Gearbox troubles

Forum: 

Hiya guys, just found this site looking for diagrams to help me dismantle my gearbox...
I have an F reg 88 fourtrak 2.8td EL which I bought off ebay nearly two years ago to tow horses around. I have so far found it's great for the job but I have had to do lots of work...
so far new rear brake cylinder, front wheel bearing, new fuel line, rewire headlights completely (dip and full beam) my rear wiper has packed up (as has the heater on the rear door) which I've left, and I changed both rear shocks (couldn't find the nifty electrically adjustable ones that were on it so bought standard gas shocks and one of them has SNAPPED at less than six months old - new one coming under warranty) Oh yeah and a windscreen and loads of silicon around the exhaust manifold to keep the MOT man happy and a homemade gasket to stop the water pump peeing all over the road...

---------------SIGH----------------

However, my big problem now is the gearbox. In Wales in September my main propshaft fell off the transfer box... literally. It hit the road on a roundabout (and fortunately not at 70mph on the motorway). I have a recovery service and the very nice guys at a Welsh garage put it back together for me and said the transfer box oil seal looked like it had been leaking for a while. Since then it jumped out of gear on the 2H-4L in fifth gear (as in it jumped out on the transfer box when in fifth gear in 2 wheel drive). We tried to top up the transer box oil (thinking this was the problem) while I tried to get a new oil seal.
Result of all this was I got hold of an oil seal from Graham Dewhurst after my local (only one in Nottingham) dealer arsed me about for over a week trying to find out the right part number but by then I had no fifth gear at all. A nice chap in Derbyshire I bought my windscreen off says we took the wrong bung off to fill the transfer box and my fifth gear selector pin has dropped into the box...
Now I work somewhere with decent workshop facilities and I and my colleagues are reasonably competent mechanics between us but we are all panicky about fishing around inside the gearbox. Can anybody tell me how we should have filled up the transfer box (as we'll have to do it again once we're finished and have replaced the seal) and more importantly how to go about taking the top off the gearbox, removing selector plates and fishing the pin out?
I have had no luck at all finding diagram or manuals (although I have discovered this site and am about to order one of yours on CDrom...)
Many thanks in advance for any help offered!
John

troubles

As I recall the top of the gear box comes off in one piece with the lever still attached if you want. Put it in neutral, undo the 10 or so bolts which hold it on, slide a blade in to release the gasket and the whole top should come off. The selector forks just slide off the synchro hubs as you lift. Dead easy. I can't remember if you can get the reverse lever back where it goes with the input and main shaft in place, but the bits should come out if you tip it upside down (drain oil first). I think that the transfer box and main gear box have separate fillers and drains so paint the correct ones before you put it back in to stop the same thing happening again. I don't remember it being that difficult to get the shafts out should you need to.

Hope it goes well - Alastair.

trouble solved?

Thanks for your help!
The gearbox come off fairly easily and I think we've fixed the problems - definitely located the correct drain plugs now! Just have the lovely job of getting it all back together (nearly clobbered one of my mates when the gearbox dropped as we tried to get it back in - he caught it on his shoulder!) fingers crossed it will all work ok and we'll get all the right hoses and electrics back in!
John Smile