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MG TD TF 1500 - Gear Oil Leak - TF Tach Drive

How can I stop the tach drive on my TF7211 from leaking gear oil?

I filled the tach drive with chassis grease when I bought the car in 2013 because the fitting looked like grease fitting. Grease oozed out of the joint between the two halves. The pressure from the grease gun may have distorted the case(?)

Later I read in the Operation Manual to lube the drive with the same gear oil as used in the diff -- not chassis grease.

A couple of weeks ago I removed the fitting and cleaned out the old grease with mineral spirits and a syringe. Then I filled with GL-4 90W Hypoid Gear Oil and replaced the fitting.

But, of course, the gear oil leaked out of the joint.

I did the same clean & lube to TF681 tach drive. It doesn't leak as badly as TF7211.

Any suggestions on how to seal the joint?

Thanks,

Lonnie
TF7211
TF681





LM Cook

Hello Lonnie. Everyone that I've rebuilt has grease inside, usually dry and doing little to lubricate. There is no seal on the two hakfs. The inner edge of the main housing is about 1/16" thick, the other side is flat with a slight step for location. I would just use a good thick grease.

Butch
R Taras

Butch, you rebuild the Tach drives also? I have a new NOS Tach drive that failed in TD/c-8151. It is locked up. I suspect the gear set broke.
W A Chasser

Thanks Butch,

Some of my old-truck friends used and recommended John Deere Corn Head grease for the steering box in old Chevy trucks. The NLGI #0 grease is thin enough to lube the gear but thick enough to not leak out. "Formulated for John Deere corn head and other slow-speed gear cases." I don't believe that the tach drive would be classified as a slow-speed gear case.
https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Special-Purpose-Corn-Head-Gun-Grease-AN102562.html

I'll refill the tach box with the NLGI #2 Lucas Red "N" Tacky grease that I use on the chassis.

(I thought that NLGI #1 would be a good compromise. But most NLGI #1 grease is for cold temps, max 120F.)

Lonnie
TF7211
TF681
LM Cook

Hi Bill. Yes I do that too. I found a source for the gears. I use magnalube-g in the tach boxes and the speedo conversion adaptors I build. Awhile back there was a thread about the proper rivet for the tach boxes and how it was cinched. I ended up making some rivets and a tool to flare the rivets as original. No pop rivets or screws.

Butch
R Taras

Try this stuff ? I came across it when trying to solve a leaking steering box on my Jag.

It sounds a lot like the grease Lonnie mentioned

Dave

https://www.holden.co.uk/p/penrite-semi-fluid-steering-box-lube-1
D Moore

Might be a problem Dave, US customs classifies oils and greases as a HAZMAT item. It took me a month of paperwork to get a bottle of transmission oil from the UK to clear that was shipped with my new High Gear 5 speed. I wouldn't go through that again. PJ
PJ Jennings

This thread was discussed between 12/07/2022 and 20/07/2022

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