worth checking your gearbox filler level!

[xpress]

today amongst greasing the handbrake cables and rear universal joint, I topped up the gearbox filler. to get to the top of the hole took a litre! it specifies 1.3 litres to fill the gearbox! i used 20/50 comma.

i dipped a wood stick into the filler, the oil was about one inch below the bottom of the filler hole, the oil was a good colour, you could still see the wood on the dipstick, you could see the oil from the filler, but it took a litre to go to the top of the filler plug!

there wasn't any noise in any gears, apart from 1st and reverse as usual for moggies, however driving afterwards felt much smoother, also no noise on takeup into 2nd, 3rd and 4th, just silence and everything felt much smoother.

in a week or two i am going to pull the gearbox drain plug, empty and refill. Does anyone know where I can get a magnetic drain plug for the gearbox filler to put back on there? cheers.

[MarkyB]

You could make one easily enough, a small rare earth magnet epoxy glued (Araldite) into the plug would do it.
However I'd be giving the gearbox rear seal and bearing a long hard look instead, this will p*ss oil out if it's knackered.
If it's just the seal you are laughing, if the bearing is shot it's less funny.

[xpress]

cheers for the advice, doesn't seem to be any leaks from the gearbox as yet but will keep an eye on it.

[MarkyB]

Give it a couple of weeks of use and check again, if it's still full things are fine.
If it's very low again, you have a problem.

Changing the oil is a good plan, less so if it just drops out again.

[rayofleamington]

cheers for the advice, doesn't seem to be any leaks from the gearbox as yet but will keep an eye on it.

Drive it a while with some oil in before you know for sure. The previous oil got out somehow. ;-)

[xpress]

book says to check it every 1000 miles and top up.

does the gearbox oil feed the trans and back axle?

[MarkyB]

No it doesn't, the prop shaft should have grease nipples on the UJs and there is another level plug in the diff, which needs EP90 not engine oil.

If the gearbox rear oil seal and bearing are shot, park the car nose downhill on a slope or the oil just runs out of the gearbox, been there, done that

[xpress]

yea, you know how it is. i will check the level in about a week. it's sounding nicer doesn't have that shunt feeling when picking up in 3rd gear.

anyway, i have gl5 ready to go in the diff but not sure bow when thinking about the sulphur thing with brass in the diff. would rather put gl4 in. not sure if i can get that stuff anywhere though?

re the propshaft, only found one grease nipple, not sure if there's any more on there. i have a late minor. it took four good strokes of a big grease gun before i saw any grease coming out of the joint.

i have a leaky oil seal on the rear n/s wheel. this has to be fixed but i will fill up the diff and keep it topped to be sure. is it just going to run out of this seal?

[bmcecosse]

And all over the brake shoes - fix the leak first.....

[xpress]

very naughty, coudl this leak be just the oil seal or would i possibly need a speedy sleeve? will look into this. will a hub puller be needed?

[mogbob]

Hub puller....No... unless you are unucky, half shaft will pull out or you can put the wheel back on again ( after releasing the hub nut and locking washer !! ) with a couple of nuts and pull.Don't swop sides with the half shafts, if you are doing both sides.
You will need a 46/47 mm socket to take the nut off or Roy's method of a cold chisel to knock it undone.Care Left hand thread on the nearside from memory ( ? ).
You can get a seal kit ( Rear Hub Oil seal, paper gasket, rubber ' O ' ring ) plus new nut and lock washers if required.
If the surfaces are very good , you may not need gasket cement/ paste.Others perfer a small smear of it, when fitting, adopting the belt and braces approach.Do search on the forum for exact proceedure.
Bob

[daveyl]

I bought GL4 from my local factors recently. Comma gear oil, 1 litre.

[minor_hickup]

It's also worth checking your gearbox doesn't have Hypoid gear oil in which wrecks them over time.