locker indicator switch oil leak issue

[junglefever]

Hello all Pinz heads...

I have a 710 with front diff lock indicator switch issues. I replaced with a used one from EI but it too was faulty. It was used and I knew I was taking my chances with it and it just didn't go my way this time around. I'll sort out another switch down the road if I can find one.But for now my question is this: Should gear old leak as soon as I pull the access cover to get to the switch? The oil leaked (maybe 1/4 cup) before I unscrewed the switch...I am guessing no oil is supposed to leak from the case. If this is the case what seals are suspect? My rig is in Central America and when I return next month I need to make sure I have all spares in hand since shipping is not really an option. Any suggestions?

[rmel]

Oil is sneaky, there are several paths that can lead to oil in the casing and tube. ASSUMING the leak is from the Witches hat.
If you go to the disaggration page for the 4x4 Witches hat at Pinzgauer.com https://swissarmyvehicles.com/pinzgauer ... x?q=locker, you will see where all the interface seals are.

The switch itself has a copper crush washer, which may have been loose. Also check the O-ring associated with the locker switch housing 03-20-26.
Then the Slave O-ring. If your really lucky one of these is your leak -- an easy repair. If your unlucky then it's either the output shaft seal or the
large O-ring to Diff seal or possibly from another source e.g. Diff.

What I would recommend is to confirm which major component is the leaker first. Siphon out as much of that oil as you can. Clean the surfaces
internally they really should be dry. The most important thing you can do is "top off" your X-case and Diff's regularly measuring how much was required
vs miles driven -- log that. If you have a significant leak the bad boy will become obvious. A little loss over a long run would not justify major surgery
IMHO e.g. 1/2 Quart in 1,000 miles is a wee bit of a nuisance.

It's really not unusual for oil to be in the tube, these seals will leak a wee bit over time. So base-line what's going on. Might have been a loose
switch or a worn seal not ready to give up the ghost yet.

[junglefever]

RMel...Thanks for the reply. I do not recall seeing a copper crush gasket on the front diff lock indicator switch.. Just a taper that I assumed fit nicely to the housing. I'll have to double check that. I am not having any luck finding a replacement switch so will have to remove the original and see about the washer and reinstall it. Guess its gonna be used more as a plug more than a switch.

Shortly after finding the oil leaking from the tube my clutch disc disintegrated. Well I assume that's what happened. Just slowly pulling away from a stop in town and suddenly a short loud, tinny sounding crunch and suddenly loss of power to all wheels. Clutch pedal resistance from P Plate feels "normal" but no power to any wheels in 2x4 or 4x4. Gotta be disc..or... main input shaft. Only thing I can think of to affect all gears with same results. No noise when depressing or releasing pedal after that happened .. Rig did try to move for a few seconds at a tiny, imperceptible creep.. But nothing after that.. Soooooo, I guess when I get back to the country a tear down is in the plans. I may as well stock up on various seals to have... just incase.

Thanks for the input.

[ChickenPinz]

I destroyed a clutch disc by overspeed -- easy to do if you descend in a low gear with the clutch disengaged. The disc can then spin much faster than it ever would with the engine connected. Oops.

On the plus side, it's super easy to pull the transmission and check the clutch. You can do the entire job from inside the truck. A 2x4 across the wheel wells and a ratchet strap across that to support the transmission will help a lot. The tranny is easily lifted by a mere mortal.

[Hugues]

I destroyed a clutch disc by overspeed -- easy to do if you descend in a low gear with the clutch disengaged. The disc can then spin much faster than it ever would with the engine connected. Oops.

... l.

At which speed were you driving down and for how long when it happened? Just so we can learn from this event.

[ChickenPinz]

Low-range, low gear. I'd just come over a steep climb with a sharp breakover the top, and was in the descent. Rather than be a good off-roader and keep it in gear with the clutch engaged, or in neutral, I pushed in the clutch and coasted down the hill, all set up for the slow climb before. Hard to say how fast it spun, but I'd guess far far over the 4500RPM rev-limiter setting. I'm guessing double that? Yeah. Bad. Wrong. Learned my lesson the hard way, and the truck had the ride of shame on a U-Haul trailer home that day.
Distance or time? It was maybe 10 truck-lengths down the hill.