 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > A day in the life of Miffy the 110... |
 
|
|
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410  
|
Super afternoon of servicing Miffy's oils and greases yesterday. Big one this one with the axles needing changing as well.
 Click image to enlarge I have said it so many times, but I really miss having a garage/workshop to do this sort of work in. Makes life much cleaner and more comfortable. Anyway, lined up and at attention are my Oil Safe containers (one for each oil); EP90 (axles), MTF94 (R380), 75w90 (LT230 and overdrive) and 5w30 (engine). Other essential items include a large funnel, oil catch container and waste storage, new filters (obviously), MAF cleaner, gloves, selection of tools and of course your best cut up worn out jeans as rags. Oh I forgot the most important item... A thermos of black coffee. Essential... The engine was additionally flushed this time around with a can of Wyns engine flush. The oil that came out was delightfully black, but smelt good and contained absolutely no grit or ferrous metal filings. Which is excellent. Magnetic plugs are just amazing for check ups and diagnosis. Click image to enlarge She now has new oil filters and oil. On the topic of oil filters it is worth saying that I absolutely love the TD5 oil filter wrench/spanner for removing and installing the filter. Anyone with a TD5 should own this tool, makes life much much easier. Best tenner you can spend. The sensors were all cleaned and left to dry whilst all the other oils were being changed. The fuel filter was straightforward as was the R380. Smallest amount of filings on the drain plug and I have no doubt it was my fault as I remember completely messing up a gear change a while back... Happens to us all. What was lovely to see was that it appears the oil cooler has helped preserve the oil as it was barely discoloured and smelt of MTF rather than burnt as it used to be before the cooler was installed. The LT230 also had a clean magnetic sump plug and the oil the came out looked almost new. Beautiful it was. The only issue with the LT230 was... I ran out of clean oil... Balls... Then on to the axles... First job was to warm up the EP90 which was thicker than black treacle, it was almost impossible to shift with the pump. So into a bucket of boiling water... Click image to enlarge The rear P38-style axle had a lovely clean magnetic sump plug and the EP90 that came out was super clean and smelt as it should. The front Rover axle though... Oh dear... Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge That, ladies and gentlemen, is a chunk of gear tooth... Balls... and double Balls... And look at that oil... so black... What on Earth has been going on inside that axle since the last oil change... Crikey... I had a good fish around with another magnet and nothing else came out so it appears the sump plug caught the chunks and to be honest has probably saved the differential as that would have done a good job of jamming up the gears if it hadn't got caught by the plug. New oil and I am going to have to think about what to do next with this diff. But, I would highly advise everyone to go out and buy a set of magnetic sump plugs for your axles, gear boxes and engine... Today...! Yes they are worth the expense. Oh what to do about that differential... |
||
5th Mar 2023 2:12pm |
|
| LR90XS2011 Member Since: 05 Apr 2011 Location: bickenhill Posts: 3645 
|
What Blackwolf said
Get the diff out before it kills you and go ATB, I love mine DEFENDER 90 TDCI XS, I hope everyone is well and your land rovers make you happy |
||
|
5th Mar 2023 3:21pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
I agree with you gents I really do. Having already had a 2 pin front diff jam on me at 30ish mph I can attest to the danger... The main reason being, of course, that the last time this happened I was on a date with my first and current wife when it ate itself and I am concerned what might happen if it were to happen again with someone else in the passenger seat  |
||
|
5th Mar 2023 4:29pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
I knew I had images of the 2009 differential post eating itself... When this one went I am pretty sure the front suspension bottomed out under the decell, we stopped extremely quickly.
And I note that the shard I found yesterday looks suspiciously like the edge of one of the internal gears...
|
||
|
5th Mar 2023 4:40pm |
|
| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17463 
|
Yet Land-Rover says there is no problem.
|
||
|
5th Mar 2023 7:02pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
Well there isn't anymore as it and the vehicle it goes in have been discontinued...
 |
||
|
5th Mar 2023 7:43pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
Well I have been looking around and it is when things like this happen that I miss having a workshop so very much... I can absolutely build up a differential, but... These days I do not even have a vice... Ach...
