Reading the Tea Leaves of your Land Rover's Drivetrain

Astrid - Eore's the Land Rovers oil spotted backdoor — Eore back from Central America

It had to be 43 degrees celsius, but the misters made it feel like a cool 34. Where I currently sat - Gila Bend, Arizona - I was about 300 kilometres from home in San Diego, California and about 400 kilometres from Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. Heading home always feels like driving down hill and being back in Arizona meant that low-level anxiety of having a border in the way had evaporated.

Eore, my Series III Land Rover, sat about 40 yards away - full of fuel and camping gear in the full desert sun. I needed a break from the routine and was content to sit under the wood slat veranda, under the gentle hiss of the misters and enjoy my Arizona Green Tea while that sun slowly sank.

I had last done the routine in the back corner of a Pemex about 50 kilometers south of the border. I was waiting for the concrete to cool before I did it again:

Open the hood to let things cool.
Remove the rubber service plug from the top of the transmission tunnel.
Open the t-case fill plug to drain-off the excess 90 weight into a water bottle with the top cut off.
Remove the transmission fill plug and dump in the excess 90 weight from the t-case.
Check the transmission fluid level and add from my spare fluid as required.
Remove the radiator cap and add water as required.

Barrancas Del Cobre, Mexico had been my first major trip in Eore back in the late 1990's. I had met my friend Moe in New Mexico, and we had crossed the border heading south - but heading south is another story. In Gila Bend, Arizona I had a water pump weeping through the drain hole, a few broken ball bearings that would intermittently seize the steering box, and a seal failure in the transmission that would allow 90w to flow oneway into the t-case. At a dusty fuel-stop back in those barrancas my first sign of trouble was an oil speckled back door.

Like reading tea leaves - understanding the divinations of the flat and oil speckled rear door of a Land Rover is more of an art than a science. With an observant eye, tools and spare fluids the future is still unwritten if you take action against the harbingers of things to come. Some field notes:

Differential and transmission fluid leaks tend to focus more on the centre to right of the backdoor.
T-case leaks bias to the right-side of the vehicle and can be confirmed by checking for oil on the passenger rear shock.
Lighter viscosity engine oil spots are focused further up the door, is more suceptable to wind, and the spots expand quicker in the heat of the sun.
Road kill grease does not smell or taste like 90w and spreads quickly in the heat of the sun.
If the rear door is uniformly covered and looks like nothing is holding oil remember that rain and the sun will accelerate the spread of the initial speckles.
Cleaning the rear door prior to a long highway leg will help to determine worsening conditions.

Road trip maintenance is a requirement when driving an old Land Rover. On long highway legs it is good practice to start your mornings with fluid level checks before hitting the road. At quick fuel stops - take the time to walk around to the back of your Land Rover and pause for a moment to study the oil speckle patterns on your backdoor - the tea leaves of your drivetrain.

The Speckled Backdoor - Reading the Tea Leaves of your Land Rover's Drivetrain