This LRO reader emailed LRO.workshop@bauermedia.co.uk to ask Andrew Varrall about leaking issues with a new Defender gearbox.
Q.
I’ve just had a new Ashcroft gearbox fi tted; it shifts nicely and was worth the money. However, I do have a problem: after I picked my Defender up and gave it a run, gear oil started coming out of the extended breather pipe and down the nearside front window. I checked the level and it was a little over-full, so I let the excess drain. Since then it’s covered about 70 miles and has again started leaking from the breather where the extended breather joins the OEM one. The oil in the gearbox is Redline MTL gear oil 70W80. Redline says the oil is a similar spec to MTF94, but better. Any ideas about how to solve this problem?
Nick Hutson, Grantham, Lincolnshire
A.
I’ve always been a great believer in using the oil specified by a manufacturer, in which case your R380 gearbox would be filled with MTF94. However, I don’t think using non-standard oil would make it flow from the breather pipe, so I suggest getting in touch with Ashcroft (01582 496040 or email info@ashcrofttransmissions.co.uk). Ashcroft is very helpful with anything like this and will hopefully shed light on the problem.
Andrew Varrall
This workshop advice appeared in the November 2015 issue of LRO. Back issues are available to download on digital devices here.
