Home on the Range
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Hi All,
I'm not a mechanic so forgive any 'terms' I may incorrectly use.
I'm also new here and given a long history with the brand, I am now using the access to the world in the hope to learn more about my car.
I have had 3 x L322's.
2002 Vogue ... 300,000 klm, engine destroyed itself when daughters ignored an unusual sound and kept driving (timing chain). Gearbox rebuilt at 175,000 klms.
2003 HSE. 270,000klms. Gearbox went (more later), and had a spare car so parked it and it has now been parted.
2004 Vogue ... was the spare car, always intended to replace the 2003 model. at 175,000 klms, transmission warnings, holding in gear etc etc , Failsafe mode switching on etc. Mechanics say, rebuild or replace gearbox.
But firstly, a bit of history, which happened with all three.
I have a boat which along with the trailer, weighs in at 3,500 kgs (the towing limit for this car in Australia).
I do not exceed 85 kmh towing it, and am super conscious of manually changing down on upslopes etc. I am well aware of what 3500 kgs behind 2350kgs means.... I am merely steering the car and hopefully the boat follows, which it does...... when the gearbox is working.
On flat roads at 80-85 kmh, the gearbox would just lock into 3rd gear, or sometimes even second. No matter manually or otherwise, it will not change up. Stop the car, turn it off, remove key, then restart and away you go for a short while before it does it again.
All transmission coolers etc have been cleaned /checked/replaced.
Why does it do this?
Which leads to the final gearbox..... which is at the following stage ... It would start cold, run through the gears, and once warmed up, would lock in "Trans Failsafe" Mode, except it locks into first, not fourth.
Various sensors tell me everything is wrong, but let it cool, start again, and everything works again.
My feel is the gearboxes simply cannot handle the weight of the boat ( yes, they are all serviced and checked at regular intervals), but the locking into gears etc is simply strange.
I am currently sourcing a gearbox for the L322 to slip it in and get the car useable again as summer is not far away.
Any experiences, hints, clues, solutions or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
PS. Rebuilding engines, gearboxes etc in Australia is more costly than buying a replacement second hand car just in case you're wondering why they get thrown out when something significant breaks.
I'm not a mechanic so forgive any 'terms' I may incorrectly use.
I'm also new here and given a long history with the brand, I am now using the access to the world in the hope to learn more about my car.
I have had 3 x L322's.
2002 Vogue ... 300,000 klm, engine destroyed itself when daughters ignored an unusual sound and kept driving (timing chain). Gearbox rebuilt at 175,000 klms.
2003 HSE. 270,000klms. Gearbox went (more later), and had a spare car so parked it and it has now been parted.
2004 Vogue ... was the spare car, always intended to replace the 2003 model. at 175,000 klms, transmission warnings, holding in gear etc etc , Failsafe mode switching on etc. Mechanics say, rebuild or replace gearbox.
But firstly, a bit of history, which happened with all three.
I have a boat which along with the trailer, weighs in at 3,500 kgs (the towing limit for this car in Australia).
I do not exceed 85 kmh towing it, and am super conscious of manually changing down on upslopes etc. I am well aware of what 3500 kgs behind 2350kgs means.... I am merely steering the car and hopefully the boat follows, which it does...... when the gearbox is working.
On flat roads at 80-85 kmh, the gearbox would just lock into 3rd gear, or sometimes even second. No matter manually or otherwise, it will not change up. Stop the car, turn it off, remove key, then restart and away you go for a short while before it does it again.
All transmission coolers etc have been cleaned /checked/replaced.
Why does it do this?
Which leads to the final gearbox..... which is at the following stage ... It would start cold, run through the gears, and once warmed up, would lock in "Trans Failsafe" Mode, except it locks into first, not fourth.
Various sensors tell me everything is wrong, but let it cool, start again, and everything works again.
My feel is the gearboxes simply cannot handle the weight of the boat ( yes, they are all serviced and checked at regular intervals), but the locking into gears etc is simply strange.
I am currently sourcing a gearbox for the L322 to slip it in and get the car useable again as summer is not far away.
Any experiences, hints, clues, solutions or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
PS. Rebuilding engines, gearboxes etc in Australia is more costly than buying a replacement second hand car just in case you're wondering why they get thrown out when something significant breaks.
