ATF leak from front of autobox, input shaft seal?

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Stanleysteamer said:
James you are such a gent. I keep feeling I'm being a pain.
If you really don't mind putting up a couple more pics of what you think would be useful then i can't say no but please don't put yourself to too much trouble.

As for the Ashcrofts thing, I really have no idea. When he said he drove it around, it wasn't with no trouble, he said he had to double-declutch to get it into gear, probably second i'd a thort. But what can I say? I never saw it or heard it.
Glad to hear others still rate them, as I would have done completely, which is why I was quite shocked at what he had to say.
But then a reputation takes a lifetime to build and can be lost in a few minutes. My brother, time served apprentice, could cut hair really well, except when he went for an interview and had to do a test head, his nerves always got the better of him and he fu cked it up. So he gave up and became a bus driver! Maybe the guy I was talking to just happened to get the one rogue box they ever did. Dunno. (Beginning to think I shouldn't have mentioned this, but then I am glad to get confirmation they are more than likely OK.):oops::(
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might help show you what im talking about
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jamesmartin said:
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James
Thanks ever so much for all these pics. you really are a gent and a mean photographer too.
18 bolts to hold the whole thing together! Can't believe it! And not all the same length! (That would have been too easy!)
I am waiting for a new battery to be delivered and also a solenoid overhaul kit for the starter. I spent about 3 hours trying to get the top bolt undone on the starter, with no result so next time I'll take the other two out first and try again, after spraying it with some of the stuff @sierrafery mentioned, which I still have to buy.
Then I'll change the rear shocks and bodge the oil leak just to get it through the MOT.
Once all that is done I'll take it to the mechanic, armed with all this knowledge and we will discuss where we go.

Just noticed the coolant level, which always drops a little bit over a year or so, seems to have suddenly dropped a bit more, so I am now dreading having to take the head off. I used the tiny trail of bubbles in the expansion tank as a persuader to the seller when I bought it back in 2014. I expected to have to take the head off in short order back then, but it seemed to be holding its coolant and has done so, more or less ever since, but now I am more worried. Anyway, I am again hoping it'll hold until i get it to France. (I have done about 6000 miles in it each year since 2014 so cannot complain).
If Brexit turns out not to cause us too much trouble I am thinking of getting a big garage, or "hangar" as they call them in France, built over there. Then I'll trailer most of my garage equipment there and use that for doing major works on my vehicles as doing them here in the winter months is purgatory. An ordinary double garage is only suitable for normal cars and I think I am going to get a lift of some sort. It ook me so long just to organise and drag a good jack and axle stands back and forth across the front of our gravel drive the other day. The gravel we have is much bigger stuff than pea gravel, as you tread that into the house all the time. Think the east end of Chesil Beach! But it makes for a lot of work when working under cars.
Thanks again mate, it is all a huge help. :):):)
 
Stanleysteamer said:
James
Thanks ever so much for all these pics. you really are a gent and a mean photographer too.
18 bolts to hold the whole thing together! Can't believe it! And not all the same length! (That would have been too easy!)
I am waiting for a new battery to be delivered and also a solenoid overhaul kit for the starter. I spent about 3 hours trying to get the top bolt undone on the starter, with no result so next time I'll take the other two out first and try again, after spraying it with some of the stuff @sierrafery mentioned, which I still have to buy.
Then I'll change the rear shocks and bodge the oil leak just to get it through the MOT.
Once all that is done I'll take it to the mechanic, armed with all this knowledge and we will discuss where we go.

Just noticed the coolant level, which always drops a little bit over a year or so, seems to have suddenly dropped a bit more, so I am now dreading having to take the head off. I used the tiny trail of bubbles in the expansion tank as a persuader to the seller when I bought it back in 2014. I expected to have to take the head off in short order back then, but it seemed to be holding its coolant and has done so, more or less ever since, but now I am more worried. Anyway, I am again hoping it'll hold until i get it to France. (I have done about 6000 miles in it each year since 2014 so cannot complain).
If Brexit turns out not to cause us too much trouble I am thinking of getting a big garage, or "hangar" as they call them in France, built over there. Then I'll trailer most of my garage equipment there and use that for doing major works on my vehicles as doing them here in the winter months is purgatory. An ordinary double garage is only suitable for normal cars and I think I am going to get a lift of some sort. It ook me so long just to organise and drag a good jack and axle stands back and forth across the front of our gravel drive the other day. The gravel we have is much bigger stuff than pea gravel, as you tread that into the house all the time. Think the east end of Chesil Beach! But it makes for a lot of work when working under cars.
Thanks again mate, it is all a huge help. :):):)
Click to expand...
3rd bolt on the starter is a 15mm nut,theres only 2 bolt lengths short hold bell housing to pump housing long hold both to the main case you cant get them wrong, it was a bit of luck really ,io do have core boxes in a not to easy to get at place which i was going to use but a local farmer bought this box in today its out of a self propelled sprayer hence the red paint but its the same box type,thats as much as youd need to remove to fix a front leak the gasket between main case and pump housing, the input seal, or theres a o ring sealing the cast iron pump body into the ali housing plate
the next part in the main case visible is clutch pack A but theres no reason to disturb that
 
