Downgearing into first and transfer box....

hi i recently bought a n reg land rover 300tdi and i am happy with it, apart from the fans kicking in on another post and this new problem that i have noticed....

when i am in second and aproching a roundabout or junction and im going a bit too slow for second and try to select first it crunches when i finally get it in to first. it selects first no problem when i am stood and not moving and it goes into first fine after being in reverse too. it doesnt bother me too much i just want to know if the gearbox is likely to give up anytime soon because i am going away for a few days and i would like to go in the discovery.

next question is i can select high neutral and low box but i cannot move the transfer box gearstick to the left to lock the diffs the disco has not had a hard life so i was told it can just be the linkage if it hasnt been used in a while but im not too sure how to fix this.

i have tried to use the search function on the forum but my pc doesnt agree with it, so sorry if these questions have been asked a million times before.

can anyone please help or atleast put my mind at rest a little? thanks

The diff lock lever will most likely be sized due to lack o use so grab a big can of easin spray and a 13 mm spanner then nip underneath spray all the linkages with a good good good dose of easin spray then while u got an assistant in the cab wagglin the knob us ya spanner on the nut on top of transfer box that linkage connects to.

After enough spray and wagglin it should start to move just try not to bend owt.

Either that or pop ova and i'll fix it 4 ya for a few beer tokens

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/freeing-up-your-discovery-1-difflock-linkage-59819.html

i might just do that when i get back off my holiday cheers, althought it doesnt bother me too much just as long as its not knackered.

as for downgearing into first, i guess thats something i am going to have to put up with thanks for the reply

I'd leave it in second to be honest, it'll pull away from a standtill in second so even froma very slow speed second gear will be fine.. if you drop to 1st you'll make more noise but won't really go much faster

1st gear doesn't have syncro's so you have to match the revs to get it to select gear without crunching.
So basicly there's nothing wrong with it just don't change into 1st until you've stopped moving.

Chris.

The probable reason is you are going to fast for first gear and/or first gear syncro is a bit worn/weak, as already said you dont need first gear if your still rolling, or you can double the clutch into first that will help immensly if you get it right and will take some of the strain off of first gear syncro hub.

Afternoon oldskool,

I only ever used 1st when am at a complete stop, it sounds like you are going to fast (as said above)

Afternoon Jay how ya doing, if im feeling lazy i don't use first at all, 300tdi pulls away at idle no probs.

Where we live is on a hill and the turn into our road is a very steep and hidden turn off the main road and sharp so I have to do it in first. That means i have to slow quite sharply on the main road, usually frustrating a mad Spanish driver tailgating me cos they can't see what I'm slowing down for, then coast a few yards with the clutch in, pop it into first gear at the slowest point of the manoeuvre and chug up into our road. I wouldn't like to drop it into first at any sort of speed though but it does slip into first easily with no baulking. First to second...well, that's a different story!

cheers for the replys, i got back off my weekend away the other day and i drove it about 300 miles over the full 4 days and it was faultless... apart from a small oil leak wich i have yet to figure out where its coming from. but its not too bad as i havent had to top it up yet

Double declutch if you want 1st while moving slowly...

the diffs were seized, i used the guide that tuscanraider posted and the brute force option worked wonders for me. i just removed the centre console and before i crawled underneath for a look i basically jus stood at the drivers side and gave the transfer box stick a shove and it began to move, at first i thought i had bent it but after a bit of a wiggle and a tin of wd40 it now moves in a figure of 8 no problem thanks for all the help.

Always thought there was no syncro in first. Though i'm from Essex so chances are i'm being thick.......

bigwillis2000 said:

the diffs were seized, i used the guide that tuscanraider posted and the brute force option worked wonders for me. i just removed the centre console and before i crawled underneath for a look i basically jus stood at the drivers side and gave the transfer box stick a shove and it began to move, at first i thought i had bent it but after a bit of a wiggle and a tin of wd40 it now moves in a figure of 8 no problem thanks for all the help.

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If this is a car you have rently bought, I would advise doing an oilchange in the gearbox.

The reason is that many people believe that the correct oil to use in an R380 'box is atf - this is not correct. You need to use MTF 94 - 2.5ltrs of it.

So, if the old stuff is red in colour when you empty it out, that is atf. Replace with MTF and things will improve although these boxes are not like in your average focus/mondeo.

thought one of land rover updates siad to use atf? not questioning you just alittle confused is all.

alex8882 said:

thought one of land rover updates siad to use atf? not questioning you just alittle confused is all.

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The original recommendation was ATF, the update was MTF94. If you know of a further update, let us know (including a reliable source, etc)!

alex8882 said:

thought one of land rover updates siad to use atf? not questioning you just alittle confused is all.

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No probs Alex. The way I heard it was this - LR always recommended atf in the lt77 (Tdi 200) gearbox and that continued into the r380 (Tdi 300) until MTF94 and it's copiers was first formulated.

The reasoning behind using MTF as opposed to ATF is that "mtf has friction inhibitors to allow the synchomesh to work properly". Apparently too much slip and the synchros don't work - voila! the crunch on first to second etc. The downside is that if a box has worked all it's life with atf, the damage has been done.

Bottom line is that you should be using MTF94 but it is more expensive than atf. It may well work better in your box than atf but you won't know until you try and there are no garanttees. Also it will take a little time to wash away any remaining atf from the synchros.

Whatever oil you use, change it regularly and then you are giving your motor the very best chance to work well.

As most of us don't do high miles in these cars, ignore the LR schedule and change your oil once a year or more if you off-road.

Cheers for that. Mine does have 2nd gear crunch. I'm due to change box oil, but iirc it doesn't have atf in it. We do about 300 miles aweek in ours as its the evry day car, so how often do i need to be dropping the box oil. I've just done axle, and transferbox oils.