What Did You Do To Your LR Today?

[BBLR3]

Transfer case oil change @ 165K. About 1.5 liters and used Royal Purple Synchromax. Looks like a the front seal is leaking a little. Not enough to drip on the driveway, but something to keep an eye on.

Front end has been dropping pretty quickly lately. Was hoping it was the front valve block, but the spray bottle with soap and found the passenger airbag is leaking pretty quickly. Ordered two from from Aerosus in Germany for $457 shipped.

 

[Land Rover Joe]

Always a good day when you can finish something!

And always a Land Rover Day when you need to do something new after finishing..........

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Androomantoo]

Wasn't all today, but starting Friday I changed fluid in the diffs and the transfer case. Both diffs and xfer case had remarkably clean fluid, which is nice to know my LR4 was ACTUALLY serviced. Now I have peace of mind knowing they definitely have fresh fluid in them (Valvoline Advanced Full Syn for the diffs, Royal Purple Synchromax for the xfer case).

I also decided to tackle the transmission pan swap, bridge seals, mechatronic sleeve, and fluid change this weekend as well. I had an opposite experience to most with the mechatronic sealing sleeve. Installing the new sleeve was a breeze, removing the old one took me about 4 hours of wiggling, prying, hammering, and nearly completely destroying the old one.

Also, there's a buried tip I found about removing the OE pan, don't saw it off, just give it a sharp shove towards the right side (passenger in the USA). Once you feel some tension when pushing to the passenger side, give it a good shove and the tube snaps right off. Took all of 10 seconds to get the pan out after unbolting it.

My additional piece of advice is to get some Kevlar sleeves and leather gloves from Harbor Freight for re-installing the transmission fill plug while it's running. No burns and I was able to actually tighten it down as needed. You still can't linger on the exhaust, but be mindful of bumping against it, re-position, and you're good to go.

Unfortunately for me the trans seems no different after the fluid exchange. I'll give it a few days to see if any of the negative behaviors change (clunky 2-1 downshift, some vibration/humming around 65mph). I have a Zip Kit in my back pocket (wasn't feeling brave enough to install this weekend) and plan on new solenoids for the next round of transmission fixes if it comes to that.

I did not reset adaptations, I am hoping 50-100 miles of gingerly driving improves the trans shifting behavior at least a little.

 

[BBLR3]

Installed the Aerosus front shocks today. 2 year warranty. Includes new hardware and air fittings. Quality seems fine but what the hell do I know Job was 2 beers out of a 6 pack in difficulty. Hardest part was getting the airlines and the nut that is furthest inside off/on (lots of less than quarter turns) and weird positioning. I used some large sockets for the lower mount, and a combo of various 15mm wrenches/flex wrenches and flex head ratchet for the shock nuts. Since I'm there the front pads are starting to get low so ordered a set and will throw them on before the self destruct brake pad warning light kicks on. Attached some pics, but I think the job is pretty self explanatory. Also threw on a defender steelie just to see how its gonna look in the future. Not using those oem tires as they are too big (255/70/18).

 

[jastutte]

changed the oil and filter. "cleaned" the air filters (dropped them on the ground a couple of times to knock out the loose dust).

used Valvoline 5w20 Restore and Protect. cleanest oil change i've ever done. gotta love a vacuum pump.
upon restart after the refill and new filter was pleasantly surprised at how quiet the engine was. i'll have to see if it remains this quiet after several drives around town and a few hundred miles.

 

[Androomantoo]

Sanded down and polished my headlights, the left (US driver's) side was particularly bad. It's got some crazing that suddenly appeared a few months ago. It's not perfect but it's much better than it was before and much cheaper than buying a new headlight or baking it for hours to replace the lens.

I wet sanded with 1500 grit until I had it knocked down enough. Followed up with Meguiars 105 cutting compound and an orange pad on my DA polisher, then sealed with four coats of Griots 3-in-1 ceramic spray coating.

Eventually have to have a more permanent solution, but this works well for now. I need to spray some 2K clear on it to add back some UV protection but for now the Griots 3-in-1 should keep any yellowing at bay for a few months.

 

[Androomantoo]

changed the oil and filter. "cleaned" the air filters (dropped them on the ground a couple of times to knock out the loose dust).

used Valvoline 5w20 Restore and Protect. cleanest oil change i've ever done. gotta love a vacuum pump.
upon restart after the refill and new filter was pleasantly surprised at how quiet the engine was. i'll have to see if it remains this quiet after several drives around town and a few hundred miles.

What oil were you running before? The Restore and Protect looks like a compelling product, I wish they sold it in 0w-40 which is what I run in my LR4.

 

[jastutte]

What oil were you running before? The Restore and Protect looks like a compelling product, I wish they sold it in 0w-40 which is what I run in my LR4.

I think it was the Castrol Edge 5w20. for what it's worth, the engine is still running more quietly. I'll probably use Restore and Protect on at least one more oil change. I wish they made a 0w40, as well. i'd love to run it my P38 and D2.

Edit: why are you running such a heavy oil in your LR4? i'm in STL and have similar temps/seasons as Olathe, Kansas.

 

[Androomantoo]

I think it was the Castrol Edge 5w20. for what it's worth, the engine is still running more quietly. I'll probably use Restore and Protect on at least one more oil change. I wish they made a 0w40, as well. i'd love to run it my P38 and D2.

Edit: why are you running such a heavy oil in your LR4? i'm in STL and have similar temps/seasons as Olathe, Kansas.

Everything I read on the BITOG forums said the Mobil 1 Euro FS 0w-40 had way better wear and shear properties than any 0w-20/5w-20. Being such a broad spectrum oil also means very high quality base oils to hit such a large spread. Been running 0w-40 since early 2023 first Castrol Edge euro (the Belgian made version) and now Mobil 1 Euro Full Syn 0w-40.

It’s really not very “thick” and handles both extreme cold and extreme heat really well. Seems to quiet the engine down quite a bit too. I might give the 5w-30 valvoline restore and protect a try on my next oil change to see if it quiets things further.

 

[BBLR3]

Eventually have to have a more permanent solution, but this works well for now. I need to spray some 2K clear on it to add back some UV protection but for now the Griots 3-in-1 should keep any yellowing at bay for a few months.

I used the 3M kit on mine last year as a test. Worked well, but the yellowing came back in a couple months. Need to do it again and then get them cleared as well. Maybe I'll try to find a automotive 'grade' clear with some UV protection in a spray can and redo the lights again in a couple of months