Crunchy reverse

[Syncrobaz]

Patrick, I have a brand new petrol oil filler pipe (syncro) in my shed

[syncropatrick]

Prop shaft came off easily enough, just needed a reminder with the lump hammer. No heads rounded off. Marked.

The slide bar cross member, showing the shiny section where the mating faces of the gearbox and prop shaft have been grinding against it.

Having trouble with the macro function on my camera, sorry about the lack of focus.

Gearbox mount offside. Looks alright.

Gearbox mount nearside. Looks alright.

Gearbox nose showing underside and weepage limit.

Gearbox nose from top, showing that leak is not coming from further forward.


Took van for 20 min drive. Still slight ringing sound when high throttle at inappropriate RPM. As before, as everything was hot, there was no crunching sounds.

Went to Halfords to pick up a red bucket for the Crimbo tree. While there, on the off chance asked if they had gearbox filler plugs, as I think I've cross-threaded the rear one, chap replied "No never heard of them, but we've got gearbox oil", me "how does the oil get in?", him "dunno, can't help you". Made me chuckle.

Front diff magnetic drain plug. Looking alright thankfully. (Found it impossible to get an in-focus shot, sorry).

Front diff oil was black, not golden as I stated earlier, got fooled by the thin sheen on my gloves.

Tussled and failed with obstinate slide bars before I could drain rear box, and then ran out of time for today. I'll warm up rearbox and drain it on Friday when I'm next off. I'm not looking forwards to seeing whats on the drain plug! In my layman's eyes I'm thinking the box maybe damaged as its nose is grinding against the crossmember slide bar. Worn out bearings coupled with an oil leak?

Couldnt find part number on engine oil filler pipe. Baz, I maybe giving you a call sometime though!

Getting peed off trying to find decent oil. Halfords none on shelf, but at £9 per litre for Comma SW75W-90 GL4 I'm not to worried. Went to CAF and bought 5 litres of Comma SX75W-90 and then realised it was GL5 not GL4. Queried this with shop staff who said Comma are dropping GL4. So I've got plenty of 75W-90 GL5 for the front diff, but only 0.5l of 75W-90 GL4 for the gearbox. I'll have to source some GL4 in qty before I drain rear box on Friday.

[HarryMann]

I think Aidan will say that gbox leak is the output flange oil-seal, not uncommon.

Did you look at the bolts through the gbox lugs holding it up at the front? Did you take my advice & have a cup of tea under there

[syncropatrick]

No tea yet Clive - I'm doing this on packed hardcore without jacking up van, so no room to sit and cogitate. Also, my eyesight short focus is going so I'm doing a lot of this with glasses on/off/on/off so I can try and focus correctly, even then there are certain distances that I can't focus on now without moving my head to adjust distance, and sometimes there's not enough gap to the ground. I hate getting older sometimes.

What I'd do for a smooth concrete floor and a 2 post lift in my own well-lit heated garage ...

[syncropatrick]

Clive, when you say gearbox front lugs, do you mean the rubberised mounts I've taken photos of?

[HarryMann]

Some of the latest oils are both GL4/GL5 that should in fact be OK. Aidan recommends a GSF one that comes as 4 litres that is both GL4 & 5 I think.

Anyway.. (Found it impossible to get an in-focus shot, sorry). Look for a menu option for close-up macro, even the cheapest digi cameras seem to have them , its sometimes a flower icon on the multi-function buttons if it has them


It may be Patrick, that it's not your gbox that's dropped, but the prop-bars have been knocked up. This can happen because the rear pickups for the bars, which project forward of the rear cross-member, can be bent permanently up, particularly the nearside one, because it has a cut & weld in it from the factory. I think they both should be parallel to the floorpan (effecitvely horzirontal !) Pete C52 aongts others has foudn his have bent.

'm doing this on packed hardcore without jacking up van

Yup, thats' sme too, get a 20mm silver foil laminated yoga mat.. warm and less knarly under knee

Clive, when you say gearbox front lugs, do you mean the rubberised mounts I've taken photos of?

