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Post by valhalla on Apr 29, 2016 23:07:38 GMT 1
I had an odd job come into the workshop this evening, 3minutes after 6.00pm.........
Something I have not seen for a long time is a leaking rear differential pressed-steel cover, not where the thing is part of the welded casing (rather than being a bolt-on access plate). The thing was crusty with rust, definitely not to be poked, and enevitably had rusted through on the deep pressing over the crownwheel.
Has anyone got any experience dealing with this sort of problem? At one stage, you could get new (presumably pattern) covers to weld back into these sorts of differential casing. The "Rover" axles on the Series Landrovers had this sort of set-up, but that is the last time I remember seeing a solution.
The guy is going to carry-on driving around with the current weep (it only seems to leak oil when the crownwheel flings the oil up inside the casing) until I decide what to do. I don't want the mess of cleaning and fibre-glassing (P40 or similar) if I can help it, not least that the whole cover looks tissue-thin, and will probably wilt under the force of an angle grinder wire cup brush.
I managed to get some photos to upload tomorrow, but if anyone knows where I can obtain a new steel cover of roughly 220mm diameter and 70mm crownwheel clearance depth, I'd be much obliged!! The internet is full of "helpful" advice from Ford Ranger owners, except that they are all the other side of the Atlantic, and have bolted-on covers on bigger diffs (not like a Mazda B3000 - derived pick-up), so they're about as much use as a chocolate teapot.
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dave
Tea Maker
Posts: 702
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Post by dave on Apr 30, 2016 10:42:03 GMT 1
Maybe a local metal works can whip something up for you
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Post by mayfly on Apr 30, 2016 11:16:34 GMT 1
Put some body filler on it, it will keep it dry till you get something sorted
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Post by Karl on Apr 30, 2016 11:26:22 GMT 1
Why not order a new one ?
Would seem the easiest way forward
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Post by rhyds on Apr 30, 2016 11:54:47 GMT 1
Just to be clear, the leaking part is part of the axle casing itself and not a bolt on plate?
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Post by Karl on Apr 30, 2016 16:13:39 GMT 1
Just to be clear, the leaking part is part of the axle casing itself and not a bolt on plate? I thought it was the end plate ?
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Post by upkeep on Apr 30, 2016 18:38:57 GMT 1
Just to be clear, the leaking part is part of the axle casing itself and not a bolt on plate? I thought it was the end plate ? Rear diff pressed steel plate as I read it. as Karl said why not get a new one or are we thinking of something completely different that I can not visualise
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Post by valhalla on Apr 30, 2016 18:46:26 GMT 1
Just to be clear, the leaking part is part of the axle casing itself and not a bolt on plate? That's absolutely correct. This is like the cheaper old Landrover axles, where the pinion and crownwheel assembly are loaded through the front of the axle casing, and the rear face is a welded pressing - not a bolt-on item like the bigger Ford Ranger axles on the older vehicles or USA vehicles. In effect, to remove the rusted mess requires a slitting-disc to run around the periphery of the pressing where it welds to the main axle casing, thus posing a separate problem of keeping the inside of the casing clean whilst this occurs. Once again, Uncle Henry excels at saving a few pence on a gasket and studs/nuts, and then creates a headache down the road for the end-user. Not least, they cannot have believed that anyone in their right mind would actually use their 4x4 to work off-road in its lifetime.....yet they keep banging this sort of stuff out as a serious contender in the light utility market
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Post by valhalla on Apr 30, 2016 19:29:03 GMT 1
The photo below gives an idea of the problem, not least that the diff has special oil for the limited slip function; Attachment Deleted
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Post by Rhubarb on Apr 30, 2016 20:07:26 GMT 1
Just to be clear, the leaking part is part of the axle casing itself and not a bolt on plate? That's absolutely correct. This is like the cheaper old Landrover axles, where the pinion and crownwheel assembly are loaded through the front of the axle casing, and the rear face is a welded pressing - not a bolt-on item like the bigger Ford Ranger axles on the older vehicles or USA vehicles. In effect, to remove the rusted mess requires a slitting-disc to run around the periphery of the pressing where it welds to the main axle casing, thus posing a separate problem of keeping the inside of the casing clean whilst this occurs. Once again, Uncle Henry excels at saving a few pence on a gasket and studs/nuts, and then creates a headache down the road for the end-user. Not least, they cannot have believed that anyone in their right mind would actually use their 4x4 to work off-road in its lifetime.....yet they keep banging this sort of stuff out as a serious contender in the light utility market You can't blame Uncle Henry this time..These are Mazda running gear
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Post by Karl on Apr 30, 2016 20:51:57 GMT 1
That's absolutely correct. This is like the cheaper old Landrover axles, where the pinion and crownwheel assembly are loaded through the front of the axle casing, and the rear face is a welded pressing - not a bolt-on item like the bigger Ford Ranger axles on the older vehicles or USA vehicles. In effect, to remove the rusted mess requires a slitting-disc to run around the periphery of the pressing where it welds to the main axle casing, thus posing a separate problem of keeping the inside of the casing clean whilst this occurs. Once again, Uncle Henry excels at saving a few pence on a gasket and studs/nuts, and then creates a headache down the road for the end-user. Not least, they cannot have believed that anyone in their right mind would actually use their 4x4 to work off-road in its lifetime.....yet they keep banging this sort of stuff out as a serious contender in the light utility market You can't blame Uncle Henry this time..These are Mazda running gear Built in Thailand I think
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Post by upkeep on Apr 30, 2016 21:38:09 GMT 1
Pull the diff out and weld it from the inside.
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Post by valhalla on Apr 30, 2016 22:36:51 GMT 1
You can't blame Uncle Henry this time..These are Mazda running gear Built in Thailand I think Certainly the L200 Mitsushitis are now made in Thailand, as every one I have had through in the last 5years has a Thailand VIN plate on it. I think that there are quite a lot of shared components onto the Mazda's, as the stamp appears on sensors, switches, etc. all over the vehicle.
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Post by valhalla on Apr 30, 2016 22:43:02 GMT 1
Pull the diff out and weld it from the inside. I reckon that the steel left underneath all that scab is like a lace curtain; the corrosion, whilst breaching through the steel at the top, is universally bad all the way down. A local repair is unlikely to be the end of the story for this axle, and by the time I've taken the diff out, I might as well go for broke. Do you reckon a thin skin of, say 22-gauge sheet, could be beaten into what's left of the pressed pan? It's certainly worth a thought, a good idea, thanks!
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Post by studabear on Apr 30, 2016 23:01:43 GMT 1
The photo below gives an idea of the problem, not least that the diff has special oil for the limited slip function; View AttachmentAny other covers for other vehicles that you could adapt with a bit of drilling and tapping?
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