Water Ingress to 2002 1.9 Ducato gearbox....again

[elaineteresa]

I have a 2002 Bessacarr E350 on a Ducato 1.9 base. Love this van and want to keep it going as long as poss. She is currently in a gearbox specialists' workshop having her second replacement gearbox in less than 18 months. They told me water was in the box and I was not surprised as I have seen threads on this forum with this problem highlighted. The company are not MH specialists so I want to give them an idea on how to prevent it from happening again - or maybe it is something I can do. (I can do minor repairs/adjustments but need to know where to go and what to do!). I have seen forum members say it is something to do with a blocked scuttle on the windscreen?? Can someone tell me where to look and if it is an easy fix? I really do not want to shell out for another GB in a years' time. Irritatingly, my van does not stand for long periods as I use it weekly to keep it all in order. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[lunarman]

From memory the problem is not so much a blocked scottle but the discharge of the water in the scottle directly onto the gearbox. There was a modification of the drain tube to discharge the water in a different way.

 

[mfw]

The scuttle is bottom of windscreen where the water runs into - try pouring water into scuttle see where it drains out - then see if you can re-direct the water so not draining onto gearbox - dont silicon drain hole up either or that will cause more problems eventually with rust

 

[tonyidle]

Until you're sure you have fixed it change the oil annually - after it hasn't been used for a while. Adding gearbox Molyslip helps considerably in avoiding water damage (amongst other good things).

 

[elaineteresa]

Thank you for all the advice. The garage DID add silicon to the hole so will have to keep an eye on that. I think I will try and get the oil changed every year though. On a plus, Myrtle is running beautifully!!

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[tacr2man]

Go to a full synthetic gear oil as it wont emulsify like a mineral oil , it is even possible to "decant" the water off the bottom after it has time to settle . This was a check done when in Australia , after a day when you were crossing creeks , just by cracking the drain plug

 

[Podney]

You should do a modification on the drain scuttle so that the water doesnt run on to,and into,the gearbox.
There have been numerous threads on here over the years,so do a search. Easy to do a permanent solution,rather than your temporary one.

 

[GMLS]

The scuttle on our Autotrail leaked and caused all sorts of problems. From memory, there are 2 drain holes of different sizes, 1 and each end. The smaller one blocks fairly easily and I've seen mods where a piece of rubber tubing or hose is attached to an enlarged outlet. Ours also leaked in the middle where the 2 halves join and also between the glass and the edge of the scuttle itself due to being slightly mishapen. Plenty of black sealant solved the problem but when left in storage we also placed a cheap Screwfix plastic tarpaulin under the silver screens to channel most of the water over and away.Generally regarded as a very poor design and appears to have been sorted on the latest models.
I heard (from the horses mouth) of issues between motorhome dealers who were caught between Fiat and the converter, both blaming the other for the problem with Fiat saying the scuttle was not designed to cope with the degree of water that can potentially cascade off a large motorhome roof!

 

[elaineteresa]

Thank you to all your replies. I have just sourced a modification on eBay. Whether I can fit it is another question!

 

[Baden87]

Have you got the link for this mod kit?

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[rangi]

The Mod is available to order in any Peugeot Garage spares department. When I bought mine it was under £30, easy to fit. Just explain the problem and tell them that there is a mod available and you want it.

AND get rid of that silicone ! you are just starting another problem if you leave it there.