I think I am going to have to buy in a pre-assembled unit. It probably would be the easiest option given the circumstances. Balls... It's a big chunk of change for a student to fork out. Mind you with food prices rising so quickly a tin of beans and a pack of pasta will be as much as a recon diff  |
||
|
5th Mar 2023 7:52pm |
|
| Plumbers91 Member Since: 30 Jul 2020 Location: Manchester Posts: 56 
|
Hi Geobloke, just wondering what make are the pump bottles that you've got for your oils? Got to do mine soon and could do with this sort of set up! Very Impressed
 |
||
|
11th Mar 2023 8:28pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
Hi Plumbers91. These are Oil Safe containers. They are a little expensive but worth twice the price. Mine are at least a decade old. IIRC I got mine from Difflock.com at the time. Ah yes they still do them too: https://www.difflock.com/oilsandadditives/...1c6fl0m5e1 If you are the sort of person that does your own maintenance on vehicles etc then these are an excellent addition to your garage.  |
||
|
13th Mar 2023 12:25pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
Well I had hoped with many fingers crossed that the chunk of metal in the above post was in fact something leftover from the previous differential explosion... But it is not to be...
Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge That is one of the planet bevel gears and almost all of the metal that came out with the magnetic diff drain plug, shows you they are worth their weight in gold... I had expected that maybe one of the planet gears circles might have become dislodged or the pin may have broken or become worn, but there is nothing I can see. Circlips are in position and the pins do not appears to have worn the casing. Very odd. Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge The ring gear looks good though, no obvious pitting or chips out of that. What it does mean is that a new differential is absolutely needed now. It was worth buying the borescope though as it has allowed confirmation of the suspicion without dismantling anything. Plus it will be of great use in the years to come I have no doubt. So on to a list of parts, order... get her fixed... |
||
|
7th Apr 2023 1:48pm |
|
| geobloke Member Since: 06 Nov 2012 Location: Nottinghamshire Posts: 4410
|
Almost bought a second hand differential. Then thought better of it and almost bought a replacement diff with an ATB diff centre...
|
||
|
11th Apr 2023 3:03pm |
|
| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1848 
|
I have an ATB front, rear and middle, so not really asking for myself, and it means I’ve probably not been paying attention. What’s the problem and what year did it start? Geobloke - I’m fairly sure I have a front 110 diff - either the original off my car removed during an axle swap ca. 2010 or so, or the Td5 diff that was in the axle. If you were happy to pay postage you’d be welcome to it short or long term. Might tide you over? I often think I should sell these but I don’t think they’re worth a great deal. Donald 1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
||
|
11th Apr 2023 6:41pm |
|
| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17463
|
The problem started in 2007 and is simply that the Puma engine is too torquey, probably in combination with an excess of torsional vibration, for the traditional two-gear differential especially on the heavier variants (110 and 130). LR recognised this and fitted the four-gear P38 diff at the rear (cheaper than the Salisbury diff) but left the classic feeble two-gear Rover diff at the front. When these started breaking LR designed a four-gear version of the Rover diff and ostensibly started to fit that in the front axle of 110 and 130 vehicles (IIRC from about 2012 onwards), however there is a mass of evidence that many or most Defenders built thereafter still got two gear diffs long after LR said they didn't. LR also stopped supplying the two gear diff as a replacement part for broken front diffs in 110 and 130 vehicles, insisting on the four instead.
What actually happens is that over time the holes for the cross pin in the diff carrier elongate, and eventually the cross pin falls out causing the differential gears to lock up and disintegrate. If you are lucky, as I was, all that happens is that it becomes virtually impossible to steer (just as though you had engaged a front diff lock), if you are unlucky, the front axle locks up solid. Two gear Rover and P38 diffs are not worth much, but are useful if you want to rebuild them with an ATB or air-locker. Four gear diffs, especially the Rover pattern used in the front of (some) LWB Pumas, seem to fetch daft prices. Four-gear P38 diffs are slightly less daft since they were used on some variants of the P38 Range Rover (I think the 4-litre V8 version used them F&R). |
||
|
11th Apr 2023 7:53pm |
|
| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1848
|
Thanks BW - I think I was peripherally aware of this from folks' contributions (and horror stories of diffs seizing up) but hadn't really paid much attention, primarily because my car is a '94 Tdi. I think I'd focussed enough at one point to register that my RR ( a 4L V8 P38) probably had the "good stuff" fitted.
But that's a great 'exec summary' to see it set out tightly. Donald
1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
||
|
12th Apr 2023 7:46am |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2025 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
