Hello Everybody,

I've just bought an 1987 110 2.5td pick up (ex MOD I think) as a stable mate to my 99 station wagon. The gearbox is a bag of bolts, (Is that first gear or reverse? ooooh bugger where's second.... ohhh there, after you go through the gate via 4th to 3rd & back down!) Any way that is being junked and being replaced! I notice however that when you do change from going forward to reverse (and vice versa) a loudish clunk. The front diff has about 20 degrees of play is this normal? How much shpuld there be? Or does the clunk come from some where else?

Any opinion welcome!

Rabbit Rover

The gearbox trouble could just be a badly adjusted or worn gear lever spring and the reverse plunger is a piece of **** to adjust. Both are a lot cheaper than a new gearbox.

Yeah the gearlever springs are worn... about half way through infact! However in fifth the whine is like a Bedford TK truck doing 100mph! Believe me the box is junk! However how much play should there be in the diffs if they are ok?

Dunno about the play. I've got a fair bit in my front one, but not being able to compare it with a new one I wouldn't know what a reasonable amount is. To find out if it's from the front Try taking the propshaft off and driving with difflock off if the noise goes away its in the front drive train.

The front ones do tend to have a lot of slop on them... the clunk could also be the Aframe ball joint (bugger of a job to do, I've been putting mine off for a while now)

ther way of checking is to raise on wheel and spin back and forth to see if you can re-create the sound