Defender Gearbox Removal/Clutch Replacement (with Pics)

Ok so ive done a lot of jobs on the landy using Busters Guides, but i couldnt find one for Gearbox Removal and or Clutch replacement, So inspired by Buster. I decided to return the favour by writing a guide on how i did the gearbox/clutch.

I have never attempted anything like this on any vehicle before, so if ive done somthing stupid, please feel free to chip in and tell me so.

I had the dreaded stiff pedal syndrome that is the symptoms of the ball punching through the clutch fork, so heres how i went about it.

Ok, parts list;

Clutch Kit. £100 - Borg n Beck
HD Clutch fork. £10 - Unknown (britpart probably)
Coolant. - £10

A variety of Jacks, Engine braces, blocks of wood.

A well stocked garage of tools.

A Mate or Two.





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I used RAVE as a guide but found it over complicated some things.....
However ive nicked the words from RAVE as theres no point me typing it all again. my words are in BOLD, the rest is RAVE pages
158 - 160.

1. Install vehicle on a ramp. - I dont have one, so i spent the day led on my back.

2. Disconnect battery.
3. Remove gearbox carpet.
4. Remove gear lever and transfer box lever knobs.
5. Remove gear lever cover.
6. Remove nut and washer securing gear lever.
7. Mark gear lever spline setting and remove lever
and gaiter from the splined lower gear lever.
8. Release insulation pad from tunnel cover and
gear levers and remove.
9. Select low range on transfer box lever to prevent
lever from fouling tunnel when removing
gearbox.

I have exmoor trim matting in so it was easier to whip the bolts









10. Remove 3 trim studs and lift up handbrake
gaiter.
11. Remove split pin, clevis pin, washer and
disconnect cable from handbrake lever. Ensure
handbrake is off.


for some reason they dont pull the cable through untill step 37, i did it now while i was there.

At this point i decided that i was going to end up with a pot full of nuts n bolts and not no what goes where, so an idea i saw on "Wheeler Dealers" came to mind.



Get a piece of cardboard, push bolts through and label.








12. Drain cooling system -
I didnt bother i took the top hose off let the small amount of fluid out, and then pointed the hoses upwards. (soo the £10 on coolant i spent was pointless )

13. Remove viscous fan unit - Using Landrover expensive tools, pulley restraining tool LRT-12-094 and special spanner LRT-12-093. Or make some things up outta some plate lying around


14. Slacken retaining clip and disconnect radiator
top hose at thermostat housing.
15. Slacken retaining clip and disconnect intake
hose at induction manifold. If EGR system is
fitted, slacken 2 retaining clips and disconnect
intake hose at intercooler.
16. Slacken retaining clip and disconnect hose at
turbocharger.

And then take the fan off,













19. Release ties securing gearbox harness to
breather pipes - I just undid the single bolt holding both pipes to back of the engine and pulled them down through.




20. Raise vehicle on ramp - Didnt have one



21. Position a suitable container under transmission
and drain main gearbox and transfer box - Im not sure why you need to do this, i didnt bother, i can only assume it makes it lighter ??



22. Mark front propeller shaft drive flange and
transfer box output flange for reassembly.
23. Remove 4 nuts and disconnect propeller shaft
- I did both props at same time

Havnt got any pics of prop shaft removal, but its a 9/16 spanner, or 14mm in new money.


24. Remove 2 bolts, withdraw clutch slave cylinder
and backing plate from bell housing, and tie
aside. - forgot to take a pic, This is borrowed from Busters - Slave cylinder renewal.




25. Mark rear propeller shaft drive flange and
transmission brake drum for reassembly.
26. Remove 4 nuts, disconnect propeller shaft from
brake drum, and tie aside. (did at same time as front)



27. Remove front pipe from exhaust manifold.


28. Remove intermediate silencer.


Under two nuts on the exhaust brackets, i found it easier to remove the middle exhaust chassi bracket all togeher.





At this point my mate turned up with a new toy so i had to stop for T n Biccy and shout at the neighbourghs.

This thing blasts out 30Watts, it is a Ex-Fire Evacuation Megaphone! obviously we had to try it out..... and possibly look at a way of mounting it on the landy

anyway back to bussiness..

