 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Leaking rear diff after guard fitted |
 
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513   
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I've just noticed my rear diff is leaking - a month after I fitted the QT guard (I've not been around much in the mean time to check whether it started immediately or whether I've just noticed it).
1) Is it likely that I've just not tightened it up properly? If I now tighten it further, should it cure it or will the seal be  ?
2) The guard is pressed up pretty hard against the bottom of the diff casing. Might I have either deformed it or in some other way damaged it by tightening up the diff guard? 3) I'm guessing that any dealer won't touch it under warranty now that I've fitted a guard so if I take it to an independent, should they just reset the guard or do they have to strip out the seal, clean it all up, put it all back together and re-fit the guard? Advice appreciated. One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 12:26pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Probably nothing wrong with the guard - just the idiot fitting it
 One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 1:07pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Just spoke to my local independent (nice blokes but they couldn't fit me in for at least 2 weeks
 ).
They suggested that I'm probably an idiot. 
The diff casing on these Rover diffs is partly sealed by the bolts - i.e. just like with the transfer case, the bolts thread through to the oil. If you don't get them properly tight then oil comes out of the bolt hole. I can't think why you'd ever design a component that way but hey... I'm sure the middle bolt underneath the diff (bottom most visible bolt on the picture below) isn't tight. It's a real to get to, for a start. Fluid must be leaking out of there. When it stops raining I'll see whether I can tighten it. If not, i'll just have to remove the guard until I can get it on a ramp and get some proper leverage on the case.
Out of interest, if I'm going to top up the fluid by eye (I wanted to avoid draining it and putting in a measured amount), is there a way to do it or should I drain and fill with the correct amount? One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 2:27pm |
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| AndrewS Member Since: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Hereford Posts: 3709 
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Level ground and fill it till its level with the bottom of the fill plug (or it starts to run out).
Cant you get a socket that nut? 130's have feeling's as well you know  |
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29th Apr 2010 2:55pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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I've got a really small socket but it still fouls on the guard (because of the angle of the plate). I'm half tempted to grind out a little slot to access the bolt from 'outside' the guard. I can't get enough leverage or rotation on a spanner either One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 3:07pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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OK - so it appears I was being a bit of a girl (no offence to girls).
Once I slackened everything else off, and repositioned myself, I was able to work the middle bolt with a ring spanner (15deg at a time). Got it pretty tight. Then tightened everything else back up and couldn't do the middle one any further so I guess it was tight. Did the old 'finger dip test' and I'd only lost a few ml. The fluid was basically still up to the fill plug. AndrewS - thanks for the encouragement
AndrewW - QT guards are the dogs nuts. Very tough. Unfortunately that makes them a bit of a fiddle to fit. I was hampered by having waxoyled everything (adding a few mm and making all the bolts/holes tighter) and probably having some of the silicone sealant overflow in the way. Because of their tight fit, you're super sensitive to debris and any manufacturing tolerances. Tighten the middle bolt at the bottom first One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 4:22pm |
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| AndrewW Member Since: 25 Nov 2009 Location: saddleworth Posts: 34
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Phew!
"Does it look much of a mud trap?" he asked, nonchalantly trying to hide a developing paranoid delusion of trapped mud and corrosion of the diff casing...  Carefully going everywhere |
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29th Apr 2010 5:43pm |
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| AndrewS Member Since: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Hereford Posts: 3709
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Use the ring of a combination spanner on the nut, get a second ring spanner of a similar size. Place the ring of the second spanner over one side of the open ended spanner and away to go. You now have an extra long spanner with twice the leverage. PS Please dont blame me if you strip the threads or break your spanners. 130's have feeling's as well you know |
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29th Apr 2010 5:45pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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I was looking at that earlier today actually. It's easily reached so a decent jet wash will clear them out. They don't offer any form of cradle for the mud to get caught in - just a completely flat shelf - so I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue. Get them Waxoyled, or equivalent, and they should be fine. If you fit them as badly as me then they'll leak a nice protective film of oil as well
They'll be a lot better than those silly bolt on diff pan covers that can collect mud behind them. You could drill holes in the QT guards if you wanted more drainage - and even better jet wash clearing - or try and locate something made of bars but I think they're pretty much the right solution (less likely to break than any welded bars). One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 7:42pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Or your knuckles One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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29th Apr 2010 7:43pm |
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| AndrewW Member Since: 25 Nov 2009 Location: saddleworth Posts: 34
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Alantd - thanks, that's helped to make a decision...
AndrewS - you obviously buy good quality spanners!  Carefully going everywhere |
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29th Apr 2010 10:25pm |
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| discocuzzy Member Since: 16 Jul 2008 Location: surrey Posts: 1200 
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just noticed mines the same...best get the spanners out! You cannot teach stupid people to do clever things |
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29th Apr 2010 10:44pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Warning to all, I guess 
You wouldn't expect the threads to penetrate to the oil but there you go - LR in their infinite wisdom 
Actually, one plus side is that the leaking fluid had made the bolts run a lot smoother than when I originally fitted it They were much easier to tighten.
Those that have fitted QT guards - check your nuts are tight One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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30th Apr 2010 9:19pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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AndrewW
Saw a rear diff guard with holes in it on EnTreq.de No price or specs but the company looks like it makes very well crafted pieces that are very expensive. Just a thought. One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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3rd May 2010 9:07am |
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