odd regarding ashcroft, i bought a 4hp24 rebuild kit off of them and was very happy with it..
customer service and endless questions were received well too..

And JM is a ******* legend when it comes to LR components. ;)
 
Henry_b said:
odd regarding ashcroft, i bought a 4hp24 rebuild kit off of them and was very happy with it..
customer service and endless questions were received well too..

And JM is a ******* legend when it comes to LR components. ;)
Click to expand...
Absolutely agree.
jamesmartin said:
3rd bolt on the starter is a 15mm nut,theres only 2 bolt lengths short hold bell housing to pump housing long hold both to the main case you cant get them wrong, it was a bit of luck really ,io do have core boxes in a not to easy to get at place which i was going to use but a local farmer bought this box in today its out of a self propelled sprayer hence the red paint but its the same box type,thats as much as youd need to remove to fix a front leak the gasket between main case and pump housing, the input seal, or theres a o ring sealing the cast iron pump body into the ali housing plate
the next part in the main case visible is clutch pack A but theres no reason to disturb that
Click to expand...
Yeah, sorry, I know it's a nut not a bolt, can actually see the fu cker and did manage to get a socket over it, but could not seem to find an extension of exactly the right length to be able to put a breaker bar on the end from below, and I have a wide range of lengths. Also there is a wire connection which cannot be removed which means I cannot seem to get a straight line on the nut without compressing the wire to hell. So I went in from the top with wibbly-wobblies etc and that was even worse. I am going to rely on removing the other two bolts then moving the starter a little bit from side to side to free off the nut just enough to make the starter nut removable. Meanwhile a new battery might make the starter more reliable. It is only the contacts in the solenoid that have probably arced just a bit too much in their life, I am hoping a more powerful current might make them less of a problem in the short term. I just don't want it refusing to start in the MOT station! I even debated removing the end plate off the solenoid in situ and just replacing the sprung contact, but that would be even more gynaecology!
 
Stanleysteamer said:
Absolutely agree.

Yeah, sorry, I know it's a nut not a bolt, can actually see the fu cker and did manage to get a socket over it, but could not seem to find an extension of exactly the right length to be able to put a breaker bar on the end from below, and I have a wide range of lengths. Also there is a wire connection which cannot be removed which means I cannot seem to get a straight line on the nut without compressing the wire to hell. So I went in from the top with wibbly-wobblies etc and that was even worse. I am going to rely on removing the other two bolts then moving the starter a little bit from side to side to free off the nut just enough to make the starter nut removable. Meanwhile a new battery might make the starter more reliable. It is only the contacts in the solenoid that have probably arced just a bit too much in their life, I am hoping a more powerful current might make them less of a problem in the short term. I just don't want it refusing to start in the MOT station! I even debated removing the end plate off the solenoid in situ and just replacing the sprung contact, but that would be even more gynaecology!
Click to expand...
a thin wall short 15mm socket and a uj very long extension through the second webb space in the manifold plus a telescopic magnate to locate the socket usually works for me
 
jamesmartin said:
a thin wall short 15mm socket and a uj very long extension through the second webb space in the manifold plus a telescopic magnate to locate the socket usually works for me
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James, that is exactly what I used, except for two things.
I only have ordinary 15 mm sockets, my bar of long sockets, as I found out the other day, doesn't contain a 15 mm one! It has 16 and 14 but not 15 which is totally stupid and I had to count the clips to be sure I hadn't simply lost it.
I was thinking about getting one, now I think i mioght well have to, it'll come in handy anyway.
And the telescopic magnet, which I own and ought to have thought of!
I was using 3/8, but then I went for 1/2 with an adaptor before the 3/8 U/J cos I couldn't get enough torque on the nut without it somehow coming off.
I've no doubt I'll get there eventually but it is nice to hear that there isn't some clever non-obvious way of doing it. though this way ain't that obvious!
Having to use a magnet to undo a nut is pretty loopy!
 
