Thread: Dirty oil in front diff.

Dirty or does it have a silvery glint?

Originally Posted by twisted leader

I recently did a oil service on my 96 model 110 Defender. All diff and gearbox oils were very clean however the front diff was very dirty. Interestingly, in my brothers 95 model 110 Defender, his oils were exactly the same - all ok except for the front diff which was very dirty.
Is this just a Landrover thing?
Kind regards... David

It's a maintenance thing!

If the diff breather is blocked it can suck in water when plunging into water. \

Check you can blow air through it, but don't force the air/dirt into the diff. The banjo bolt can also rust up so make sure its not the culprit.

The other problem is your seals may need checking.

Hope that helps.

Thanks.
Ron, now that I think about it there was a silvery glint. Does that mean trouble?
Kind regards... David

I think your axles internal seals have failed and what you describe is grease from the hub diluted with hypoid oil in the diff (or, if you want to see it that way, diff oil contaminated with hub grease).
It's the same with my trucks. Haven't even tried to rectify the fault yet and in fact welcome the additional lubrication of hub and bearings. Just make sure your rubber cap on the hub sits tight.
Cheers

Originally Posted by Jojo

I think your axles internal seals have failed and what you describe is grease from the hub dilated with hypoid oil in the diff (or, if you want to see it that way, diff oil contaminated with hub grease).
It's the same with my trucks. Haven't even tried to rectify the fault yet and in fact welcome the additional lubrication of hub and bearings. Just make sure your rubber cap on the hub sits tight.
Cheers

ding ding ding, we have a winner

Pretty common for this to happen, in fact I think it happens more often than not.

Originally Posted by twisted leader

Thanks.
Ron, now that I think about it there was a silvery glint. Does that mean trouble?
Kind regards... David

It depends how long the oil has been in there.
If it was at the end of the service interval i would expect just a tiny bit of chrome glint and i mean a tiny bit.
I had a similar problem with my rear diff i changed my oil twice over a 1000k period before i decided i had a problem that was getting worse.
Put the thing into a work shop and get it sorted and you will save yourself some money.
My problem was a bearing failing if you sort it early you wont damage your crown wheel and pinion.

As mentioned by JoJo it's probably grease from the Swivel hubs. I have exactly the same on both my 90's. As mentioned previously I am quite happy at the extra lubrication provided.

Ivan