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Bedford MK axle leak

garry taylor

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garry taylor

garry taylor

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So when i originality got my Mk it looked like it had a bit of a leak in the rear wheel hubs ( it was mentioned in the MOT) and the old owner said he got it fixed, well i cleaned away the old oil and it seems to be fine BUT, i got a leak from the rear axle, keeps driping,i put into the hole in the axle 1 and a half liter just before the weekend , i found on this forum a scan of 1 page from a manual stating that it takes 3 and a half liters so im happy i put some in ( its was full to the hole)

 

Im gessing i have a old seal that is leaking, i feel the bottom and bit of material are coming off, not metal more like fiber, anyone know how to fix it......i keep trying to get a scan of a manual or parts list but im not having any luck,and as im in Iceland getting a reprint sent from vinntagemvmanuals is going to cost me a arm and a leg.... i dont even know the number of the seal

 

i went for a run this last weekend for 200 or 300 km ( not to sure how far as the speedo and odmonitour packed in after the first 10 km of driving)staying the night in the truck (not to cold this time as summer is on the way) good fun and managed to find some good bad roads to play on not to far from the capital

 

ive never tryed it ,but i know you can use stuff like Blue devil sealant in head gaskets and they have one for A/C and engine leaks on the seal but i cant find anything for rear axles....any of you guys know of something i could use to stop the leak easy or maybe you know the seal number or if it maybe another problem

 

 

 

 

 

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N.O.S.

N.O.S.

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......Im gessing i have a old seal that is leaking, i feel the bottom and bit of material are coming off, not metal more like fiber, anyone know how to fix it......

ive never tryed it ,but i know you can use stuff like Blue devil sealant in head gaskets and they have one for A/C and engine leaks on the seal but i cant find anything for rear axles....any of you guys know of something i could use to stop the leak easy or maybe you know the seal number or if it maybe another problem

 

 

Do not put anything in the rear axle to stop leaks - only way is to rectify the cause.

 

Is the oil coming from the hub? This could be just the seal, or it could be bearings worn / out of adjustment causing play in hub. I recently had an oil thrower come loose and move, allowing a very slight leak of oil to gradually cover the brake linings over time instead of weeping harmlessly from the hub drain hole.

 

Your description 'I feel the bottom and bit of material...' sounds like a drain plug gasket - is this what you mean? A little bit of Silly Cone sealer will stop that.

 

If you need seals and or oil thrower they are cheap - try Kia Motors in Kent - http://www.bedfordparts.co.uk/ They have them in stock and I'm sure can post to Iceland.

 

Recommend you check bearings if you are planning a long expedition!

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N.O.S.

N.O.S.

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If you ignore the drain / filler plug and breather, the axle can only leak from the hubs or the input shaft seal (pinion shaft) - behind the propshaft and brake drum on a MK. Sometimes straw baler twine will get picked up and wound into the seal.

 

Exactly where on the axle is the oil coming from? Input shaft or wheel hubs?

 

If it is the pinion seal - http://www.ekmpowershop5.com/ekmps/shops/greenmachines/bedfordmkmjfrontrear-axle-pinion-seal-2120-p.asp

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Tony B

Tony B

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That looks like the seal between the acess panel and the axle tube has gone. Check breathers as them being blocked may have caused it, then speack to your local garage. You are operating in an extreme climate, local knowledge as to the best thing to repalce the seal with could save a lot of grief. There are a lot of sealants now that are far better than gaskets. Better to strip and clean it all now, before any major problems or embarresment.

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N.O.S.

N.O.S.

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Hubs look OK! That is just the gasket for the diff tin cover plate leaking. Drain oil out (I think there is no drain plug - you have to undo the cover plate fasteners and let it drain out between cover and axle housing). as Tony says, check axle breather is not blocked!

 

Not essential to use a proper gasket - you can use silicone gasket sealer to get an oil tight joint, apply sparingly and evenly to the tin cover, let it start to go off and then place on axle and tighten up. That's what I do anyway and it works fine.

