Prevention is better than the cure should be the moto for all Campervan owners. And though many owners may regularly service there vans, one area no doubt easily gets overlooked is...your gearbox. Unlike engine oil gearbox oil doesn't need regularly changing, but it doesn't last forever. With age the oil breaks down or leaks away as seals start to age , ect, so it needs to be checked every few years. Now there's no easy dipstick for you to check the levels..that would be too easy. You have to undo the 17mm hexagonal filler plug on the side of the gearbox , then put you finger in the hole to see if you can feel the oil (very hi-tech) all whilst lying flat on you back under the van. Now to top it up you need three feet of hose ,a funnel and some gear oil. Feed the hose via the engine compartment in to the filler hole then top up with oil until it begins to dribble out of the hole. And if like me you're changing all the oil. then you'll need to drain the oil by the 17mm drain plug at the bottom of the gearbox.( but only after making sure the filler plug comes out first) This plug has a magnet on it which pulls all the steel bits out of the oil which wear off your gears over the years and in my case a bearing casing..eeek. This is how I found that my gearbox will need rebuilding in the not too distant future, but hey at least I can plan for that now. At least all my hard work payed off as the gears are easier with new oil however I did stink with smell of old gear oil for a couple of days. so until next time have fun.
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