My 4.4 tdv8 L322 has a loose gearbox in the lower gears.

When cold, the engine revs to help warm things up quickly, however my issue is when the gearbox is warm. Above 30 ish mph, and (I assume) 4th onwards the gearbox is fine and changes gear nicely.

It’s those lower gear changes that’s a problem.

Pulling away from stationary when warm, the gearbox revs to about 2,000 rpm annd fluctuates with the gear changes until it hits 4th. The gearbox changes gear (or tries) but never actually goes into gear instead continuing to use the revs like it’s riding the clutch in a manual car.
If driving and I slow down (I.e. to pull into a side road) and the speed drops enough to cause a gear change then it’s the same… all revs and attempted gear changes. If I slow but it doesn’t need to change gear then all is fine.
Whilst “riding the clutch” the revs drop like it’s trying to get into gear, then rise before falling again as it goes into gear.

The gearbox oil has been changed, as well as the cooler and pipes due to a seized solenoid… so it’s possible the gearbox has been cooking (nothing on the dash or logged about this).

Would a bottle of Dr Tranny help with this? Even if just to delay the inevitable?

I’m trying to get a rough idea on what is needed to fix this to cost it all up. If it’s a simple job of dropping the pan, rubber seals and solenoids, then I may consider doing this myself… otherwise if more than that then I’ll find a suitable specialist. Currently driving: 2012 L322 SE Overfinch 4.4 tdv8

Past rides:
2014 Audi Q7 3.0d (good riddance)
2010 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged
2011 L320 HSE 3.0 sdv6
2014 Jaguar XF-RS 5.0 supercharged
2007 BMW 535D
2005 Mini Cooper S

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic59478.html

I feel your pain. I'm going through a similar problem with my 5.0 SC. I'm away form home at the moment but if I had it at home in my garage I would take off the oil pan and drop the valve block. But my mechanic has suggested a total swap with a second hand tranny. So I've had to bite the bullet and order one off eBay.

What you describe sounds like a leaking bridge seal. Before condemning your transmission I think it would be worth ordering up a set of sleeve seals and the bridge seal and having a go yourself. And whist at it, a set of solenoids. There are some very reasonably priced kits on eBay. Under the ZF label rather than Land Rover which are also on eBay but with extra JLR tax.

I wouldn't consider adding any unapproved additives to the oil. From what I can gather these ZF trannys are very fussy with their oil. 2010 L322 5.0l Supercharged

2008 L322 Vogue 3.6 VDV8 (The wife's)

How does it behave in manual mode? Has it always behaved like this?

The slipping sounds like mine's torque converter slip. Upshifting and mostly lifting off the throttle causes the TC to lock unless too much throttle is used whereupon the TC is slipped again. Mine takes off in 1st then very quickly changes to 2nd, slipping the TC then will change to 3rd and again slip the TC holding revs to around 2000 rpm unless very gentle throttle is used. Turning into side roads I wait several seconds after lifting off the brakes as I've found that the TC will stay locked even down to nearly 800 rpm on light throttle, whereas getting straight onto the accelerator immediately after lifting off the brakes will cause the TC to slip.

These gearboxes can be reprogrammed to lockup the TC much more readily. Whilst the description of the remapping sounds good, I would want to have a drive of one that's been done in case it introduces behaviour that I don't want.

beeza wrote:

What you describe sounds like a leaking bridge seal. Before condemning your transmission I think it would be worth ordering up a set of sleeve seals and the bridge seal and having a go yourself. And whist at it, a set of solenoids. There are some very reasonably priced kits on eBay. Under the ZF label rather than Land Rover which are also on eBay but with extra JLR tax.

GraemeS wrote:

How does it behave in manual mode? Has it always behaved like this?

Quote:

The slipping sounds like mine's torque converter slip. Upshifting and mostly lifting off the throttle causes the TC to lock unless too much throttle is used whereupon the TC is slipped again. Mine takes off in 1st then very quickly changes to 2nd, slipping the TC then will change to 3rd and again slip the TC holding revs to around 2000 rpm unless very gentle throttle is used. Turning into side roads I wait several seconds after lifting off the brakes as I've found that the TC will stay locked even down to nearly 800 rpm on light throttle, whereas getting straight onto the accelerator immediately after lifting off the brakes will cause the TC to slip.

