T/box leaking...input seal?

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Chalky.

Well-Known Member
Posts
5,150
Location
Mid Wales
Hi guys!
My lt230 transfer box has been weeping slightly for a year now, just a light misting of oil, but now its turned into an actual tiny drip, still very slow, but its there, and annoying me.
If I take the box off the g/box and take it apart (I want to put some new 1.2 gears in) and replace the input seal would this resolve it? I've read that sometimes the input shaft can slightly move and elongate the alloy casing, then a standard seal wouldn't stop the leak. What does one do in this case? Cheers guys
 
Hi guys!
My lt230 transfer box has been weeping slightly for a year now, just a light misting of oil, but now its turned into an actual tiny drip, still very slow, but its there, and annoying me.
If I take the box off the g/box and take it apart (I want to put some new 1.2 gears in) and replace the input seal would this resolve it? I've read that sometimes the input shaft can slightly move and elongate the alloy casing, then a standard seal wouldn't stop the leak. What does one do in this case? Cheers guys
its the intermediate shaft that gets the worn hole and a leak there looks the same as input leaking, if your removing box and stripping you can inspect the hole and see if new o ring and some silicone sealant will fix or its too far gone or its ok and it is input seal
 
its the intermediate shaft that gets the worn hole and a leak there looks the same as input leaking, if your removing box and stripping you can inspect the hole and see if new o ring and some silicone sealant will fix or its too far gone or its ok and it is input seal

Yeah that makes sense, I was hoping to be able to get all the bits and bobs id need and then do it as quickly as possible without having to order extras as I need it to be off the road as little as possible, but I suppose theres no real way of knowing what's going on until I have the box out like you say. Would it have to be a second hand casing or something if it was intermediate shaft? Thanks JM
 
Yeah that makes sense, I was hoping to be able to get all the bits and bobs id need and then do it as quickly as possible without having to order extras as I need it to be off the road as little as possible, but I suppose theres no real way of knowing what's going on until I have the box out like you say. Would it have to be a second hand casing or something if it was intermediate shaft? Thanks JM
they can be repaired,something we started doing in the 90s which a few do now i believe ,which involves boring the hole out and fitting a sleeve,it depends how bad it is,if indeed it is that
 
I agree, most likely the intermediate shaft "O" rings gone flat or the hole has gone oval in the casing.
they can be repaired,something we started doing in the 90s which a few do now i believe ,which involves boring the hole out and fitting a sleeve,it depends how bad it is,if indeed it is that
Ascroft do these on an exchange basis, not cheap though!
 
they can be repaired,something we started doing in the 90s which a few do now i believe ,which involves boring the hole out and fitting a sleeve,it depends how bad it is,if indeed it is that

Oh that's interesting, helpful as ever mate, thanks! :)
 
I agree, most likely the intermediate shaft "O" rings gone flat or the hole has gone oval in the casing.

Ascroft do these on an exchange basis, not cheap though!
Yeah id seen ashcroft do them, will probably buy the gears from them tbh. I was hoping to keep my own box so i retain all original serial numbers etc, you never know, might be worth a bit more that way in 30 years!! :D
 
Yeah id seen ashcroft do them, will probably buy the gears from them tbh. I was hoping to keep my own box so i retain all original serial numbers etc, you never know, might be worth a bit more that way in 30 years!! :D

If you want they can rebuild your original box and sleeve the casing for you, they're great to deal with and if you try and tally up a schedule with them they can probably turn it around in about 3 days including the extra casing machining, even get your ratio changed too while they're at it ;)

Best thing to do is to send them an email and see when they can slot you in.
 
If you want they can rebuild your original box and sleeve the casing for you, they're great to deal with and if you try and tally up a schedule with them they can probably turn it around in about 3 days including the extra casing machining, even get your ratio changed too while they're at it ;)

Best thing to do is to send them an email and see when they can slot you in.
Well bloody hell mate I had absolutely no idea they did that sort of thing, thanks very much for the heads up that's very helpful and a bit of a weight off my mind because I'm sure id take a hell of a lot longer than them (I've never done one before). Thanks again, will send them an email! :)
 
It's probably heresy to all the precision engineers round here, but I tend to smear a bit of gasket sealant around the outside of the oil seals where they go in the housing, to take up any small imperfections, for example if it's pitted or slightly out of round. If the intermediate shaft is loose in the casting, that suggests that something's gone wrong. Maybe a bearing has seized and it's spun. So worth looking carefully for odd patterns of wear on the gears or bearings in poor condition. The transfer box is a fairly simple 2 speed gearbox and quite fun and satisfying to work on, especially if you're giving it nice new bearings and seals. I enjoyed doing mine.
 
It's probably heresy to all the precision engineers round here, but I tend to smear a bit of gasket sealant around the outside of the oil seals where they go in the housing, to take up any small imperfections, for example if it's pitted or slightly out of round. If the intermediate shaft is loose in the casting, that suggests that something's gone wrong. Maybe a bearing has seized and it's spun. So worth looking carefully for odd patterns of wear on the gears or bearings in poor condition. The transfer box is a fairly simple 2 speed gearbox and quite fun and satisfying to work on, especially if you're giving it nice new bearings and seals. I enjoyed doing mine.
if its non setting you run the risk of seal not been too secure ,loctite is better
the case wear where intermediate shaft locates is just down to the forces on it and fit,the shaft cant rotate
 
if its non setting you run the risk of seal not been too secure ,loctite is better
the case wear where intermediate shaft locates is just down to the forces on it and fit,the shaft cant rotate
Well, it's not supposed to, of course. But if it was suddenly overcome by an urge to do so, I'm sure the momentum of the Land Rover would suffice to round that little tab off. Back in the 1980s one of my housemates had one of those wedge-shaped Princess cars with the 2200 transverse engine and it succeeded in forcing the 1st gear wheel out through the aluminium gearbox casing at a modest 30 mph.

Yes, I put that Loc-tite instant gasket on everything. Mating faces on the Land Rover of course, but also my clothes, what's left of my hair, tea towels, furnishing fabrics and carpets too. I've almost got the world's first leak-free TD5.
 
I'm sure the momentum of the Land Rover would suffice to round that little tab off.

I thought the intermediate gear had a flat surface on the edge of it, to fit a key flat in the housing. If that rotates something is well and truly fubarred , a minor leak is the leas to f the worries.

flat I mean can be seen at 2:03 ish.


Cheers
 
Yup, there's a flat section on the shaft and that corresponds to a tab or locking device that is held onto the outside of the box by another bolt. Should suffice to stop the shaft going round under normal circumstances, but maybe not if a bearing seized. Maybe the constant changes in force on the shaft could expand the hole even if the shaft didn't rotate. A bit like the way the tops of railway lines get peined over by the constant action of railway wheels. But it would take a long time.
 
If you replace the input shaft seal use a genuine one. Not a 'quality aftermarket part'. Same applies to any other seal!
 
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