With a long (and undoubtedly hot) trip planned to the 2019 Les Séries en Helvétie next weekend, I thought it time to change the gear box oils. The change is ahead of the workshop manuals recommendation by a long way but as the gearbox has all new internal parts, a lot of bedding in will still have occurred since the first change at 370km. This is likely to mean there’s a soup of phosphor bronze and steel particles in the oil reducing its effectiveness… which there was.
It was also an opportunity to do some regular checks:
Grease the prop-shafts
Engine oil levels
Brake / clutch fluid levels
Brake drum alignment
Lights, indicators operable
Tyre pressure
Transfer Gearbox
2.5 litres EP90
Remove the drain plug in the transfer box cooler. A cold chisel works well for this. If someone knows of a correct tool, please drop me a line.
Oil is very clean in the transfer box. There are far fewer gear changes occurring in there and hardly any phosphor bronze parts.
The drain plug is cleaned and some new PTFE tape applied to the thread.
Apply it in a left hand direction
Ready to be refitted. Next time I will order a new crush washer.
Hey presto… refitted.
Next up, is refilling the transfer box with EP90. The handy cover plate comes with a neat filler plug.
Insert a funnel and pour in 2.5 litres of shiny new EP90
The overdrive shares the oil with the transfer case, and there’s no need to add in any additional oil. Rocky Mountain also make a dip stick for the transfer case which makes it super easy to check the level. As a rule, the bottom of the filler plug opening is the max oil level… when oil runs out of the filler plug opening, the gearbox is full.
Main Gearbox
1.5 litres EP90
Similar process for the main gearbox… remove the drain plug.
Notice the oil is much dirtier
Drain plug if wrapped in PTFE again
…and refitted.
Next the filler plug on the side of the gearbox case is removed
I bought a special syringe for doing this last time but it made such a terrible mess, it went straight in the bin… This is my own invention… one end of a length of garden hose is inserted in the filler opening
The other end has a funnel. Simple and hardly any mess.
Filler plug refitted and the few drips cleaned up
Greasing the propshafts
Buzzweld CCI Lithium Grease
For the uninitiated each prop shaft (of which there are 2… front and rear) have 3 grease nipples each. 2 on the universal joints (UJs) and one on the sliding shaft.
Periodically new grease needs to be injected into these areas. Doing so forces the old grease out… leaving a terrible mess!
Grease gun
2 of the 3 nipples (the shiny parts) on the rear prop shaft. Note the “pins” in the centre of each nipple…
The end of the hose on the grease gun is pushed onto the nipple. When the handle is pumped, enough pressure is created to overcome the “stiction” in the pin of the nipple and the grease is forced in.
The above has covered the major parts of todays exercise. All other fluids setting and pressures were OK. In-fact the engine oil is still as translucent as it was when I put it in there in 1100 Kms ago. A testimony to the quality of Turner Engineerings workmanship.
