any advice welcome - thanks in advance [smilebigeye]

[gromit]

First give it a good jetwash and then look for leaks over the next few days.

A gearbox gasket kit requires the box to be taken apart but seals can be done in situ.
Transfer box cover plate gasket can be replaced.

Check :-
Front & rear diffs, seal can be replaced once propshaft dropped out of the way.
Front swivel hubs, really need to be taken apart & replace the seal but you can use semi-liqid grease.
Wheel hubs, pull the hubs & replace the seals. Good opportunity to check & adjust wheel bearings.
Gearbox & transfer box, oil seals can be replaced in situ once propshafts are dropped out of the way. You may need to remove the transmission brake, this can be done from underneath. There is a 'leak path' that stops the oil getting onto the transmission brake shoes but this often gets blocked.
Engine, rear main seal means separating engine & gearbox. Rockerbox, fuel pump etc. gaskets can be easily replaced.

I've not seen drain or level plugs leak, most are tapered threads.

As already stated, clean first and see where the leaks are before you go too far.
If it's not leaking badly then stop round the corner from the roadworthy tester, get underneath with a rag and clean off the worst of the oil :)


Colin

[fightingtiger]

Thanks Colin.

lots of great info and tips there.

i will do some before and after photos over Easter and it will be clean ready from some leak checking and then some parts ordering if required :-)

all the best and thanks again for sharing your knowledge

Shane

[whitehillbilly64]

To add to Colin's comments.
The diffs have a breather on the top of the longer side. Remove them and make sure they are not blocked.
There is a ball bearing inside. Is should rattle.
The lower bell housing section has a hole at the bottom. Often oil will drip from it from the rear engine seal or the front gearbox seal if the plug is not fitted. Referred to as a Wading Plug.
Look for a bracket on one of the bell housing bolts. It may have the bracket and plug.
Peter Haylock at 4xfour spare told me a fix years ago was to plug ta dripping hole with some rolled up felt to 'Plug" the hole when rego checks came around.
I had a mate who bought an Ex military 2a LWB a while ago now. He gave it a good clean. It had quite a few drips, but after driving it around for a while most seals stopped leaking with use. It had sat for a while unused.
Semi Liquid grease can also be referred to as One Shot Grease.
You need to source a good workshop manual.
I will PM a link to a site I used for downloads.

whitehillbilly

[JDNSW]

Further to all the above.

The wading plug hole is threaded (3/8"BSP from memory) and you can temporarily put a plug in it for inspection - but don't leave it there unless you want to be doing the clutch.

For the swivel seals to actually seal, they need to have a smooth surface to turn against, but sometimes overlooked, is there needs to be no free play on the swivel. There is a tapered roller bearing on the bottom, and a fibre bush and pad at the top. There needs to be preload on the bearing and no free play on the bush. Preload is adjusted by shims under the top pin (actually under the bottom as well, but leave them alone unless you are sure you know what you are doing). Any free play here allows the seal to move away from the surface of the ball and oil to leak out. It also allows impact damage to the bearing on the bottom, resulting in grooves wearing in the cones in the straight ahead position and consequent free play.

'One shot' semigrease referred to above helps cover up leaks, and seems to have few real issues.

[fightingtiger]

Some great tips there Team.

All on my list for Easter - thanks Whitehillbilly64 and JD

[WhatIsClocks]

Having recently sealed my swivels, I'll add two things: firstly, I found that packing the large circular seal (the one that "sweeps" the inner swivel) with grease worked well. Didn't fix any leaks because I have new swivels, but I haven't had a drop come out of that gap in years.

Secondly, I did end up fixing an oil leak from the bottom swivel pin. I dropped it out and put a high-quality sealing compound (not naming names to avoid the inevitable bikeshedding) between the shims, and also sealed the threads for the studs on the bottom (you might have bolts, but it's the same idea).

Hopefully that comes in useful if your swivels are an issue at all.