Technical Water contamination gearbox oil

[Arvid]

Hi guys,

Just changed the gearbox oil due to notchy gear change and noticed it was mixed with water and very milky. Refilled the box and has since driven aprox. 50 kilometers. The oil is once again milky - not as bad as first time but clearly contaminated. Cant see any clear places where the water can get in and the gearbox is not wet on top.

Maybe through the gearbox dip stick ? Is there a problem with water from wiper tray and drainage on the Bravo ?

Any experience and tips as to where to start looking ?

 

[varesecrazy]

Dipstick???

Most FIAT gearboxes are sealed..

Can you add pictures??

 

[RalphM]

Only places I can think water could get in are the gear linkages, or drive shaft boots,
it also likely as a breather but these usually fail closed and tend if anything to push
oil out, only other thought is condensation, does it do a lot of short journeys?
Only ever seen water in a gear box well a tracfare box on a Landrover and there was
no telling what abuse that had suffered.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Rain water drains via pipes into teh wheel arch, behind the wheel arch liner. Might be worth cecking these are not blocked. You can feed a wire down from above and tip some water down the wiper well and see where is emerges. A small amount of water can cause havoc and look terrible. Bravo gearboxes cannot be entirely drained without removal of the box so it may be difficult to displace any water that is already inside the box. Top it up, over fill it and leave it untill the level has dropped, and no more runs out of the filler.
Repeat a few times and hopefully any water will be drawn out of the box carried as the excess drains.

 

[Arvid]

It has indeed a dipstick located on top of the differential housing - the little black knob you see on the picture It does do a lot of small drives but not exclusively and if it condensates internally it must need a check of the breather. Does it have a regular breather or just passages as some boxes have ?
I will check the drains into wheel arches as chances are they are clogged. If so,will it drip from wiper tray area and down on gearbox ? I know I have a leaking driveshaft seal but that is a recent damage from when I pulled the shaft for removing alternator. Can't be the cause I think.

I drained the box via differential drain plug a week ago. Overfilled it to two litres due to leak and when checking it today it was quite milky again.

 

[varesecrazy]

I am wondering if it has driven in deep water..and has 'sucked in' a quantity of water, before you bought it

( maybe pressure washing has driven water down the 'dipstick hole' ?)

 

[Arvid]

I am wondering if it has driven in deep water..and has 'sucked in' a quantity of water, before you bought it

( maybe pressure washing has driven water down the 'dipstick hole' ?)

It's possible but I really don't know. I'm sure if the Bravo had this problem this forum would know about it. I think I'll get the shaft seal fixed and do another oil swap and check it again after a few weeks.