Residual transfer oil leak?

Defender 1992
Just had the clutch replaced and all the seals on the transfer box.
I have drips of oil from the bottom of the transfer box which the garage says is residual
Should I have residual? If so, how much and for how long?
Cheers

Wipe it off & get the transfer box as clean as possible. Kitchen roll is good.
If you still get drips then look to see if you can see the source. The box being clean will help to show the source.
If they used cheapo crap seals then they might be the problem.

Ratae said:

Wipe it off & get the transfer box as clean as possible. Kitchen roll is good.
If you still get drips then look to see if you can see the source. The box being clean will help to show the source.
If they used cheapo crap seals then they might be the problem.

Click to expand...

Cheers
It’s literally only just come back.

I would say that if the whole box has been resealed, it should not have anywhere near enough residual oil on it to cause a drip. They’ve either used crap seals, gaskets etc, or damaged one (or more) when fitting. It’s easily done......I fitted a new, Corteco input shaft seal on my transfer box and it leaked within days, and continues to do so! My transfer box will have to come out again soon for further attention!
In your case, clean it as much as possible (brake cleaner is good but wear eye protection!) and see what happens from there.
Did they remove the transfer box completely and replace everything that keeps oil in? There are ALOT of places it can escape from!!
Check the breather is clear as well.

Rich

callisr said:

I would say that if the whole box has been resealed, it should not have anywhere near enough residual oil on it to cause a drip. They’ve either used crap seals, gaskets etc, or damaged one (or more) when fitting. It’s easily done......I fitted a new, Corteco input shaft seal on my transfer box and it leaked within days, and continues to do so! My transfer box will have to come out again soon for further attention!
In your case, clean it as much as possible (brake cleaner is good but wear eye protection!) and see what happens from there.
Did they remove the transfer box completely and replace everything that keeps oil in? There are ALOT of places it can escape from!!
Check the breather is clear as well.

Rich

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The garage has a good rep for Land Rover work etc.
When I originally got it back it had a lot of drips so they took it back and did all the seals (rather than the one they thought it was on original inspection). They didn’t charge me for doing all the gaskets the second time around but have taken it out for testing etc. I would have thought there would be zero leaks if all the gaskets were done but they say residual which should cease after a few runs. ‍

If the gaskets were all done then if they used genuine plus sealant I wouldn't expect any leaks.
I did notice when I did mine (1986 RRC) last year that some of the gaskets that came as part of a kit (not BP) were very thin compared to the old ones & I replaced those with ones from a local(ish) LR specialist which were much thicker.
Can't say I was overly impressed with the seals in the kit either so all 3 were left in the kit & LR bagged ones from the local place used instead.

I can recommend the LR 'special tool' LRT-41-009 for refitting the transfer box. Basically 3 long bolts with their heads chopped off, the end tapered & slotted for a screwdriver. No issues aligning & seating the box, keeps the shaft well away from the seal so no risk of damage. Threaded rod isn't really up to the job & I used modified bolts.
Lengths here: www.defender2.net/forum/post650018.html

How easy is the transfer box to get off without removing the gearbox? Can’t find a section on removal in the Haynes manual.

Bit of reading for you. Unfortunately the pics in the first link are missing.
www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/how-2-change-a-defender-90-110-transfer-box.196250/
www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/defender-90-td5-transfer-box.82220/

They're not kidding when they say it's heavy.
I made up the LR 'Special Tool' fixture when I did my RRC which bolts onto the TB & onto a trolley jack & made the job much easier, I don't whether it works on a Defender.

You'll find various (free) downloadable manuals here: www.landroverweb.com/landrover/pdf-land-rover-manuals-part-catalogue/

ETA. Use a thread sealant on the bottom plate bolts, they aren't blind & oil can & will leak past them.

14platoon said:

How easy is the transfer box to get off without removing the gearbox? Can’t find a section on removal in the Haynes manual.

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If it's still leaking then you have problems!

It's not terrible but not easy either.

Good link above!

Ratae said:

Bit of reading for you. Unfortunately the pics in the first link are missing.
www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/how-2-change-a-defender-90-110-transfer-box.196250/
www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/defender-90-td5-transfer-box.82220/

They're not kidding when they say it's heavy.
I made up the LR 'Special Tool' fixture when I did my RRC which bolts onto the TB & onto a trolley jack & made the job much easier, I don't whether it works on a Defender.

You'll find various (free) downloadable manuals here: www.landroverweb.com/landrover/pdf-land-rover-manuals-part-catalogue/

ETA. Use a thread sealant on the bottom plate bolts, they aren't blind & oil can & will leak past them.

Click to expand...

Cheers I’ll take a look

On further inspection this looks like gearbox oil and not the red ATF transfer box stuff. Where could this be coming from? Appears to drip onto the lower bolt of the transfer box.

14platoon said:

On further inspection this looks like gearbox oil and not the red ATF transfer box stuff. Where could this be coming from? Appears to drip onto the lower bolt of the transfer box.

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I think you are getting confused on what oil goes where.
Both mine have now got leaks on the intermediate shaft front O ring, so I will have to pull both of them this Summer.

Cheers

neilly said:

I think you are getting confused on what oil goes where.
Both mine have now got leaks on the intermediate shaft front O ring, so I will have to pull both of them this Summer.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Yes you’re correct I did get them mixed up (it’s been a while since I topped up and done lots of different oil jobs since then).
Back to the original transfer box fault then!

14platoon said:

Maybe confused as it’s a while since I topped up. Is the red ATF the gearbox oil

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Is ATF in my R380 gearbox. This is from the 300tdi Rave manual.


Cheers

neilly said:

Is ATF in my R380 gearbox. This is from the 300tdi Rave manual.
View attachment 176093

Cheers

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Yeah just re checked my book. Nice one.

I’m wondering if it’s worth taking it back to the garage I paid to find the fault or wether to just crack on by myself. It does appear worse now that they’ve changed a few seals and gaskets as well ‍

If you paid them to fix it , take it back.

Can you clean it, take it for a quick blast and identify the rough area it is coming from and then take a picture. Would probably help someone on here to identify the leak source and help the garage fix the right area.

Cheers

neilly said:

If you paid them to fix it , take it back.

Can you clean it, take it for a quick blast and identify the rough area it is coming from and then take a picture. Would probably help someone on here to identify the leak source and help the garage fix the right area.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Tried that before. Unfortunately the oil just appears from high up where it can’t be seen and ends up on the lower parts of the transfer box and the bottom bolt.

It’s more than likely as suggested above I would imagine.

14platoon said:

It’s more than likely as suggested above I would imagine.

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Front of the box?

Cheers