Disco II - front axle water ingress

[thermidorthelobster]

My DII has a snorkel, and both axles and both gearboxes have extended breathers which run up the snorkel.

Twice now I've had the front axle dump a sludge of emulsified oil out of the breather at the top of the snorkel.  I'm pretty sure what's happening is the diff temp is getting to 100deg on long runs, the water is boiling off, and a vapour/oil mixture is coming out of the breather.  What it leaves behind in the axle is mostly oil with a bit of water here and there.  (In this respect, it's a good thing, because it's sort of self-rectifying!)

The first time it happened was on the way back from Iceland, where I'd been wading a lot.  However, the second time, I hadn't been doing even moderate wading for some time beforehand.

My garage said they find this happens a lot with Disco IIs, even ones which have never done any more serious wading than a puddle outside Sainsburys.

Any ideas why the water is getting in, where it's getting in, and why the oil doesn't all leak out the same place the water is getting in?  The axle never loses any oil;  if anything, the level is usually higher than the filler level, because of the extra water that's in there!

I can't be sure, but judging by the state of the side of the car after it boils off, it looks like at least half a litre of water getting in, if not more.  The oil in the rear axle is always pristine.

[thermidorthelobster]

Nobody?

[redhand]

Nobody?

Wheel hub bearings are the usual way if the seal is worn when you hit the water the hot metal cools rapidly and water can be sucked in to the axle. Have you tried pressure testing the axle? Connect air line to breather pipe and check for oil been blown out of the ends of the axle and on to the wheels as the pressure builds.

[extreme90]

water is thinner than ep90 so water may find leaks that ep90 cant,
had that with mine  :lol:
was the diff drain plug for me, i just put jointing compound on now, this is a front 90 axle btw tho
as of yet no more water
dan