Yes, they look alright I think you might check that they are run right up (the nut on the top should run all the way up the thread, but if you feel with fingers up there, and the same amount, each side, about 5 10 mm sticking out from memory, should be Ok.

[hugomonkey]

gsf carparts for the oil and remember that you get club discount
BS3 2LD
or
BS5 0SP

[silverbullet]

Just a thought, if the van had a hard grounding on it's last outing, then the two cantilevered brackets on the body cross-member (that the prop rails rear ends hang from) may well be pushed up, so causing the prop flange to rub on the 3-hole plate under acceleration/overrun.
The body brackets should project forward parallel to the floor. I made a reinforcer for mine, but have yet to fit it as I think that I've gone and bent mine slightly in Devon. Straightening them may be a bit of a game though, I suggest something like 1.5" handrail tube slipped over the bracket and some stern language...

[Aidan]

OIl should be easy to find Carlube SemiSythetic 75W/90 GL4 and GL5 available in 4.55 litre from GSF and just about all motorfactors these days as Carlube everywhere
Oil seal on front of box leak possibly as a result of slight side load from rubbing against bar, only £4 and a bit quid, hardest job is holding the flange whilst undoing the nut but doable insitu once oil drained, if flange seal face is scored can send down a better one. Be interested to find which make seal is, the ones available now are cheaper but the one I used to use was I thought better quality

[HarryMann]

From the Wiki; Syncro; Expedition; Weaknesses



even tells you how to straighten it (sortof )

[Syncrobaz]

You did some serious off piste manouvers on the plain

maybe you bent something ???

[jes*b]

WHS^^^ remember our opening bid for the summit? Heavily rutted on the right. You made it through after some fine effort. We....

I reckon that's the root cause.

Blame Neil.

[Syncrobaz]

I think we all sustained some damage on that trip!! I had a discsqueak all the way home Had to take the caliper off and remove the offending bit of flint ,plus my starter has resumed it's 'sticky solenoid syndrome'

Roll on the next time

[syncropatrick]

Yep, Salisbury did it. Read on.

Refilled diff.
Got correct oil for gearbox from GSF. with club discount
Now prop and 3-hole crossmember slidebar removed, no crunching in reverse or freewheel reverse even when cold. Hopefully crunching was nose plate rubbing on crossmember.

Removed all protection bars & plates. Signs off abuse-
Decent amount of dried mud.

Offside bar rear.

Engine protection caved in.

The rear mounting points for bars well bent up.

And nearside taken the worst of it.


Can't quite get my head around how those might be straightened, other than Ian's suggestion of a big round lever over the end of them and pulled down. Don't understand the wiki suggestion.

Can't blame Neil, it's my "I've got more ground clearance than the 14inches" attitude that has a lot to do with it.

Forgot to check front gearbox lugs. Will check those tomoz.

Can't get gearbox drain plug out - 17mm hex bit too long and fat and it gets in way of exhaust. Tried M10 bolt +2 nuts trick, no joy. Added anti-seizing lotion, cursed at it for 2 frigging hours, tried shocking it in and out then gave up. Ordered a second, shorter hex bit, will see if it arrives before Crimbo. It can't be seized in, as the box was rebuilt 2 years ago, more like wrong tools and inexperience.

So, I'm running as 2WD, no underbody protection and and unknown state of gearbox. But at least its currently drivable with no nasty crunchy noises at the moment.

Might try and do something easy tomorrow, like wire in the 240v system. This mechanics labouring nonsense is hurting me - banged head three times, rolled around in the mud for 4 hours, skinned 2 knuckles, lifted one finger nail and got covered in stinky oil.

[silverbullet]

Offside bar rear.They are made like that, clearance for the prop donut

Engine protection caved in.That'll push out easy, the steel is pretty soft tbh

The rear mounting points for bars well bent up.That's the cause of the rubbing and grating!

And nearside taken the worst of it.

Best of luck with the drain plug Patrick. Use male hex tool, a ring spanner and put a small jack under the spanner. A little bottle or scissor one will do the job. Arm strength to tighten but far more needed to loosen fine taper threads like these.