 

Gets tin hat and retreats to air raid shelter :-D

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garry taylor

garry taylor

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when i cleaned it up, the oil was maybe coming from the right side slightly higher, ( ive put a blue arrow ) as there was fresh oil there 20 mins after cleaning,im thinking of putting some kind of sealent on the outside..

 

the breathers i dont know much about ( or were they are,as i still dont have any manual) arrow2.JPG

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N.O.S.

N.O.S.

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when i cleaned it up, the oil was maybe coming from the right side slightly higher, ( ive put a blue arrow ) as there was fresh oil there 20 mins after cleaning,im thinking of putting some kind of sealent on the outside..

the breathers i dont know much about ( or were they are,as i still dont have any manual)

 

NO! Do not try sealing from outside - it won't work for very long. Take the cover off and clean up and use silicone. Axle breather is mounted along top of axle, I think to the left of your last photo (but if not then to the right :D). Simply unscrew and check by blowing through, clean if necessary. Do the front axle breather too!

 

Good luck.

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Tony B

Tony B

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NO! Do not try sealing from outside - it won't work for very long. Take the cover off and clean up and use silicone. Axle breather is mounted along top of axle, I think to the left of your last photo (but if not then to the right :D). Simply unscrew and check by blowing through, clean if necessary. Do the front axle breather too!

 

Good luck.

 

ABSOLUTLEY NOT!!! IT won't work. There is no real effort in taking the plate off, then clean thouroughly, have a good look round inside to check everything then get a suitable sealeant for your climate. Cannot emphasis enough half an hour now will save a hell of a lot of expense , damage and possible totally ***diff in the future. The breathers are the little top hat things on the top of the axle tube. They just unscrew, and are a little ball bearing valve. If the axle oil over pressures they release the pressure. If you are going into a lot of water, then get a set of remote breathers. These are the same at the bottom but have a long tube that fixes higher up the chassis.

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Nudge

Nudge

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Had the same thing happen on my salisbury landrover rear diff.

no point in trying to bodge it, only way is to remove the cover and seal that way.

( i cheated and used some specialist Loctite sealer, it was given to me by some one who uses it on nuclear power stations, never leaked again........... )

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garry taylor

garry taylor

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im going to go back to the truck tomorrow and have a look for this breather, ive been told that the trucks been winterised and i think waterproffed so it my look a bit diffrent ( i dont know) ..i realy dont remember anything on the top of the axle...but i will look

 

im not to worryed about the tempritures out here afecting the sealant..it does not get that cold here...max in the winter is minus 5c in the night and normaly its more like between 5 and 10c...it just always windy ( makes working on the truck less fun) and often rainy, atleast we are getting lots of daylight now...last week i could not get to sleep so i went to work on the truck at 3am in the daylight

 

i belive this is the only MK or MJ in Iceland,there are a few greengoddesses and ive seen a tk, so i realy appreciate everyones advice..

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N.O.S.

N.O.S.

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Garry, even if you sort the breather - once the gasket has leaked as bad as this and moved (and bits been pulled out by you :D), you will not stop the leak until you remove cover and either use gasket or silicone sealer.

 

Also if using a proper gasket :-X, I'd suggest you smear a little silicone on the cover side at least (I do both sides) as this will help to mitigate any distortion of the cover (they are often distorted by pulling setscrews up too tight in efforts to cure leaks :D). Pull them up nice and gently and evenly. The manual says Differential Cover Bolts 33Nm or 25lb ft. And don't forget that reinforcing plate between bottom pair of setscrews.

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garry taylor

garry taylor

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Hi

so i found the breather...its a extended one for water, so it was like a rubber tube going up to the chasiss , i gave it a bit of a blow out but it does not seem to be blocked, just a bit dusty, i will try and give it a go with the silicon on the weekend, but lets see if my GF will let me have any more time with the truck,

ive been having a play with the brocken speedo aswell, i will take it totaly off and paly with it inside ( more space) its got the end of the cable brocken off and stuck in it...so i need to get to work with the tweazzers ..no big problem

 

thanks so much for all the help guys, especialy for the manual....this will make it a lot easyer

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