300tdi - few problems

hi everyone, new to the forum.. have been reading through alot of threads! alot of knowledge on here!

i have a 300tdi, 1994 it think..

I have to admit i am a complete noddy when it comes to engines, etc so bare with me!

My first problem is a small leak from underneath about half way down the car in the middle. where the two (i think props meet into the middle). it produces a maximum 2 inch patch over night. i thought that this could be some sort of oil seal somewhere. the drip actuall comes from a section of rectangular metal bar that runs accross the underneath. and wherever it is leaking from is above that. could anyone give me advice on what to do?

Secondly, literally this morning my right hand indicator, when i turned it on it was ticking more than double the speed of the other one. Anyone got a clue where is should look first etc??

Thanks in advance!

ed

Get underneath and have a closer look to see where the oil is coming from. Take a pic and post it on here.

You've got an indicator bulb blown.

Sounds like a gearbox leak over the gearbox cross member

G

cheers for the replies, yeah literally 20 mins after i posted i thought it would be bullb and checked it and it was..

i will try and post pictures soon. if it is a gear box leak is it do-able by myself, pretty good with my hands just dont know much about it. and if not how much? i know its vague cos it probs depends how bad?

thanks

ed

newbe said:

cheers for the replies, yeah literally 20 mins after i posted i thought it would be bullb and checked it and it was..

i will try and post pictures soon. if it is a gear box leak is it do-able by myself, pretty good with my hands just dont know much about it. and if not how much? i know its vague cos it probs depends how bad?

thanks

ed

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Hi Ed :welcome2:,
The labour to take the gearbox out and replace it not including any parts at my LR dealer is about £500, but the major benefit of the Land Rover is that you need very few specialist tools to do the work yourself. There are many threads with step by step pictures and help available online. The biggest issue with the gearbox is its weight so some care must be taken with that and a mate is a real bonus! All the work can be done yourself with some innovation and straightforward spannering.

The oil on your drive may be an issue, but you can probably just keep filling it up regularly for a while!

Good luck.

The indicator problem sounds like a earthing problem, check for corrosion around and in the lamp, also check the lamp itself.
Good Luck with the gearbox.

DON'T GO JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS!!! It's common knowledge that Land Rovers leak and drip oil all over the place. The best thing you can do in this situation is get under neath the vehicle and thoroughly clean the engine, gearbox and transfer box. The best thing to do is take it to a local garage and borrow their steam cleaner, or just buy a bottle of industrial engine degreaser. Spray it all over the engine, the gear box and the transfer box, making sure you don't miss a spot. Don't worry about getting the engine wet! Then thoroughly rinse everything down, which should in theory leave your engine and drive train totally clean and oil free. Drive your landy as usual for a day and then check around the engine, looking carefully for leaks or wet oily patches. Chances are that the oil is coming from further forwards towards the engine, which is then running back, or being blown back towards the gear box area, which then drips down onto the cross member (the rectangular section) and onto your drive.

I spent months trying to find a gear box leak which was in fact just oil seeping out of the timing case gasket right at the front of the engine! It had been running along the seam where the sump joins the bottom of the block and then dripping just below the belhousing (clutch housing).

If it's an LT77 gearbox, it should contain ATF (Auto-Matic Transmission Fluid) which is red. What colour is the oil?

-Pos

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan! i went down my local garage (but dont do landrovers) even so i know them pretty well and they had a look. the guy reckons its the seel between the front propshaft and the transfer box.. as that is the highest point of where the oil seems to be leaking. it has the r380 gearbox.

now totally different but, eventually going to try and start fitting snorkel, wading kit etc etc.. i have noticed that there is 3 pipes that are poking up behind the engine to the right of the air filter if looking at it from front and these are totally open. these go down underneath one to the front axle one to the rear to a little nut on top of each.. havent seen where the third goes.. is this part of a wading kit?..

and what are the basics that i should be looking for first?

excuse if anything i say sounds stupid etc.. i am a novice, be kind!

cheers

ed

Good man! The three pipes you see are the extended breather pipes. One for the front axle, one for the rear and also one for the gearbox. These pipes tend to degrade and turn very brittle over time, so check that each one is still all there and secure them to the chassis with tie wraps. If you're fitting a snorkel, and you do intend to have water covering your engine completely, it'll certainly be worth extending these breather pipes to the top of the snorkel, again securing them with tie wraps. There is also a threaded hole at the bottom of the bell housing and a rectangular slot at the bottom of the timing case (on the front of your engine). These should be blocked when you go wading to prevent gritty water getting at your clutch and your timing belt and destroying them, but the plugs should be removed once you've finnished playing. When it comes to fitting your snorkel, do not cut any corners. Make sure that it is air and water tight. You can test this by having someone cover the top of the snorkle (with the shroud removed). The engine should cut out completely. If it doesn't and you're sure that the intake is blocked completely, you have a leak, and it will draw water in and bugger up your engine. That's another bit of fun you can have though. It's easy enough to take to bits and put back together. You can have the pistons out and new bearings and rings in within a good weekend (or less) if you follow a few guides!

Hope this helps
-Pos

try an avoid filling your engine with water...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f7/water-engine-55166.html

ee up pos, you missing the LR yet?

boydy1989 said:

try an avoid filling your engine with water...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f7/water-engine-55166.html

ee up pos, you missing the LR yet?

Click to expand...

'eloo. Well yes and no. I've always liked the look of the MK2's so I'm happy that I've managed to find such a solid example. The fuel economy is good and it makes a nice change not having to crawl underneath it in the ****ing down rain every two days to fix something. Then again, it's not the same. I miss the constant tinkering (even though I'm always messing with the golf), the sound, the smell and the general feeling of having one but I'm going to get another in a year or two so there's no worries The girlfriend misses it more than I do Ooo, and the good thing about the next one is that it'll come with Tdi or TD5 power! The N/A was ridiculously numb thinking back. Strong, just dense!

-Pos

newbe said:

cheers for the replies, yeah literally 20 mins after i posted i thought it would be bullb and checked it and it was..

thanks

ed

Click to expand...

Just a quick point concerning the indicators......

The bulb holders on boths sides of the front of my Disco were worn. This would mean that the bulbs would come loose.

My first idea was to pack them out with silver foil. Bad idea! All this did was blow fuses.

I then replaced both the bulb holders with new items. They only cost £2 summut per side from my local LR main dealer.

Problem cured, and it's been a good couple of months since I did it. It was about a 5 minute job per side.

Disco Moneypit said:

Just a quick point concerning the indicators......

The bulb holders on boths sides of the front of my Disco were worn. This would mean that the bulbs would come loose.

My first idea was to pack them out with silver foil. Bad idea! All this did was blow fuses.

I then replaced both the bulb holders with new items. They only cost £2 summut per side from my local LR main dealer.

Problem cured, and it's been a good couple of months since I did it. It was about a 5 minute job per side.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I destroyed a few soft plastic britpart bulb holders trying to force the bulbs in without observing the fitting mechanism properly. The little knobbles on the bulbs aren't parallel. One is nearer the top of the bulb, one is nearer the bottom and obviously the housing accomodates this. Ahhh well

-Pos