I changed the gear oil earlier in the year (at TEnders) , and what came out was 'orrible sludge, looked like old, cold, beefy bovril. Got 3 L of nice GL something in there, type 4 2l bay. Noticed at the weekend that quite a bit is coming out when the rod thing attached to the gear stick goes in an out of the gear box. I have never done nuffink on gear boxes or linkages, and a bit clueless generally. It's all over the bottom of the gear sump, and drips off. Looks like a little seal is gone. can anybody tell me if it's an easy one to sort out?, ie 'just squirt some cheese in the hole', or something like that?..."...or is it a gear box out hell job (which means a lifetime of topping up the gear oil instead)
There is a lip seal around that shaft which goes in a brass cup pushed into the nose of the gearbox. .Both are cheapish from the usual suppliers. Speaking from experience it is possible to completely destroy the seal chew the brass cup and dent the shaft with the box in using excessive violence.. But replace it with the box in .. never.. Engine and gearbox drop down and pull back.... easier. And I discovered the process of planishing where you put the metal back in the right place using a ball peen hammer...
So far....votes for box out ... 2, easy job ...0 Bum, not what I wanted to hear. Time to get a 17mm hex bolt and a regular top up regime.
Or tell us exactly what oil you put in (not GL something) and we might be able to help with a change of oil type. If it’s leaking a lot, whatever that is, it will still leak but maybe not so much.
There is only one type of oil recommended for the manual gearbox of the t4 2l. This is the spec. I believe. Your choice of brand
Not quite correct, VW recommended a GL-4 SAE 80 or 80W90 multi-grade; there are dozens of manufacturers of mineral and synthetic oils that meet or exceed that basic spec and the one you link to is a good mineral. I use a GL-4 synthetic that meets the spec and has an additive pack that improves the gear change quality.
It was GL4. It was a ages ago, in May, when I put it in. About 4000 miles from now. This one. http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/gearbox-oil/halfords-gear-oil-ep-80w-90-gl-4-1l I'd love to be able to fix it but I'm a man of modest means. Winters coming, the (inner London) street is my garage and I'm a dozy, cack handed old hippy. It's why I drive a hippy van Advice on how to slow the leak would be ace? Stiff Cheese?
The Halfords EP 80W/90 is an ordinary multi-grade mineral oil that meets the spec. it’s unlikely to have the additives that other brands might but it will do the job. Just keep topping it up.
It won't leak much, don't worry about it. Don't think I've ever had van without this leak to some extent.
westy, Zed and bus monkey thanks for putting me mind at rest on the leak, I'll just top up until I next blowup the heads or something that 100% needs dropping the engine. Great, I'll just get a 17mm socket, a bit more GL4 and sail off into the sunset, slopping juice like a snail after a prostate massage.
its usually a much smaller leak than the others . Only if an oil leak drops so much you have to top up more often than every time you buy fuel then it crosses from cosmetic to risky. 2 litres in 20 miles ( pinched cylinder head gasket) is my record.
