1. Home
  2. Land Rover 4WD vehicles
  3. Several questions about a '95 Disco

Several questions about a '95 Disco

Hey everyone. My girlfriend has a '95 Disco w/ the 3.9L V8. It's been quite a long time since she's had the tranny oil(s) changed; actually she doesn't even know the last time they were changed. The car used to belong to her father, and she bought it from him about three years ago, and she is unsure of the maintenance. Anyway, today she called our local Land Rover dealer to inquire about a tranny and/or differential flush and refill. They told her they won't flush it, but will refill at a cost of $300! The reason they don't flush it? "It keeps the 'good' debris in there." This sounds like complete BS to me...never before have I heard this. I don't work on Land Rovers, I'm familiar with aircooled VWs and watercooled Mazdas. So I have a few more questions for you:

1.) Who can and shouldn't flush and/or refill the driveline fluids? What needs to be changed flushed, etc.? Is this true that you shouldn't flush the tranny to keep 'good debris' in there?

2.) Also, even more concerning, the power steering has been making a TERRIBLE racket lately. It groans and moans and whines and just sounds absolutely horrible whenever you turn the wheel off center. When idling, it whines much more than usual. I checked the power steering fluid level and found it quite low, so I filled it. This seemed to fix the problem, but there is apparently a massive leak somewhere, and the noise is back four days later even worse. Land Rover said "if the leak is in the box, it will cost $600 to replace, if it's the lines, about $210 apiece." Thoughts? BTW, we are located in Albuquerque NM.

I apologize if this is the wrong board for this kind of stuff, but there doesn't seem to be a specific board for Discos. Thanks for any help

~Anthony

Reply to
Anthony
Loading thread data ...

On or around 15 Dec 2004 22:05:37 -0800, "Anthony" enlightened us thusly:

sounds like bollox. However... the ZF 4-speed auto can only be completely drained by taking it out - the torque converter can't be drained in situ and has a fair bit of oil in it.

proper drain and refill involves removing the sump and changing the filter screen. The other oils (transfer case, diffs, front swivel housings) all drain and can be refilled. The front swivels can be filled with "one-shot" grease instead. If they are, there should be labels on the vehicle somewhere saying so, and they're not supposed to need attention.

sounds common. I've had ones do this for ages. whines are usually the pump cavitating due to low fluid, the groaning noise when turning the wheel seems to be something "they all do, guvnor" - doesn't seem to be worth doing anything about. The leak however needs fixing, or it'll cost you a lot in fluid; sadly, steering boxes are expensive, if that's where it's leaking. In the UK a visible fluid leak will fail the annual test.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Changing fluids at the specified intervals is definately a Good Thing, particularly the main gearbox as ATF has a limited life. If by "flushing" you mean cleaning out with some sort of degreaser, then I'd tend to agree that, unless there is some debris present that needs removing, then that is unnecessary - a change will suffice.

Have a look at the bottom of the steering box - the usual culprit is the seal on the output ("sector") shaft. If that is leaking, then it is possible (but unlikely) that replacing the seal will fix it. Usually, however, the seal will have cut a groove in the shaft making seal repacement a very short-term repair! That would leave three options - a new unit, a reconditioned unit, or repair. To repair it would require a seal kit (2 actually) and a new sector shaft - or perhaps even better get the shaft repaired by someone who does hydraulic rams etc - if its done right it should then last forever.

You are indeed in the right place, though it is a bit UK oriented.

Richard

Reply to
beamendsltd

Before you spend big money, try some "seal swell" stuff - bound to be available from a decent motor factor or whatever you call them over there. Worked for me on a then 10 year old 110, although it took a while. (Several weeks in fact)

2 years later, the box was still dry! Also bleed the box to get any air out - if there is air present, chances are you have a poor hose connection somewhere, the crimps are known to loosen as the hose ages. Again, changing a duff hose helped solve the problem for me.

Mike.

Reply to
Mike Buckley

As others have said, if you mean flush with some sort of cleaning fluid I don't think that is ever done. If you wanted a LR dealer to change all your fluids I'm not too surprised at $300 considering the labor rates/time/materials involved. If you just want the tranny changed you might call some of the quick lube places like Speedy. Some of these have a machine that connects into the transmission oil cooler lines. This setup is supposed to remove essentially 100% of the old oil. Might not be able to hook it up to the LR though. As for the steering box, I'd try the pour-in sealer as well. Don't think it can hurt and it may even work. As one person suggested, you might get away with just changing a seal. If the shaft is worn you can sometimes get a seal which is 1/2 the thickness of the original. This puts the sealing material onto a new portion of the shaft. Hoses sometimes spring pinhole leaks that are hard to see unless you look carefully while the engine is running. I'd suggest you look everywhere around the box while you girlfriend turns the wheel from lock to lock, engine running of course. Good luck.

Reply to
Gordon Wedman

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:05:37 -0600, Anthony wrote (in article ):

For the power steering pump look at the hose clamps. My mechanic said the ones Rover uses aren't very good. I had a major leak and that is all it was. Also it doesn't use power steering fluid. At least on my '96 it uses Dexron.

Good luck.

Hud

Reply to
Disco Duck

On or around Thu, 16 Dec 2004 21:09:44 -0600, Disco Duck enlightened us thusly:

mopst automotive power steering systems IME use ATF in one form or another. They're also for the most part less fussy about which than the gearboxes are.

The main box on 5-speeds (LT77s or R380s) also uses Dexron II, but it's popular in the UK to fill it with fully-syntehtic SAE75 gear oil. Not so good in extreme cold weather, as it's a bit thicker, so makes for sluggish changes when the oil's cold.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.