Very similar indeed! Except the quick (attempted) change to 2nd. Mine seems all revs until the speed matches the higher revs and then changes. Although it could be that I simply cannot tell the 1st/2nd gear change attempt.

Fettling the throttle does help and I do that also… but that frustrates me. The car should adapt to me, not the other way around

Quote:

These gearboxes can be reprogrammed to lockup the TC much more readily. Whilst the description of the remapping sounds good, I would want to have a drive of one that's been done in case it introduces behaviour that I don't want.

I think my next step is to grab a bottle of ZF fluid and ensure the fluid level is correct.
A common reason given is simply the wrong fluid level… Currently driving: 2012 L322 SE Overfinch 4.4 tdv8

Past rides:
2014 Audi Q7 3.0d (good riddance)
2010 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged
2011 L320 HSE 3.0 sdv6
2014 Jaguar XF-RS 5.0 supercharged
2007 BMW 535D
2005 Mini Cooper S

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic59478.html

You might want to try manual shifting to 1st before taking-off, then using around 1/3 throttle upshift at around 1700 rpm in gears 1 to 3 to get a feel for whether the TC and gear changing is working properly.

A person in Sydney AU works with a business which I suspect is located in the UK to reprogram at least 6-speed and 8-speed ZF gearboxes in Jags and LRs and the Ford version of the ZF 6-speed too. If my upcoming EGR delete + economy remap doesn't significantly improve take-off then I'll seriously consider the gearbox remap down the track as I really don't like the noise from revving at 2000 rpm for the time it takes to keep pace with any other vehicle when taking off from lights.

It's rare for a ZF transmission to experience a mechanical fault.

Most 'faults' are due to fluid or seals.

Obvious things are to ensure the fluid and filter have been changed recently, it is correctly filled (cannot be over filled or under filled) also.

Other causes are the valve seals and bridge seal. So, all should be replaced (including the mechatronic seal).

If the box hasn't been fully serviced with all of the above, it's worth getting it done. 2015 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 SDV8

Worth getting it looked at by a ZF transmission specialist to get a proper diagnosis before speculating what could be wrong and throwing parts at it. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

GraemeS wrote:

You might want to try manual shifting to 1st before taking-off, then using around 1/3 throttle upshift at around 1700 rpm in gears 1 to 3 to get a feel for whether the TC and gear changing is working properly.

JayGee wrote:

Worth getting it looked at by a ZF transmission specialist to get a proper diagnosis before speculating what could be wrong and throwing parts at it.

garyRR wrote:

It's rare for a ZF transmission to experience a mechanical fault.

Most 'faults' are due to fluid or seals.

Obvious things are to ensure the fluid and filter have been changed recently, it is correctly filled (cannot be over filled or under filled) also.

Other causes are the valve seals and bridge seal. So, all should be replaced (including the mechatronic seal).

If the box hasn't been fully serviced with all of the above, it's worth getting it done.

ZF8HP gearbox issues on these cars are very rare. A normal service just involves dropping the oil and replacing the pan / filter and does not include changing internal sleeves. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I'd be tempted to go with your idea of checking the level before looking for other problems. It is VERY easy to get the level wrong - I changed my oil, thinking that the car was level, oil temp was correct and I had cycled the gears.
It drove OK, changes weren't as smooth as before which I put down to it adapting to the new oil. This got worse over a couple of days, showing all sorts of random misbehaviour.
Checked my level carefully, my car wasn't level on my hoist when I checked with a spirit level, tweaked this then used the exact gearchange sequence specified by ZF and got more than a litre of extra fluid in.
Everything back to normal.
It's got to be worth a try

Ffrr-lover wrote:

What am I looking for when doing this? I expect it to continue to rev as it does now… but will check when she’s back on the road.