Hot legs!!!

Have just returned from a 120 mile trip, and I have noticed this before, but today was unbearable. I either have some heat transfer from the gear box, or a hand break issue, but my husband was experiencing intense heat in the passenger footwell also (no quips please). Great underfloor heating if it's cold, but this is red hot and burning my legs. All brackets are red hot (seating). It's hot enough to fry eggs, and also melt wiring? Could it be heat radiating from somewhere else underneath, exhaust piping? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I have a defender 110.

bad earth would cause that too as well as exhaust, handbrake stuck on, gearbox/transfer having excessive heat from low oil etc etc

Thanks, will check all that out. I don't think gear box oil is low, but will double check? Bad earth, how do go about testing that?

Follow the -ve cable from the battery and check for corrosion/poor connection on the other end.

Thanks again, will do. Is this a common problem, I couldn't find any archive threads related to it?

My first thoughts are take it for a short run and then get under neath.
You'd think air flow would prevent most heat transfer from the brake drum or exhaust.

Yes, during the journey that's what occurred to me, I thought the air flow would have cooled it down, but things just kept getting hotter and hotter. A bad earth is what I'll check first, but I get some advice on that as I don't really know what to look for. I'm due to drive to Devon in a few weeks, So I've got to get this sorted asap!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions

Mine gets very warm on a long run. The temperature gauge says just left of centre and I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with the gearbox. I always put it down to all the air blowing through and getting warmed up by the radiator and engine and then going straight to the bulkhead and transmission tunnel. I'd be a little surprised if a bad earth was chucking out as much power as an electric fire! A gearbox generating that much heat would need to be glowing red, so it would rapidly develop other problems too. Apparently when Parry Thomas was attempting land speed records the gearbox of Babs used to glow, but it's a bit unlikely in a Land Rover. It's got to be the engine. In which case it is hard to do anything much about.

As above, mine too gets rather warm on a long run but not to the extent of which you are talking. My gbox and transfer box have recently had oil changes so can't see it being that on mine - but that's the first place I would look from your perspective before you fook them. My temp gauge sits just over half way on my tuned 200tdi with straight pipe / bigger intercooler etc. I checked all my earth's for another problem a while back (starting issue) and cleaned them so I know it wouldn't be that. The only thing I can suggest if you elminate all the other things is to get some heat reflective material and apply it to the bulkhead and footwells in the engine bay and the gearbox tunnel if you can. I did notice once after stopping and checking something underneath my landy that there was some heat radiating off the bottom - but I suppose that is pretty normal. When I look under a modern car (like my parents audi A7, the bottom around the exhaust and gearbox is covered in a silver heat reflective material.

Best of luck.

I had found that on the motorway there was hot air coming in under the seatbox. I then did a full oil change (engine, gearbox, t case and axles) and I put Activ8 in all of them. The difference was unbelievable! Plus better fuel economy! You may want to change the fluids?

Thank you, all good advice.
The temperature gauge sits at halfway as normal; I would expect some warmth generated by the engine to transmit from the bulkhead and along the transmission tunnel, but this is unbearable heat, really burns! All around the gearbox, hand brake, radiating under the seats as mentioned. Heat reflective material may help the legs, but would that kind of heat transmitting along the transmission tunnel cause damage? I fear I might be in for some gearbox issues, but there would be other symptoms surely? Levels are all ok, maybe changing the oil might be useful? If you see me on the north side of the M25 tomorrow trailing fire, you'll know I haven't remedied it yet!!

You should start delivering take aways in it, put their meals in the footwell and keep em nice and hot lol. Best of luck.

Compared to every other car I've been in the heat transfer to the passenger compartment is a whole order of magnitude greater in the Land Rover. Good job I have air conditioning. I put it on and let the two processes fight it out.

Well, I guess if I can't find the solution, I'll be driving to Devon, with the mentality and heated gearbox akin to Parry Thomas, with the A/C on, a hot meal under the seat, and wearing flame retardant trousers?

Thanks for all the tips guys, I'll let you know if I unearth anything (!)

Hub said:

Have just returned from a 120 mile trip, and I have noticed this before, but today was unbearable. I either have some heat transfer from the gear box, or a hand break issue, but my husband was experiencing intense heat in the passenger footwell also (no quips please). Great underfloor heating if it's cold, but this is red hot and burning my legs. All brackets are red hot (seating). It's hot enough to fry eggs, and also melt wiring? Could it be heat radiating from somewhere else underneath, exhaust piping? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I have a defender 110.

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thinner gear oil in transfer box , silver insulation stuck on under side of seat box ,and you can get oil cooling sump plates for transfer box

jamesmartin said:

thinner gear oil in transfer box , silver insulation stuck on under side of seat box ,and you can get oil cooling sump plates for transfer box

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Thank you, oil cooling sump plates? How do they work, and are they easy to get hold of, expensive?

This makes a change from the usual discussion about freezing to death in the front of a defender. :-o

Hub said:

Thank you, oil cooling sump plates? How do they work, and are they easy to get hold of, expensive?

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cast ally with cooling ribs instead of pressed steel sheet

Thanks for this. If it's not a fault, but something to rectify by trying out various ways of managing the transfer of heat from the engine- then I'm happier? Just concerned that secondary damage done is a problem?
I'll look at cooling ribs, I read a thread posted by Saint.V8, and will keep on trying to find a solution? Thanks guys.

Hub said:

Thanks for this. If it's not a fault, but something to rectify by trying out various ways of managing the transfer of heat from the engine- then I'm happier? Just concerned that secondary damage done is a problem?
I'll look at cooling ribs, I read a thread posted by Saint.V8, and will keep on trying to find a solution? Thanks guys.

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t/boxes do produce a lot of heat on longish journeys ,which is why gear boxes run thinner oil and coolers ,nothing to do with engine
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