Stanleysteamer said:
James, that is exactly what I used, except for two things.
I only have ordinary 15 mm sockets, my bar of long sockets, as I found out the other day, doesn't contain a 15 mm one! It has 16 and 14 but not 15 which is totally stupid and I had to count the clips to be sure I hadn't simply lost it.
I was thinking about getting one, now I think i mioght well have to, it'll come in handy anyway.
And the telescopic magnet, which I own and ought to have thought of!
I was using 3/8, but then I went for 1/2 with an adaptor before the 3/8 U/J cos I couldn't get enough torque on the nut without it somehow coming off.
I've no doubt I'll get there eventually but it is nice to hear that there isn't some clever non-obvious way of doing it. though this way ain't that obvious!
Having to use a magnet to undo a nut is pretty loopy!
Click to expand...
magnet helps locate the socket and a bar wedged against the uj or socket stops it jumping off, a long socket or thick wall wont fit as the starter body becomes in the way then
 
jamesmartin said:
magnet helps locate the socket and a bar wedged against the uj or socket stops it jumping off, a long socket or thick wall wont fit as the starter body becomes in the way then
Click to expand...
Thanks for all your tips. I had heard a long socket was not a good idea, I was getting desperate! I don't really know how thin walled my 3/8 sockets are, they look pretty thin walled to me which is why I used it instead of the 1/2 which is pretty standard. I'll try the bar wedged against the u/j or socket, sounds as if I could do with another hand and arm! Or maybe cut myself a piece of wood and jam it in behind the manifold.
It really is a b!tch to get to and see though isn't it? Thank heavens for the powerful torch wifey gave me for Christmas a few years ago!
So is the socket you use 3/8 or 1/2?
Last question I promise!
 
Stanleysteamer said:
Weirdly, I mentioned Ashcrofts to the 4x4 specialist and he didn't have a good word for them. First time I had heard any criticism of them. So I got he to tell me why. Apparently they had sold him a couple of gearboxes that he said were "tight" (??) and that he felt he could not pass on to customers telling them to just drive them until they "loosened up" (?).
He says he drove one around himself for a long time, enough that he felt the box should have got better. Meantime he had been on the phone to them and they were not helpful. So in the end he drove the vehicle all the way to them and got them to drive it, at which point they agreed with him. But it left a nasty taste in his mouth and he won't deal with them anymore.
So, a weird one! Like saying Rolls Royce build carp cars! Don't understand it and I don't think it would put me off, but still braced me a bit!
Click to expand...
its not the first ive heard,but if you rebuild anything especially gear boxes a certain amount will be poor however diligent you are let alone mistakes we all can make ,companies can handle those well or badly, often both at different times depending on what day it is and other stresses and how the customer reacts to finding an issue,hence some been well served others not, and what appears sometimes as 2 different companies, ashcroft like i survive these things as they are genuine but they are going to bugger up at times
 
jamesmartin said:
magnet helps locate the socket and a bar wedged against the uj or socket stops it jumping off, a long socket or thick wall wont fit as the starter body becomes in the way then
Click to expand...
Well today I finally got it off. Your last two bits of info really helped.
I broke my 3/8th U/J and my magnet on a telescopic stick wasn't strong enough, a piece of wire witha loop in the end just slipped and got annoying. So i went and got a new 6 sided 3/8 15mm socket, two different extendable magnets, one with a gripper thing as well. Then I went 3/8 for the new socket and a shortextension, then convertor to 1/2" then U/J then lots of extensions followed with a long breaker bar. I also used a crowbar to jam the socket/first extension in place. It worked first time :):):):):):):).
Thanks ever so much!

The other two bolts were complete sods as well. There just didn't seem to be enough space to move a bar. However all off now so tomorrow I'll replace the contacts. Don't know if I'll put it back on then, as it's my 65th so I think I'll be drinking a bit!
When the top nut came off it fell out of my fingers as apparently happens to lots of people. After trying to find it and failing I left it until the starter was off. I thne searched through the surface of the gravel, all over the chassis top, etc, sh!t myself, "could it have fallen into the how the starter came out of?" Tried to search that using a mirror. Had a final look. It had lodged itself in the very front propshaft U/J!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
It is now sitting safely in my new magnetic tray.

