borntobemild
Active Member
Hi all.
Recently returned from Morocco after towing my camping trailer 3500 miles on and off-road. I'm pretty sure I've broken the gearbox but would like some confirmation if possible.
After a day running around in low box off-road gear selection was stiff in all gears in high box when I returned to the tarmac. Put this down to the little plastic bit at the top of the gearbox as it was by then running very hot.
However next day selection was the same with a crunch on entering 4th gear in high box. It has crunched very slightly on 3rd for years but this was the first time in 4th. Has done it on every gear change since. Ran that day mainly in low box with little problem. Back on tarmac it started to sound like a bag of spanners. After 1400 miles driving back to UK I can still drive it with a totally new driving style. I have not been in low box since that day. All gears are selectable with a gentle persuasion and accuracy with the gear stick. Always crunches going into 4th. As long as power is kept on no particular noise except accelerating hard in 5th. When you lift off the noise is horrendous and it feels like the gearbox is about to disintegrate. So every time I lift off I have been coasting out of gear and slipping into gear to pull forward. If I just dip the clutch noise is still there but probably only 20% of the noise it had been on over run.
Don't recommend this technique of driving especially in the mountains where coasting downhill with a trailer causes just a little bit iof stress and lots of stops for the brakes to cool down. Clutch gives a good bite when lifted. Some suggestions that DMF may be causing noise but both clutch plate and DMF were changed about 20000 miles ago. Others say that main shaft in gearbox is moving back and forth on power and overrun. Don't know enough about gearbox design to definitvely say myself so its over to you knowledgeable folk.
Regards
Recently returned from Morocco after towing my camping trailer 3500 miles on and off-road. I'm pretty sure I've broken the gearbox but would like some confirmation if possible.
After a day running around in low box off-road gear selection was stiff in all gears in high box when I returned to the tarmac. Put this down to the little plastic bit at the top of the gearbox as it was by then running very hot.
However next day selection was the same with a crunch on entering 4th gear in high box. It has crunched very slightly on 3rd for years but this was the first time in 4th. Has done it on every gear change since. Ran that day mainly in low box with little problem. Back on tarmac it started to sound like a bag of spanners. After 1400 miles driving back to UK I can still drive it with a totally new driving style. I have not been in low box since that day. All gears are selectable with a gentle persuasion and accuracy with the gear stick. Always crunches going into 4th. As long as power is kept on no particular noise except accelerating hard in 5th. When you lift off the noise is horrendous and it feels like the gearbox is about to disintegrate. So every time I lift off I have been coasting out of gear and slipping into gear to pull forward. If I just dip the clutch noise is still there but probably only 20% of the noise it had been on over run.
Don't recommend this technique of driving especially in the mountains where coasting downhill with a trailer causes just a little bit iof stress and lots of stops for the brakes to cool down. Clutch gives a good bite when lifted. Some suggestions that DMF may be causing noise but both clutch plate and DMF were changed about 20000 miles ago. Others say that main shaft in gearbox is moving back and forth on power and overrun. Don't know enough about gearbox design to definitvely say myself so its over to you knowledgeable folk.
Regards
