Humber FV1600

[fv1620]

Anyone got any ideas?

I am losing oil from the transfer box breather & after a run of more than 5 miles the transfer box feels a lot hotter than the diff, but I don't know if that is normal.

The trouble started last year. The TF/box oil level was going down & was ending up in the diff. No external leakage at all. The TF/box breather was not blocked or damaged it seemed.

During the winter, I removed the TF/box. Although the main seal from the TF/box shaft to the diff looked good, I replaced it.

This year after it had a good run of 35 miles found I was losing oil through TF/box breather. I replaced the breather & in case the diff was pressurising removed the diff breather.

Still got oil leakage. So to get me to Kemble (65 miles) I put a breather pipe 18" long up from the breather hole. No external leakage but oil still getting blown out of the tube.

I drained the TF/box & found pieces of metal. Dismantled the box & found a mangled spacer washer (3.5in od, 3" id). I think I messed up as it was tight on reassembling the shaft.

I had what I believed to be an OK TF/box on another chassis & fitted that. After 5 miles no leaks but after 12 miles, leakage through the breather & diff feeling much hotter than the diff, just as before.

It is not stuck in 4WD. The oil is OEP220 as indicated in Servicing Schedule & stencilled on the side of it. It came from a sealed military drum of recent manufacture.

I was at show recently & saw a Humber GS. I asked if he had leakage problems, apparently not. But I could see the TF/box smothered in old oil & on checking the level found his TF/box was empty.

So any ideas please?

& why do these things have to happen mid-season