29. Temporarily support transmission.
30. Remove nut securing gearbox LH mounting
rubber to chassis crossmember.
31. Remove 4 nuts and bolts securing crossmember
to chassis longitudinals.
32. Remove nut securing transfer box mounting
rubber to RH side of crossmember.
chassis longitudinals, jack chassis sufficiently to
enable removal of crossmember.
32. Remove nut securing transfer box mountin
33. Remove 4 nuts and bolts securing crossmember
to chassis longitudinals.
34. With assistance and using a body jack between
chassis longitudinals, jack chassis sufficiently to
enable removal of crossmember.
35. Remove chasss crossmember.
36. Remove 4 bolts from both sides and remove LH
and RH mounting brackets.




I used an old windup scissor jack from a transit and a block of wood to jack the chassis apart, a few chaps with a rubber mallet and out popped the crossmember

Time to support everything so it doesnt fall on my head, i then cracked all of the bellhousing bolts to ensure i would be able to un do them once id started and it was all abit wobbly.




This was a usefull bit of kit, took the weight of the transfer box from above, and then wound it and the trolley jack down to lower gearbox/Tbox/Engine.




RAVE says use special tool LRT-99-007 which is a cradle that bolts to the gearbox, i found a notched piece of wood worked well.



37. Pull handbrake cable through heel board and tie
aside. - (did this earlier)
38. Remove retaining nut, release clamp, and
disconnect speedometer cable from transfer box.
39. Release speedometer cable from retaining clip
on transfer box.
40. Remove retaining nut and release battery earth
strap from transfer box.
41. Secure manufactured cradle LRT-99-007 to a
suitable hydraulic hoist. (did this earlier using my home made wooden block)
42. Raise hoist and secure to gearbox with 3 bolts in
location provided.
43. Lower hoist sufficiently to allow transfer lever to
clear transmission tunnel aperture.
44. Disconnect differential lock switch and reverse
light connectors.
45. Remove bolt and release earth leads from RH
side of transfer box.
46. Support engine under sump with a jack.
47. Remove 14 bell housing to engine fixings.
48. Withdraw transmission whilst ensuring all
connections to engine and chassis are released.
49. Lower hoist and remove gearbox assembly.


Basically i did all this and couldnt really stop to take a photo, its all fairly straight forward. Just make sure to mark everything up, i.e electrical connectors, nuts bolts etc.

Then we lowered the jacks and engine brace (holding Tbox from above) and inch or two at a time watching the Tbox lever on the Gbox tunnel ITS A TIGHT FIT!!

Eventually we man handled it down to the floor, and dragged it out ITS HEAVY!! two of us carried it 5m into the garage but i wouldnt of wanted to carry it much further!

AND THIS IS THE REASON I HAD TO DO ALL THIS WORK!!!



thats as far as i got today, took 5 hours on my own, with a hand from me dad on the two man bits.

basically now, take old clutch out, refit new, and put all back together in reverse order

Hope this helps someone.

Sam

Thanks mate i will keep this for future referance ,for the distant future hope truth be told though it's scary with all the weight an all cos i am on my own to, no ramp, dito,and my oldest is just 9 on the plus side is allways sunny down here in Greece and have plenty of tools but no lift.Think ill look up se how those old greeks did it lifting those marbles to make temples ,they were we bit heavy then a Landy g box.

good thread, going for mine on my lt77 box next weekend i think.

what symptoms did your clutch fork give you? i have a new one to go on, but just wondering if mine is going. the clutch is pretty damn stiff to push down and feels quite gratey. like metal on metal!

Get all four wheels up on ramps to give you extra ground clearance. Makes it easier to get underneath. Obtain (by any means possible - I think I rescued the two I have from the back of the local supermarket as they appeared to be wanting a new home ) one of them sturdy metal bread/milk crate trolleys with sturdy casters in each corner and lower the box down onto it. It makes dragging the thing out from under and moving it around your garage a lot easier. I've had my engine sitting comfortably on one of them with no signs of it collapsing.

did you find a way of mounting the mega phone

ANGELO DAMATO said:

Thanks mate i will keep this for future referance ,for the distant future hope truth be told though it's scary with all the weight an all cos i am on my own to, no ramp, dito,and my oldest is just 9 on the plus side is allways sunny down here in Greece and have plenty of tools but no lift.Think ill look up se how those old greeks did it lifting those marbles to make temples ,they were we bit heavy then a Landy g box.

Click to expand...

Most of the job is a onw man job mainly cos of room under the landy.
it would definatly be worth getting a mate round for the last half hour, when you start jacking and lowering the thing out.

Too make it more manageable you could split the Tbox and Gbox and take them out seperatly this would make the overall weight less, but i still wouldnt takle it alone, just in case it does go youve got no one there to haul the thing off of your leg/arm/chest.... Head..

