Why not just reseal the thing and see if that works. Maybe it will buy you time until you figure out what your next move is. If you buy a rebuilt, or leave the current one in. I personally have never used the "special" tools for rebuilding gear boxes. You can do the job with most hand tools found in a tool box.(if you have enough tools, anything is possible). The "right" tools usually make the job easier and faster, but not always.

 

What would you recommend exactly for tools? On a second note my cousin had a stupid idea: either just let everything go, and let the power steering "pump" driy up and continue driving (assuming the only consequence would be harder steering at slower speeds) and or remove the power steering pump and the gearbox and drive like that. Personally Im not found of either option but I told him Id get a second opionon.

 

I would agree that it is stupid advice that your cousin gave you....that's never the answer to just ignore the problem. Fix/replace your steering box correctly and be done with it rather than put your and other peoples lives in danger by driving with a bad/leaky box. Not only are you wasting money by having to keep refilling with ATF, but the ATF that is leaking is getting all over the underside of your truck when you drive and could possibly end up on your catalytic converter and start a catastrophic fire. I had a small leak with my power steering high pressure hose and the ATF made it's way onto my driver side cat...HUGE smokescreen behind me...i was lucky it didn't catch fire!

 

Well...removing the gear box would definitely be a problem. You need it to steer. However, you could just let it run dry and have manual steering...but to keep the pump from dying you would want to bypass the gear box so the pump would not have to run dry and need replacing as well. That, and it would keep you and others from having to listen to the pump whine all the time.

 

Well we all agree that removing either the gearbox and or the pump is a stupid idea, and we agree that drying the pump is also stupid. My cousin has never owned a landy before, and spends all his time obsessing with top speed and horsepower and "turbo this turbo that". Can anyone say ricer?

On a second note I just ordered a used gearbox with 80k on it for $199. To be delivered this coming Tuesday. Hopefully this will hold for awhile until I can afford to buy a new box.

USED STEERING RACK LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 1999 | eBay

I may be taking a risk but its easier than spending over $300 just for the special tools required to dissassemble my old gearbox! (Take into account that my gearbox has 195k on it!). Also the rebuild kit came in the mail yesterday so I'm still going to rebuild my old box... Eventually. Then either keep it for a backup or sell it it trade it to another landy owner in exchange for other rover parts.

 

That seems like a pretty good deal on the used steering box. Make sure you also get new high pressure/low pressure/return hoses and run ATF when you install it. If you don't already have it, RAVE shows how to bleed the system after you replace it.

 

Yeah I was amazed at the price, took me almost a week of shopping to find it! Hopfully this gearbox doesent leak, but we will see. Yeah i already purchased 2 quarts of ATF and some transmission repair/stopleak formula and afew rings clamps for the hoses. As mentioned before I already replaced the bad PS hose but the others will have to wait alittle while. Have to register the rig in afew weeks $200+ in NH, plus get an alighnment. Ill look through your provided rave for bleeding instructions though. I dont imagine its very difficult. Turn the steering wheel several times with the vehicle running??

 

Hmmm looks like Im out of luck viewing the Rave pdf. I have a copy I purchased via ebay afew months ago and that one does not open the files. I just downloaded the Rave from this forum and still same problem. Im using a work desktop computer when attempting to view the pdf so perhaps there is a block on it. Any ideas anyone?

 

Do you have ADOBE?

 

Nevermind I figured it out and even printed out the entire 800+ disco workshop manual- at work, on the clock, ... On accident! So now I have a HUDGE pile of rover tech info to refer to