Also fitted a new Tayna battery. Though the old one tested at 12.5 volts and had been on the car since I bought it in 2014. It had never failed me and always threw the motor over fine on the starter, but I haven't done a drop test. The new one didn't fire the starter up any better than the old one!:oops::(:(:rolleyes:. But its specs show it to be more powerful. Still I have two other D1s with dead batts. Just my luck, I'm sure the old one won't fit them, physically.

Just one last thing, once the starter was off I noticed the plate carrying the clip for the two ATF(?) pipes stood about 3/4" off the face of the bellhousing. And they felt stiff, not as if they had just swung there. When I put it back on should I just compress the plate back into position with the starter and bolts or should I loosen and reposition the clip holding the pipes? I hate the idea of a stress fracture in one of those pipes!

All the best and thanks ever so much again.
Stan
 
Stanleysteamer said:
Well today I finally got it off. Your last two bits of info really helped.
I broke my 3/8th U/J and my magnet on a telescopic stick wasn't strong enough, a piece of wire witha loop in the end just slipped and got annoying. So i went and got a new 6 sided 3/8 15mm socket, two different extendable magnets, one with a gripper thing as well. Then I went 3/8 for the new socket and a shortextension, then convertor to 1/2" then U/J then lots of extensions followed with a long breaker bar. I also used a crowbar to jam the socket/first extension in place. It worked first time :):):):):):):).
Thanks ever so much!

The other two bolts were complete sods as well. There just didn't seem to be enough space to move a bar. However all off now so tomorrow I'll replace the contacts. Don't know if I'll put it back on then, as it's my 65th so I think I'll be drinking a bit!
When the top nut came off it fell out of my fingers as apparently happens to lots of people. After trying to find it and failing I left it until the starter was off. I thne searched through the surface of the gravel, all over the chassis top, etc, sh!t myself, "could it have fallen into the how the starter came out of?" Tried to search that using a mirror. Had a final look. It had lodged itself in the very front propshaft U/J!!! :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
It is now sitting safely in my new magnetic tray.

Also fitted a new Tayna battery. Though the old one tested at 12.5 volts and had been on the car since I bought it in 2014. It had never failed me and always threw the motor over fine on the starter, but I haven't done a drop test. The new one didn't fire the starter up any better than the old one!:oops::(:(:rolleyes:. But its specs show it to be more powerful. Still I have two other D1s with dead batts. Just my luck, I'm sure the old one won't fit them, physically.

Just one last thing, once the starter was off I noticed the plate carrying the clip for the two ATF(?) pipes stood about 3/4" off the face of the bellhousing. And they felt stiff, not as if they had just swung there. When I put it back on should I just compress the plate back into position with the starter and bolts or should I loosen and reposition the clip holding the pipes? I hate the idea of a stress fracture in one of those pipes!

All the best and thanks ever so much again.
Stan
Click to expand...
they should be ok
 
Well, the starter motor is fixed and back on, the new battery plus it throw the engine round absolutely like there is no tomorrow.
Topped the ATF up it took about 1/12 litres which is about what I expected but the gearbox is still playing up.
i.e. not just a leak.
Recently it is sluggish to take off and to change up until it gets warm. I put this down to lack of ATF.
So after I topped it up I expectd it to get better. It hasn't in fact I think it is worse.
I know that putting fresh ATF in it can shift stuff around inside the box which may not help, but in the past it has eventually cleared.
It is off for MOT Wednesday, so in a mo I'll take it for a good drive around to see if doing this improves it, maybe even a high speed run on a nearby dual crriageway for 20 miles odd.
So crossed fingers.
Stinking thing!
Will let you know!:rolleyes:
 
Long ago this thread was posted and it drifted off into starter motor territory, but the news is that I fianlly took it to a local one man band Indy i know and paid him to take the box off remove the torque convertor bell housing, replace the paper gasket and put it back on. The problem was exactly as we expected and he did the job as simply as described, EXCEPT the paper gasket was too small. so he rang his supplier who then rang LR who said "soak it in water overnight". Which he did, altho annoyed as it meant my Disco was still on his lift. But once soaked it went on so he put it all back together and she runs fine now.
But an eyewatering bill for over £1k for a job any of us could have done if we had the facilities to get the box off. It was awkward as well as heavy and even though he took the tranny box off first he still needed his wimmins to help him get it back on! Still, got a new seal on the tranny box too!
First time I have had to pay someone else to take a box off. That sticks in the throat! Must get myself more organised!!

End of my part of this thread!!:):):):):)
 
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