General ducato gearbox leaking oil at speedo cable (metal housing with rubber peg fastening)

[robin123]

my 2001 1.9TD has been leaking oil from speedo cable joint at gearbox for the last 7 years and I've left little puddles of oil all over the country? this winter I'm determine to stop this, so far I have changed oil to lighter synthetic oil (to stop oil frothing up) and freed up gearbox breather (to stop back pressure as gearbox warms up) and refilled gearbox oil to the exact capacity
Its still leaking? I got underneath and pulled out the little rubber peg from cable joint but could not remove speedo cable, I was going to renew o rings on cable end,
has anyone had this problem and found a cure, I was thinking of resorting to silicone and tape, that's how desperate I am!

 

[bugsymike]

my 2001 1.9TD has been leaking oil from speedo cable joint at gearbox for the last 7 years and I've left little puddles of oil all over the country? this winter I'm determine to stop this, so far I have changed oil to lighter synthetic oil (to stop oil frothing up) and freed up gearbox breather (to stop back pressure as gearbox warms up) and refilled gearbox oil to the exact capacity
Its still leaking? I got underneath and pulled out the little rubber peg from cable joint but could not remove speedo cable, I was going to renew o rings on cable end,
has anyone had this problem and found a cure, I was thinking of resorting to silicone and tape, that's how desperate I am!

I am guessing it is the Peugeot style gearbox with that "rubber mushroom" that you pull through to retain the speedo cable.
I may be wrong but below that is the actual speedo gear drive assembly bolted into the top of the diff housing. If so it may be wear on that spindle drives bushes that is allowing oil to run up and into the cable area.
I would have thought thinner oil may exaggerate the problem.
From memory fitting clutches etc. around that time Renault's had the same setup, but I mostly recall Peugeot 305s, 405, and maybe 505s etc.
By the way wasn't the level checked on the diff housing with a square drive tool? I still have one somewhere.

 

[robin123]

Yes, you have described it well, I have too use thinner oil because thicker oil cause the gears to grind, ( I think its because of thicker oil causes drag and the shafts to slow down during gear change) so I have a smoother gear change with thin oil,
It looks like the long term answer would be to renew spindle drive or bushes, I will have to look for parts

The gearbox on the 2001 ducato is the weak leak in the vehicle, syncro gear failure/premature gear wear, lubrication issues are common with these gearboxes, Plus a level and drain plug with a 8 mm square hole, that you cannot get out?

 

[bugsymike]

Yes, you have described it well, I have too use thinner oil because thicker oil cause the gears to grind, ( I think its because of thicker oil causes drag and the shafts to slow down during gear change) so I have a smoother gear change with thin oil,
It looks like the long term answer would be to renew spindle drive or bushes, I will have to look for parts

The gearbox on the 2001 ducato is the weak leak in the vehicle, syncro gear failure/premature gear wear, lubrication issues are common with these gearboxes, Plus a level and drain plug with a 8 mm square hole, that you cannot get out?

Here is a photo of the correct tool to undo the filler plugs which makes life much easier. It says SAM Pro 870 on it if you can find one, it has the 8mm square on one end and from memory the socket end was for rear brake manual adjusters on some models with snail came rear brake shoe adjusters.
Possibly the gearbox being the weak link is maybe due to the original design being car related rather than heavy van in my opinion.
I got it from a Water Board Garage auction when they were moving premises, I also got the fancy tool they used to stretch CV boots onto Renault Masters etc. and have used it it many times on different makes before retiring.

 

[robin123]

great tool, I have a workshop full of tools that haven't been used for 20 years?

but on the subject of 2001 ducato 1.9TD gearboxes, Fiat the manufactures must have known the gearboxes were not robust/suitable for the ducato van? its basically a gearbox for a car, and also they fitted seven different variations of gearbox, telling me they were trying to find a gearbox strong enough for the task and also fitting the space available,
manufacture of the vehicle must go! they had targets to meet, the gearbox was going to last past warranty!

 

[robin123]

finally cured gearbox leak after a couple of hours work, dismantled speedo drive gear to find no undue wear and no damaged/missing o rings

Got rid of leaky rubber pin, holding cable in place, replaced it with nut and bolt, and wrapped hole speedo cable and drive in self amalgamating tape, PROBLEM SOLVED