L322 NV225 solenoid leak

[RRMaximus]

I have a 4.4 petrol 2002 L322. I changed the transfer case oil and found that it only had 1/3 the required amount. After that I noticed a leak that is most likely coming from the join between the solenoid and the transfer case.

From images that I found online, it appears that the solenoid has a rubber ring to stop this happening. Given many strange things that the previous owner did on this car, it is possible that they replaced the solenoid and did not put this O-ring in place.

I want to know if I can take off the solenoid and use gasket sealant to create a seal to stop this leak (placed where I have marked an orange circle on one of the attached images). I have searched for information on buying a seal or gasket for the solenoid but I have not been able to find any information.

 

[marjon]

Why not just remove it and go to your friendly garage/motor factors and get a new O ring? Or measure it and get 1 online.
A bit of sealant probably wouldnt hurt, but then you are just doing similar to what you have just accused/complained about a previous owner .

J

 

[Mark Piercy]

I'd go for a dried cracked oring problem
If they hadn't of replaced the oring it could have emptied itself and you'd be dealing with a dead transfer box reckon

 

[RRMaximus]

Why not just remove it and go to your friendly garage/motor factors and get a new O ring? Or measure it and get 1 online.
A bit of sealant probably wouldnt hurt, but then you are just doing similar to what you have just accused/complained about a previous owner .

J

I cannot remove the solenoid and drive to my local friendly garage motor to get a new O-ring. So I would need to get the O-ring first and then take off the solenoid and put the O-ring on it and replace it. But I cannot find any information on what size O-ring it would be so I cannot order it in advance.

I was not talking about using sealant, I was talking about using gasket sealant which is a perfectly legitimate solution for sealing something that normally has a gasket.

For example my gearbox was leaking from the sump because the sump was distorted and the gasket would not seal correctly, and gasket sealant solved this problem.

 

[Mark Piercy]

You can try it as a temporary fix but just check it every once in a while

 

[marjon]

I cannot remove the solenoid and drive to my local friendly garage motor to get a new O-ring. So I would need to get the O-ring first and then take off the solenoid and put the O-ring on it and replace it. But I cannot find any information on what size O-ring it would be so I cannot order it in advance.

I was not talking about using sealant, I was talking about using gasket sealant which is a perfectly legitimate solution for sealing something that normally has a gasket.

For example my gearbox was leaking from the sump because the sump was distorted and the gasket would not seal correctly, and gasket sealant solved this problem.

Ok so. you could buy a multipack of O rings and hope you have the right 1 but if not then measure it and put it back in with some sealant to tide you over.

Some gearbox/transefer box rebuilders on line show gasket sets which include O rings. Maybe give them a ring and ask if they have 1 or could tell you the size.

I was not talking about using sealant, I was talking about using gasket sealant which is a perfectly legitimate solution for sealing something that normally has a gasket.

Sealant, Gasket sealant, whats the diff . yes I agree its acceptable for gasket replacement/extra help. But you normally have an O ring.

J

 

[RRMaximus]

Ok so. you could buy a multipack of O rings and hope you have the right 1 but if not then measure it and put it back in with some sealant to tide you over.

Some gearbox/transefer box rebuilders on line show gasket sets which include O rings. Maybe give them a ring and ask if they have 1 or could tell you the size.



Sealant, Gasket sealant, whats the diff . yes I agree its acceptable for gasket replacement/extra help. But you normally have an O ring.

J

Sealant can mean any sealant including silicone. Gasket sealant is a special product designed to mimic a gasket. Therefore if there was a gasket there then it would mimic that gasket and achieve the same result.

I don't know if it normally has an O-ring, because I am just going off an image that I saw of a replacement solenoid. It might have an O-ring or it might have two O-rings, one on the inside and one on the outside, or also a gasket, but I am just guessing.

I was hoping for someone who actually had knowledge about this specific transfer case to give me some advice, such as the exact part number of the O-ring. I am not interested in going through a long process of taking the solenoid off to put it on again to then go to a gearbox specialist to take it off again and put it back on again, if someone can just give me the part number of the O-ring.

 

[RRMaximus]

You can try it as a temporary fix but just check it every once in a while

If I cannot find out the details of the o-ring (if that is the correct solution) then I will probably have to use the sealant. As it is not leaking massively at the moment I can give it some time to see if someone has the answer. I will also contact some gearbox specialists to see if they know the part number or size.

 

[roythebus]

It would be unusual to have 2 O rings facing each other. It you can find the size I've got hundreds here and will happily send you one. Bemble might know if he's still around.

 

[RRMaximus]

It would be unusual to have 2 O rings facing each other. It you can find the size I've got hundreds here and will happily send you one. Bemble might know if he's still around.

Bemble commented to me earlier on another forum about my diff change idea.

He did not yet comment on this topic on this forum or on the other forum where I posted the identical issues.

In the attached photo I see two o-rings.

But there might also be a gasket that is not shown there, I just do not know.

(That photo is from a solenoid on eBay which they want £1,300 for, which is funny given that I paid £1,500 for my whole car.)

I cannot find the size if the O-rings are not there, which is possible.

I do not want to pull off the solenoid without having a solution to immediately put it back on again so that the car is usable.

Therefore I cannot really tell you what size of O-ring I might need.

Also the internal O-ring might be a specific design and not simply a circular loop.

 

[Mark Piercy]

You never get two o-rings to seal against each other. It'll be an oring that's circular, you just need to find the dimension by pulling the bugger off

 

[Mark Piercy]

Stop worrying mate, just get in there and sort it

 

[roythebus]

It's a common design which I see a lot on bus air brake components. It'll be a thin O ring. If you ccn slacken the 2 halves and get in there with a sliding vernier it should be possible to get the internal diameter. But without that measurement I can't help.

 

[RRMaximus]

You never get two o-rings to seal against each other. It'll be an oring that's circular, you just need to find the dimension by pulling the bugger off

I can literally see from the picture that the internal O-ring is not circular.

Maybe you should have a look at the picture.

If I wanted to just get in there and do it then I would not have come on this forum to ask questions about it, I would have done it.

I do not need to fix the leak immediately as the leak is small.

I can wait until somebody with knowledge comes onto this forum.

I do not want to pull off the solenoid only to find that I can't put it back on again and use my car the next day.

Therefore what I need is someone who knows the details about this specific part of my car.

Someone who can tell me the part numbers of the o-rings or tell me that there is a gasket and tell me it's part number.

 

[RRMaximus]

It's a common design which I see a lot on bus air brake components. It'll be a thin O ring. If you ccn slacken the 2 halves and get in there with a sliding vernier it should be possible to get the internal diameter. But without that measurement I can't help.

Thanks, I understand. It looks like there is an internal rubber seal that is not just an O-ring. That could be where the leak is coming from.

Also there might be a gasket that is not shown in the picture of the replacement solenoid, which could be a problem.

The issue is that I do not want to take it off and then have to wait for a rubber O-ring then not be able to use the car.

 

[Mark Piercy]

It could be a small oil seal. You can argue or check it yourself.
I've never seen one in person and I'm always willing to learn. Especially in my job.
Open it up, I dare yeah, in fact stop looking for the easy answer on here and find out yourself
It's a motor not a solenoid, also
I'm kinda disappointed, at the response of "waiting for someone with knowledge to come along" but hey, it's your adventure