Karlos28 said:

good thread, going for mine on my lt77 box next weekend i think.

what symptoms did your clutch fork give you? i have a new one to go on, but just wondering if mine is going. the clutch is pretty damn stiff to push down and feels quite gratey. like metal on metal!

Click to expand...

I was driving along, pedal went flat to the floor, when i pulled the pedal up by hand it went rock solid and wouldnt move.

yours sounds similar its a common problem with these clutch forks, just make sure when renewing you use a HD clutch fork they are only a couple quid more than standard.

Shifty1962 said:

Get all four wheels up on ramps to give you extra ground clearance. Makes it easier to get underneath. Obtain (by any means possible - I think I rescued the two I have from the back of the local supermarket as they appeared to be wanting a new home ) one of them sturdy metal bread/milk crate trolleys with sturdy casters in each corner and lower the box down onto it. It makes dragging the thing out from under and moving it around your garage a lot easier. I've had my engine sitting comfortably on one of them with no signs of it collapsing.

Click to expand...

I had enough ramps to get all four wheels about 1.5 feet of the ground, however my jacks would have need two railway sleepers on top to reach the boxes, which i didnt fancie.
I think its time to invest in a high lift trolley jack tbh.

alexander.mackinnon said:

did you find a way of mounting the mega phone

Click to expand...

Not sure i wana mount it externally, but im guna keep it in the back, close to hand!!

Damn impressive, and way beyond my abilities!

Station House said:

Damn impressive, and way beyond my abilities!

Click to expand...

Tbh, im a 21 Student studying Computer Science, so would call it a Nerd?
By no means am i an engineer, Mechanic, Car person etc.

However i do lotsa reading have athe RAVE manual to hand and Landyzone, take me time and do it step by step.

As long as your got a good selection of tools and a mate or two, i think any job on Landy is possible, they are giant meccano sets, its just nuts n bolts.
If the **** hits the fan "landyzone" is aswell here with a wealth of knowledge and helping hands.

If you want me opinion give it ago youll never no if you can do it if you just pay somone else, spend that money on tools etc and after a few years of ownership they will definatly pay for thereselves!!

Sam

Thats where i keep mine

I cant see the pics in this guide.

Is it just my computer or does everyone have this issue ?

I can still see them...

Anyone else have problem i can re upload if so.

Great post, thanks! And entertaining too. Keep up the great work

This guide was very helpful and saved me a lot of time when changing my clutch last week. Thank you very much for posting it!

I found that on my landy (2005 td5 defender 110) i didn't need to drain any fluids or remove the fan from the water pump. this may save people some time.

also with my engine the clutch kit came with a new bussing for the end of the crank. had to use a 24mm helicoil to pull the old one out.

i'm not sure if any of these things apply to other engines other than the 2005 td5.

thank you again for posting this guide!

Thx for this thread. I will be doing it this weekend on my puma. Clutch is slipping and the pressure on the clutch pedal dropped - so I guess the thrust bearing/slave combo is busted.

My mate did it in three hours he removed the seat box and gearbox tunnel and used engine crane and just slide gearbox backward and changed clutch and bearing and fork and slide back Maybe worth thinking about ? I have never done it but watched him. He is mechanic

Remove seat box, drop rear prop shaft, make a support for gearbox, split bell housing, wedge engine fore and aft, push gearbox back giving 7-8 inches to work in, make sure to use reinforced clutch release pedal and change oilite bush wot lives in center of flywheel. reverse process and job done. Did it in an open yard in snow without help and I'm nearly 70 so get on with it lad

Any chance of getting the pictures working on this thread?
Or can anyone recommend a good guide for doing the clutch?

I will be doing this over the bank holiday.

Cheers

@mellors89

This may help,


Plus do you have a copy of the rave manual? What Engine / gearbox do you have in your fender?

Cheers

neilly said:

@mellors89

This may help,


Plus do you have a copy of the rave manual? What Engine / gearbox do you have in your fender?

Cheers

Click to expand...

I have a copy of the workshop manual for 1996 onwards. What is the Rave manual?

The defender is a 90 TDI with the 2.5L engine. Registered August 1996. I get confused between the 200 and the 300, but I think its the 300. So i think my gearbox is the R380.


Cheers

@mellors89

Rave Manual is the workshop manual on your computer. A lot of people use it on here. It may be you have the same in book form.
It can be printed out .

Cheers