Diff oil

[Bigdog]

Hi what's the best oil to use and how many litres per axle, thanks

[GHOBHW]

EP90 GL4

fill it via the diff plug until it leaks out, cannot remember the exact amount, but its pretty simple anyway

[diffwhine]

All the capacities and specs are listed in the workshop manual and also in the owner's manual, so easy to find.

[Bigdog]

Yeah I think it's 1.75ltrs per axle, thanks

[Wittsend]

All the capacities and specs are listed in the workshop manual and also in the owner's manual, so easy to find.

... and in the Service Section here on the forum 

[Larry S]

For grins-n-giggles here's a bit more info on gear oils.

GL-4 gear oil.  It doesn't  contain phosphorus/sulfurized additives which will kill the yellow parts in the transmission (gearbox, transfer case, front output housing) and steering relay - brass bushings, bearings, distance pieces, synchro mesh, thrust washers and such.  GL-5 contains these.  The brand I use is Stai-Lube.

GL-5 gear oils have mostly replaced GL-4 gear oils on auto part dealer shelves.  The GL5 fluids contain phosphorus/sulfurized additives which will kill the yellow parts in the transmission (gearbox, transfer case, front output housing) and steering relay - brass bushings, bearings, distance pieces, synchro mesh, thrust washers and such.  The yellow metal parts, like these listed, are all over the place.

[Bigdog]

Would this be suitable

[Wittsend]

Yes 

That's the very stuff I use - except I buy it in 20 litre drums 

Anything that meets GL4 spec will be just fine.

[nathanglasgow]

Buying in bulk is a no brainer really. You save a lot over a couple of services. However not everyone has the luxury of being able to store large amounts. I remember in my twenties running a 30m extension cord out of my 2nd floor flat to power my SIP migmate welder to weld cills on Minis and wings on to mates Mk11 Escorts ect. My son now lives in that flat and he's considering an electric car using the same method

[Bigdog]

Perfect, thanks

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Would this be suitable

No.

Not quite. You want it rather larger. 'No oil under it, no oil in it' and all that. Invest in a 50 gallon drum. See the Torrey Canyon or my driveway.

Call in your own RAF strike..

[John]

Diff Oil
After how many miles or years should it be changed rather than topped up
I ask as some of us with a number of Series may not do a lot of miles in some of them but as long as water has not got in the oil "looks" OK

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

If it's got oil in there , oil won't truly go off as such, clean is best, only it's not fresh-cream. Mine's a daily. The stuff in my diffs was flushed recently. Reckon it'd been in there 20 years.

Reckon the challenge is keeping it in there.

[Wittsend]

The answer is in the official Land Rover Maintenance Chart - every 6,000 miles.

Print out and pin on your garage wall.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Who am I to say otherwise, 6,000 it is. Only with modern oils most 90s cars run gearboxes on 200,000+, and have 1-2 changes. With more stress than any S2.

60s era oils maybe, they'd go to tar - in the context of modern oils, 6,000 seems truly excessive.

Put a magnet on the drain-plug.