I just had my front differential oil changed and I think they charged me for 2 quarts. I looked it up and it says .64 quarts or so.

I think they probably just filled to the top of the fill hole. Which was probably 1.5 quarts maybe.

The manual says .64 but I read that most Landrover dealers just fill to the bottom of the filler hole which is more than .64.

So which is correct and its this a big deal?

I thought that if you put a little too much it it would just blow out the air vent anyway.

If its an issue I can have them take a little out.

 

Yes RAJOD, not supposed to fill to fill hole. Only meant to fill with 0.64 quarts. It's the same with the rear and depending wether its the open or electronic diff takes 1.15 or 1.5 quarts.

 

I guess the manual is incorrect because the dealers fill more than .64.

From what I have read it seems that too much does not do any harm. The warnings that are given do not say "Why" just a general warning.

Thought someone here might have first hand knowledge of why filling it to the hole does any harm. I think my rear was filled that way two years ago and no issues. I just happen to read the capacities and were lower than I expected plus I paid for 2 quarts when I only needed less than 1.

Aside from paying more does anyone know why filling to the bottom of drain hole (which is what most dealers do) is harmful?

 

This might help.. If you overfill it, you will increase the chances for a blown seal. You need some space in there, and there is not much extra space as it is. The oil capacity is quite low.

Initial fill:
0.68 liters
1.44 US pints
Service fill:
0.61 liters
1.29 US pints

 

I read that both front and rear differentials are open to the air, which is why they can get condensation.

Would not any excess oil be blown out of this hole?

Picture a glass of water with a straw mounted on the side near the top.

If you put too much water in the cup what happens? The excess will flow out that straw onto the ground.

So maybe the warning is so you don't make a mess of the garage floor, the excess will run out the vent hole.

Does that make sense?

 

I found this in another part of this forum. Just pasted the initial post. It has quite a few replies. But the consensus is to ignore the manual and fill to the drain hole.

What I still don't know is how much that actually is above the listed .64 quarts. It might be only 1.0 quarts. The reason I would like to know is they charge for 2.0 quarts (and its not cheap oil) and they may only be actually putting 1.0 quarts in.

I would doubt that the fill hole is 1.36 quarts more than the listed .64 Q in the manual.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/lr...apacity-49274/

Hey all,
Sorry for the long post, but I need some guidance please. I need to replace the front and rear (locking) and the transfer case fluid. I read the directions posted by a member on another board that he received from a dealer. My concern is that the dealer wanted to charge me for 2 quarts for the front diff. I asked why when the owners manual says it takes 1.5 pints (.64 quarts). They checked with their technicians and were told the front takes a little . They fill it to the fill plug. I was concerned because the directions below state that the differentials are filled to the quantity, not the fill plug. I called 3 different dealers and got the same answer at all of them, so I called USA and asked them. They spoke with the corporate technician and he stated that they fill it to the plug ( a little over a quart) and that is the way he trains all of the other techs. When I asked why it differentiated from the workshop manual and the owner manual they didn't have an answer, just "that's how we do it" I asked if there was a bulletin that came out that changed the fluid quantity and they said no there isn't one. They then went on to say that the "capacity only not to the plug" verbage was put there to protect themselves from consumers doing their own work and not knowing how to fill to the plug and overfilling the diffs. Odd though that the transfer case says to fill to the plug? I also find it odd that the manufacturer would tell the consumer to leave about 1/2 quart out of the front differential! So I am very confused.
My concern is that if I fill it to what the manual says (going against what the dealer and Land rover USA says, then if I have a differential issue then it becomes my fault because I didn't follow their recommendations. If I fill it to what they recommend and have a differential problem then I didn't follow what the manufacturer states in the manual. I followed the dealers "recommendation". Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!!
Shawn

 

I think this might shed some light on what we are dealing with. I really do not want to drive back and have it drained if its not really needed. Looking at this LR3 front differential there does appear to be quite a bit of room even if filled to bottom of fill hole.

Also they made a new breather cap so air pressure build up would be released and not cause any seal leaks.

Unless I have something wrong it does look like you can fill to bottom of hole without worry.

 

Yeah actually had this issue. Changed my fluid and filled to fill hole. This typically isn't a problem as every NA dealer I've asked has told me they fill to the fill hole anyway, BUT if you don't have the updated breather cap AND your breather tube is blocked, then the pressure from expansion can blow the seals.

If you get lucky like I did, then the breather tube will blow out before seals, and you can simply repair the breather tube not spend $$$ on a catastrophe.

 

Yea thats good to know. I just ordered that new breather kit.

Did you have oil blasting out your breather cap? If thats going to happen then yes I would drain some out. Just looking at my diagram seems it would need to expand 2x before any oil would come up.

I think the pressure is from air not being able to escape.

A little extra oil can help too, keeps the gears a little cooler and dilutes the particles more vs less.

 

Where are you people getting the breather from. My dealer says they don't do it and it's not needed. Send a link please