A bit of an update. Nothing too major but an update none the less.
I was under the car today, giving it a bit of a once over in preparation for a 4x4 day tomorrow with a mate. He has an X5 and has been talking up its off road capabilities. I'm looking forward to upstaging the Bavarian...
Anyway, I went through with my first attempt at topping up my transfer case as it has the obligatory leaks. It was a relatively easy job, made all the easier thanks to a hand pump, purchased from supercheap.
The transfer case took approx 500ml of fluid/oil, which leads me to believe that it hasn't been done for a while given its slow leaking rate.
While I was under there, I thought I'd check all of the nuts around the transfer case. Half were loose, as in easy to tighten with my socket wrench, so I tightened them all up.
While I was at it, I thought I'd check the sump bolts too, yep... Some of them were loose too, especially the ones in which seeping oil was evident. Even the sump plug was a little loose. Don't worry, I didn't over tighten it.
This brings to question (yet again) what MLR actually did when I had it in there for a service last time. Never again am I going there. The more I learn about this car, the more I realise how bad they were at actually doing anything good for the money I paid. I'm almost convinced that they rely on the fact that the majority of owners who go there have no idea about their cars and take what they say as gospel.
I'm yet to see if the tightening of any of these bolts will slow or stop my slow oil leaks, but I guess I'll know by the end of the weekend.
Something I have on the cards is a replacement of the engine sump and the transfer case gaskets. I'll probably do them both at the same time and will only do it once I've purchased one of those roverdrive transfer case/increased capacity/cooling fins replacement thingos. Can't wait to install that.
When under the car today, I really couldn't see the purpose of the heat shield/guard that sits in-between the y-pipe and the transfer case. If anything it's just a pain in the butt from a maintenance perspective.
I was going to pull it off there and then, but I couldn't. The final 15mm bolt holding it onto the tranny mount wouldn't budge. I figure I needed my breaker bar, which I couldn't access as it was in the boot, the car locked and the keys with SWMBO at work. (why she takes the keys with her when the car is at home is beyond me. She found it hilarious though).
I'll get it off soon enough though.
Next on the check up list was the engine bay.
I noticed that the brake flid was a little low. Odd, as it was full previously. Maybe I lost a little when I installed the new rotors and pads?
Some of you may recall me querying a remedy for a spongy pedal. Well, with a small top up of some super dot 4 and a few pumps of the pedal, it was ready for a test drive.
Win. The brakes are much firmer now. I really didn't think a tiny top up would do that, but it did.
The car feels really great now. It feels tight and smooth. Is it possible for the gear changes to seem less laboured after a transfer case top up? Or am I just experiencing placebo? I don't know, it "feels" better.
No more steering and suspension clunks,
no more 80kph steering wobble, firm brakes, no coolant loss, a full transfer case, a nifty engine saver beep, iPod connectivity, positive plans to fix the remaining leaks...
It's all coming together.
I feel as though I've put a lot of effort and love into this car and have plenty more planned. Something I wish the previous owner had done.
Anyway, enough ramblings from me for tonight... (the pregnant missus is fast asleep, snoring, and I'm feeling chatty after a few glasses of wine)
Cheers
Chris
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Originally Posted by Sully
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