I think I have found my problem....

Hi all

After all the woes I have been having with my 52 plate td5 auto I think I may have found the problem(when I say found it I have narrowed it down) I kind of lost heart and interest with it but due to it sitting there and me having to pass it every day I thought I better do something about it.

I had stripped all the intake side off and removed the intercooler thinking it may be a problem with the injectors and it might have thrown oil through the whole system but after removing it all everything looked ok and oil free. I still had all the oil over the engine bay and no visible leaking pipes but I rebuilt it all and decided to start it today.


It started first time on the button with no problems but when I went to move it I noticed the M&S lights were flashing and it would not select any gear at all. I have no other lights on the dashboard illuminated.

This has led me to believe now that when it went up in a cloud of smoke and oil the Engine Management light my missus saw just seconds before this might not have been that and it might have been a gearbox warning light. She has now said she isn't sure but it had already started dripping oil and smoking with the M&S lights flashing and struggling to move just prior to the impending smoke and oil cloud. Thats why she pulled over and switched the engine off and then noticed the oil dripping out from just behind the front number plate.

So I think my problem may be a burst gearbox pipe or something in that system although when I started it today I did not notice any oil dripping and not the cylinder head or injector seals after all and I am glad I didn't spend the £2950 quoted to me to replace the head and seals. The other reason I don't think it is the head or seals is because I gave it an oil change and the oil hasn't risen at all and still looks clean plus I was told from a reputable 4*4 centre that if it was the head/seals then I would have a lot of smoke coming out the exhaust with residual oil in the tail pipe plus the engine would start to run away and the oil wouldn't be all over the engine bay.

Does anyone kind of agree with my findings so far?

Could it be a leaking pipe that has caused me all this trouble?

This thread elsewhere may offer some clues.....

I have just checked the pipes and the swage connections dont look the best and I have given them a quick tug and they didn't come out but when my missus started the engine the oil started dripping out the swage connection.

She also just looked at the dashboard and confirmed it was the transmission temperature guage that was illuminated. The reason she says this for sure is because she hasn't seen that light on before but she did pick it out straight away.

The only thing that gets me is why it dumped the fluiod straight away but now it only drips although that could signal no very much oil left in the gearbox plus the oil isn't reddish in colour but black and runny.

ryanmc said:

that could signal no very much oil left in the gearbox plus the oil isn't reddish in colour but black and runny.

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Both are bad. The black and runny is burned ATF.

In short, the pipes are your problem. Replacement them and refill the box. In fact a flush thru would probably not go a miss.

Thanks Andy.

What I plan to do is replace both pipes, flush the gearbox, change the filter and refill at the same time do the transfer box and axles. I am also going to change the rocker cover gasket and front camshaft seal aswell as give it an oil change and both filters.

Are the pipes from Land Rover only?

ryanmc said:

Are the pipes from Land Rover only?

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No, try searching the online retailers or take them to a local hydralic pipe firm and get some better ones made.