IRD changing oil. Who, what where and when.

Okay, to try and find my humming source, going to change the oil in the IRD (also to check the IRD is basically okay. Im aware what to look for in the old oil

A few pointers if anyone can.

1) What is the best/recommended oil for a 2.00 TD4, 2004. And how much ususally needed.

2) How long should I expect this to take (Im preffy au fait with working around engines and cars,and have most tools and equipment. )

3) Are any special tools needed?

4) Any tips or tricks you can recommend.

5) Anything else I should consider doing/servicing when she's up and I'm underneath.

6) am I likley to get PTSD and flashbacks from doing this....... :~

7) I assume the underguard engine bay protection has to come off (fingers crossed you say no.......)

Might be wrong, but don't think the under tray has to come off. Checking oil and pinion is done from the other side of the subframe that it bolts to.

Forget the oil the IRD uses - a search should find it, or someone will post.

You need to loosen the fill bolt first - they are very soft and prone to rounding - not what you want after you've drained the oil! Use a good fitting 6 sided socket and go carefully.

The oil should give you a good indication of the IRD's health.

Depends how long its been in there though, if its been changed recently, that may mask any problem.

The only other thing you can realistically do to check the IRD is to remove the rear pinion and check the crown and pinion gears - these are the ones that usually go. They may be worn or even chunks snapped off then. You'll need to disconnect the prop shaft, but I believe you should be able to leave it connected at the VCU end and it may be able to support it on the subframe while you remove the pinion.

Its all just nuts and bolts jobs - but there are Torx heads involved and Torx socket set is a big help. I managed fitting the best 'fitting' regular sockets over the heads the first time I removed these bolts - but you are liable to break stuff and make the job a lot more difficult!

If you do remove the pinion, its been a while since I did it and forget what sort of gasket there was.

Alex1000 said:

What is the best/recommended oil for a 2.00 TD4, 2004. And how much ususally needed.

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Oil is a fully synthetic 75w90 GL5.
You can get away with a part synthetic, but it will need changing every year rather than 5 years. It takes about a 1 litre IIRC.

Alex1000 said:

Any tips or tricks you can recommend

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Yes, always remove the full plug before the drain plug using a hex socket, and it's sensible to get a pair of replacement plugs beforehand, as they are made of cheese.