Gearbox oil leaking out

Help!!!!! This problem is driving us insane lol
We have an automatic discovery 300tdi and on our way home from town last week the gearbox would not come out of 1st gear up til 4000rpm. Got it home and checked the oil n it was low even tho it had recently been changed. When we filled it up a few hours later we noticed it had all leaked out onto the road. Got it up on the ramp n had a good look around, when tried to put fluid back in noticed where it was leaking from (been told technical name for this is the inhibitor switch) it just guses out fron where it goes in. Replaced O ring on the inhibitor but still leaking. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this is now driving us nutty

Are you sure it's coming out around the 'O' ring, or the switch itself? I had a oil pressure switch on another vehicle which leaked through the switch itself, coming out around the contacts.
If it is coming out past the 'O' ring the housing may be damaged or scored, so that the ring isn't sealing properly - but could just be some crap on the surface where the 'O' ring seals against.

Don't know nowt about them autos BUT.. As well as the above... Could it be excessive pressure finding the path of least resistance?
Blocked breather?

Thank you for replies, sorry for the delay in replying just been one of them days. All we know is that is defiantly coming out of where the inhibitor switch fits into, we tried replacing the 'O' ring thinking it may have perished n not sealing properly but after changing it the leak is still there. The fluid is somehow not reaching that point n pouring out instead of going into the gearbox itself. As for a blocked breather I'm really not sure, this was mentioned to us earlier but we are unsure where to locate the breather to see if there is a blockage. To be honest it is causing mass headaches in our house, my partner is not in great health and is trying his damp hardest to find the problem as we need our car to take our son back n forth to hospital appointments but we just seem to be hitting a brick wall with everything we are trying. Thank you all for taking the time to read this though, really appreciate it

Breather is a banjo bolt on the top right hand side close to the gear lever with a 6mm pipe coming from it.

It should join up with transfer box breather pipe and possibly rear axle before heading up the bulkhead.

If the pipe is crushed/blocked pressure will push oil past any seals it can.

Just re-reading your posts, you say it "just gushes out from where it goes in" and " pouring out instead of going into the gearbox itself" - is this when you try to top it up? If so (and I'm assuming the auto box is much the same as on my Td5), you have to fill the 'box until it starts coming out the fill hole (which seems to be the point that you're at now), then start the engine and continue filling the box while moving it through each gear in turn (foot on the brake and handbrake on!). Keep filling until it starts coming back out again. Essentially, with the engine running, the pumps in the 'box suck up a load of fluid and makes room in the sump for more.There are much better 'how to's on here for autobox refill if you search the archive.
This doesn't fix the leak, but at least you can use the car until you can get time to fix it.

blue beasty said:

Breather is a banjo bolt on the top right hand side close to the gear lever with a 6mm pipe coming from it.

It should join up with transfer box breather pipe and possibly rear axle before heading up the bulkhead.

If the pipe is crushed/blocked pressure will push oil past any seals it can.

Click to expand...

bb is that the bit of pipe that comes up the right hand side of the block and sits against the bulkhead?

Spong said:

Just re-reading your posts, you say it "just gushes out from where it goes in" and " pouring out instead of going into the gearbox itself" - is this when you try to top it up? If so (and I'm assuming the auto box is much the same as on my Td5), you have to fill the 'box until it starts coming out the fill hole (which seems to be the point that you're at now), then start the engine and continue filling the box while moving it through each gear in turn (foot on the brake and handbrake on!). Keep filling until it starts coming back out again. Essentially, with the engine running, the pumps in the 'box suck up a load of fluid and makes room in the sump for more.There are much better 'how to's on here for autobox refill if you search the archive.
This doesn't fix the leak, but at least you can use the car until you can get time to fix it.

Click to expand...

Topping up the D1s auto box is much more upto date, it's filled via the dip stick tube under the bonnet.
Suggest u you don't assum but now the difference between the two models before wasting your time on a D1 thread.

Thank you all for you help. We will be trying out all suggestions over the next few days. Fingers crossed we can find the problem or as much as we love our baby I can see my partner losing his cool with her lol

Sammie.p said:

Thank you all for you help. We will be trying out all suggestions over the next few days. Fingers crossed we can find the problem or as much as we love our baby I can see my partner losing his cool with her lol

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I do wonder what size of replacement O ring your using, as u should be using one that is slightly higher than the metal shoulders on either side, so will compress to a perfect oil tight fit when the inhibitor switch is refitted.
I suspect that the O ring may be of a unique size not in diameter but in thickness and not found in the packets of assorted sizes that are around but the are specialists suppliers about if you know the exact size.
The O ring is not a LR listed replacement part so no point going there for one.

Discool the o ring that is in the picture was the old o ring on it we purchased a new one from jls landrover which is a place that specialises in just landrover parts here in the west midlands. I think he has now managed to stop the leak and replaced the fluid but it is still sticking in 1st gear until 4000 rpm then it will change into second. I would like to thank you all so much for your help in this problem

Sound like this copied from Rave.

SYMPTOM 16 - Upshifts/downshifts and kickdown


shifts at incorrect road speeds

Check throttle kickdown cable adjustment

Carry out main line pressure check

oe Normal pressure

FAULT - Governor valve sticking

oe Incorrect pressure

FAULTS POSSIBLE -

Incorrect throttle valve adjustment

Primary regulator sticking

SYMPTOM 17 - No upshifts at light throttle

FAULTS POSSIBLE

Governor valve sticking

Shift valves sticking

Thank you discool will get him to go through and eliminate

Could be the governor sticking! Happens sometimes when you change the oil. Does it stop messing around once the oil has warmed up?

Ah....just read discool's post!