Hi all

I will be looking at a 2005 Vogue , with 98,000 on the clock, on Monday. I have questioned the current owner regarding the gearbox but he is unaware if there has been any work carried out on it.

Is there anything that would indicated that it has been changed or flushed that I could glean by a visual inspection under the car?

Jim

Look to see if the bolts holding the gearbox sump have been changed or removed and replaced. This would give an indication that the gearbox oil and filter could have been changed.
If you decide to buy it, get the gearbox oil and filter done straight away. It's good preventative maintenance and will help to give you some confidence in the condition of the gearbox.

jim4244 wrote:

Hi all

I will be looking at a 2005 Vogue , with 98,000 on the clock, on Monday. I have questioned the current owner regarding the gearbox but he is unaware if there has been any work carried out on it.

Is there anything that would indicated that it has been changed or flushed that I could glean by a visual inspection under the car?

Jim

A TD6.

Was the original sump on the TD6 gearbox made of plastic?

Jim

Nope, it’s steel. Generally, the GM 5L40-E transmission in the TD6 L322 lasts between 80,000 and 100,000 miles before a major rebuild is required due to valve body wear. There are exceptions, of course, and regular fluid changes (Dexron) will help prolong its life by reducing spool oscillation which causes the wear. The wear results in leakage and subsequent pressure loss, allowing the clutches (particularly the torque converter lock-up clutch) to slip and burn.

Phil

Thanks Phil

So what should I look for underneath to indicate that either the gearbox has been changed or the oil changed?

Jim

Sorry to sound so cynical but how certain are you that the present owner isn’t selling because they’ve just started noticing issues with the transmission? It’s at just about the right mileage for that. If the car is still on its original transmission it would be prudent to budget for a £2,000 bill for a replacement somewhere further down the line.

There’s no certain way of determining if the fluid or the transmission has been changed just from a visual inspection, unless of course it looks much cleaner than everything else under there or the bolt heads give it away. The green plate on the casing tells you the year of manufacture but it’s unlikely that a new unit would have been fitted anyway, much more likely a re-manufactured one.

2003 transmission:

Click image to enlarge