If you tow with a Land Rover

[Bigplumbs]

If you tow with a Land Rover you will most likely have the transmission shudder and fluctuating rev counter at some point as it gets older. If you do this is a very effective, easy and cheap DIY fix. It transformed my Disco 3

 

[ProDave]

Sounds like a right bodge of a fix. I would first try just changing the transmission fluid for new.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Sounds like a right bodge of a fix. I would first try just changing the transmission fluid for new.

No Bodge at all I can assure you this is well known to work very well. It is quick easy and cheap and keeps you going rather than waiting for the garage. I like to DIY and this suits me fine. Others might like to benefit from this information, others might not.

If you prefer take your car to the Garage and pay the many £s it will cost and wait several weeks to get a booking please do. My job cost about £15 incl VAT

 

[Binnacle]

I do wonder about these snake oil products. This one claims to be be for torque converters, and yet it seems you are using it in a manual gear box. The oil is probably just a higher viscosity ATF product. If it compromises long-term heat resistance, thermal stability, and frictional/load characteristics, you can muck up the gearbox permanently. I suspect the appeal is your "easy and cheap DIY" fix.

BTW, the name of the maker is LAND ROVER , not the rather affected "Land Drover".

 

[Bigplumbs]

I do wonder about these snake oil products. This one claims to be be for torque converters, and yet it seems you are using it in a manual gear box. The oil is probably just a higher viscosity ATF product. If it compromises long-term heat resistance, thermal stability, and frictional/load characteristics, you can muck up the gearbox permanently. I suspect the appeal is your "easy and cheap DIY" fix.

BTW, the name of the maker is LAND ROVER , not the rather affected "Land Drover".

My car is an Automatic.......Why did you think it was a manual Many people have found this to work very well. Visit the Land Drover Forums

 

[Alicatt]

How many miles has your D3 done?

 

[Bouba]

It’s like putting sawdust in the transmission..

 

[Alicatt]

my Range Rover Sport which is basically a Disco 3 with an evening suit on has done 193,000km and I regularly tow heavy trailers of 3tonnes with plant and machinery plus my own little 500kg trailer and have no shuddering or what you describe in the video.
By the look of your oil, it looks like you have cooked the transmission at some point.

 

[Bigplumbs]

my Range Rover Sport which is basically a Disco 3 with an evening suit on has done 193,000km and I regularly tow heavy trailers of 3tonnes with plant and machinery plus my own little 500kg trailer and have no shuddering or what you describe in the video.
By the look of your oil, it looks like you have cooked the transmission at some point.

No never cooked it. If you read the Land Rover Forums this issue is very common and so is this fix

 

[Bigplumbs]

It’s like putting sawdust in the transmission..

Nonsense. Read the Forums and you will be better informed. Did the stuff I put in look like Saw dust.

 

[Bigplumbs]

How many miles has your D3 done?

More that any Tesla will do

 

[lynallbel]

For 6 or 7 years my D3 soldiered on with that additive, but i found as time went on it needed new gearbox oil and additive annually to keep it sweet, in the end refurbed t/c fitted, which totally transformed the way the car drove, tbh best 1.2k I have spent on a car in years.
So it does work, but it is really a sticking plaster.

Edit, the state of that oil he is drawing out, black as the ace of spades!

 

[Bigplumbs]

For 6 or 7 years my D3 soldiered on with that additive, but i found as time went on it needed new gearbox oil and additive annually to keep it sweet, in the end refurbed t/c fitted, which totally transformed the way the car drove, tbh best 1.2k I have spent on a car in years.
So it does work, but it is really a sticking plaster.

Edit, the state of that oil he is drawing out, black as the ace of spades!

Well if I get anything near to 6 or 7 years I will be chuffed.

Already it is way better and runs very smooth now. I need the car to tow a long way in less than a week and I could not get booked in for 4 - 6 weeks. This fixed it for £15 the next day so I am well chuffed.

After a friend of mines Uncle got crushed to Death under a Landy when the Air Suspension collapsed I aint gonna be crawling under there any time soon even with axle stands.

I am afraid I dont have an OCD approach to maintenance. I do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

All oil looses its colour after a very short while

 

[lynallbel]

All oil looses its colour after a very short while

As a mechanic of 30 odd years, I can tell you hand on heart gearbox oil should stay clean for a very long time, what you have is black, black means things are breaking down or/and the oil has never been changed.
LR say gearbox oil is good for 110k, LR are full of sh**, ZF who make the box say 50/60k max.

 

[Alicatt]

I had a 5tonne Stonefield 6x4 truck, it had a 6.2l V8 GMC diesel engine powering the transfer box through a ZF gearbox, in all the years it was used I never seen the oil that black colour, and that truck had done 600,000miles or so when I left the company. We did have to experiment with different torque converters to find one that locked up at the right RPM for the diesel engine rather then the 4.2litre V8 petrol engine that was in it before and still never seen the oil other than clean. The transfer box also used ATF to lubricate and cool the drive chain to the viscous coupling centre diff and power take off, never seen that other than being red either.

My Volvo 144 had a Borg Warner auto box, never ever seen the ATF other than being clean and red, same with my Rover SD1 3500, and Volvo 145.

 

[paradave]

As a mechanic of 30 odd years, I can tell you hand on heart gearbox oil should stay clean for a very long time, what you have is black, black means things are breaking down or/and the oil has never been changed.
LR say gearbox oil is good for 110k, LR are full of sh**, ZF who make the box say 50/60k max.

He won’t listen because he is always right. These posts aren’t for discussion, just to add views to his YouTube channel.

 

[Portofino]

I regularly change g box oils on my classic Ferrari and recently Porsche .Also my Montesa after 3/4 trials .As said above by lynabell they should be basically clear or straw coloured at the worst .
I know Porsche reckon every 100 k or so , but imho it’s better to keep on top and do it more regularly.
Fortunately I have a pit in one garage so zero risk of getting crushed .But all the same decent axial stands etc .

ATF is red (used on bike wet clutches btw ) and should stay that colour .It’s just a lower viscosity around 5W ? oil iirc ?

If it’s that black it could poss be the rear main seal on the engine that’s weeping ?

I understand some auto s have transmission coolers and pip-age which can block , leading to overheating .If so worth flushing or replacing the whole lot .

I haven’t watch the vid just read^ btw.

 

[WoodyP]

In the spirit of helpful advice.

 

[Bouba]

It’s quite possible that Bigpum’s gearbox wasn’t filled with the correct oil in the first place....possibly not even transmission oil

 

[ChromeDome]

It's very convenient to have a Toyota nearby when you drive a Land Rover.

Means you can always get going - also to pick up parts for the LR