Series IIA Rear Output Seal

[tmckeon88]

I just replaced the rear output seal on the transfer case of my '69 88" and the new one is leaking really badly. Does anyone have experience with installing these? I had to push it in with quite a lot of force- probably I deformed it in doing so. In the service manual it talks about gently warming the speedo housing- have people found this to be necessary or not? Any advice would be helpful - I'm getting the new seal today and will make another attempt.

Thanks.

Tom

[graniterover]

Did you replace the seal without taking the speedo housing off? If not, do that, it's just a few more bolts.

There is a felt washer in there as well, although I didn't have that on the one I fixed a few weeks ago and there is no leak.

[thixon]

Based on what you say, it sounds like you may have bent it up getting it in (or nicked it somehow). Exactly how did you go about seating it?

[tmckeon88]

I had the whole speedo housing off- I used the hub nut socket, which is about the same diameter, and tapped the seal in that way. Not a good way to do it, I know, but it has worked okay with other seals. This one seemed to fit really tightly so it may have deformed. The leaking I have also seems to be from around the speedo housing, not just through the rear output seal. I talked to Les about it and he seems to think that nothing was needed apart from the thin shims that are in there already. It seems like oil seeps out around the speedo housing though.

[Jim-ME]

I've got to replace the same seal. I did the front one over this past weekend and it was a tight fit. I used a 42mm 3/4" drive socket to seat it and did chip it but it doesn't seem to leak. Where does it recommend taking the speedo housing off? I've gone thru the green bible and can't find anything specific to replacing the rear seal. What aren't I seeing?
Jim

[tmckeon88]

Taking the speedo housing off makes it a lot easier, because you can clean everything up nicely and re-attaching the speedo cable is easier with the housing off. It's not hard to remove- six nuts and it comes right off; you don't even need to remove the speedo drive geqar, it will mesh on the worm gear on its own.

The down side is that the speedo housing has a few shims behind it which were factory set to give the rear shaft output bearing the correct pre-load. I talked to Les about this at some length becauue my leaking was between this housing and the transfer case, not actually through the rear output seal. I ended up Scotch-Briteing the shims and the faces of the speedo housing and transfer case, then reassembling with some gasket sealer, and now it seems to be holding oil (touch wood). I heated up the housing in a 200 degree for ten minutes or so to get it to expand a bit and used some grease to ease the fitting of the oil seal and this one went in more easily than the first. So far it seems to be holding.

To relieve future leaks, I also installed a breather in the rectangular metal cover that's on top of the transfer case. There's supposed to be a breather hole in the top inspection cover, but either mine doesn't have one or it's blocked, because that inspection plate is just about the only part of my transmission that isn't covered in oil. It's also inaccessible under the edge of the seat box, so I drilled a new hole in the larger inspection plate aft of it and attached a fitting and ran a vinyl hose up to the engine compartment, along with one from my over drive. I haven't driven it yet, but at least sitting still it is holding oil, which is more than it was doing earlier this week.

Let me know what luck you have with yours. I also am struggling with trying to remove the pinion nut on the front differential- I've tried wrneches, extension pipes, a garage air drill, and no luck. This week I've been soaking it in PB Blaster and I'll have the garage try ot crack it loose again tomorrow, but failing that I'm going to have to try chiseling it off.

[chrismccarthy]

i did my rear seal after finding a service article in Land Rover Owner Intl, (Issue, 2007), that outlined the procedure pretty well. i wasn't going to do the parking/trans brake until i found this article (write if you want a photocopy). i was glad i did once i opened up the brake, it was ugly, and the seal was leaking. so with the help of the article i went about rebuilding the brake, and replacing the seal.
my seal went in well initially and then i tapped it in with a small length of a 1"x2" as shown. i would think if you are working very hard to replace the seal something is wrong. one thing i did notice is that the seal sits out more than the original, say a mm or 2, but it is thicker in that respect. because my truck sat for 10,15+ years, i've gone about repairing/rebuilding everything i can. i took of the Speedo drive unit off though the article doesn't say to do so; i removed the large shims to the speedo and replaced them without a care, no sealer, no gasket. hope all is well when i go to drive the dam thing.

[chrismccarthy]

sorry, i can't edit the reply above, it should say Issue 4 of 2007 for the service article, and i can't make copies and send them out that would be against the copyright, however...