Hi could anyone give me any advice about the gearbox problems and what to look out for as i am looking to buy a l322 for the first time and am put of by the stories i have been told about them, there are some great range rovers out there for sale but im un sure if to touch one that has over 100k on it
any advice for a newbee would be great
Paul from scunthorpe

Hi Paul,

You sort of have a point, but your comment is illogical. A car that's done 80k with no gearbox oil change could have a problem, a car which has done 200k and had a couple of gearbox oil flushes could have a perfectly healthy gearbox! It's not ideal, but the best you can do is find a good un, and change the oil if it hasn't been done recently!

Better still, buy a nicely cared for car from a fellow forum member!

Mileage does not kill RR gearboxes, there are plenty of well cared for cars with big mileages on them!

Cheers,

David Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

If the prospect of transmission problems bothers you then you’d be better off buying a ’06 (petrol)/'07 (diesel) MY-onwards L322 with the 6HP26 ‘box.

The 5HP24 transmission used in pre-’06 petrol models has a few problems (which I'd be happy to bore you with ).

As for the 5L40-E transmission used in pre-’07 TD6 models, well.....

Phil

Thanks for your replys, im looking at one now thats had a new box so if i get that i will keep on top of the oil changes etc,, i look forward to many more posts etc on this site Paul.

@ rrphil.... are the diesel g/boxes that bad?????  ONE LIFE LIVE IT

They have a (deserved) bad reputation for failing between 80k & 100k miles in the Range Rover. That’s not to say they all fail, and I’m sure many people have examples that have covered much higher mileages than this, but judging by the number of posts on this and other L322 forums, failures at these higher mileages are all too common – accepting of course that people only tend to post on forums when they have a problem and not when their transmission is operating fine!

The biggest issue is that, when the 5L40-E does fail, the damage within the transmission is extensive (metal-to-metal torque converter lock-up clutch damage, valve block & spool wear, burnt clutches, etc.) unlike the 5HP24 where usually only a six quid axial bearing and an O-ring seal need to be replaced and then it’s good for another 100k miles.

It would seem that the only thing that can extend the life (but not totally assure it) is frequent fluid/filter changes (using Texaco Texamatic 7045E & a genuine Filtran filter). Unlike the 5HP24, this time/mileage to failure is not particularly influenced by how hard a life the vehicle has had or how it’s been driven.

Imminent failure is usually preceded by the torque converter LUC dumping vast quantities of metallic debris into the fluid, so if you’re thinking of buying a TD6 you need to find an excuse to allow you to check the transmission fluid first!

Phil

m90got wrote:

Thanks for your replys, im looking at one now thats had a new box so if i get that i will keep on top of the oil changes etc,, i look forward to many more posts etc on this site Paul.

is it a genuine new box, or a rebuild? I'd say proceed with caution, if it's a genuine brand new gearbox then great!  Range Rover-less at the moment - Pining!

Dealers usually fit recon gearboxes on a TD6, so there is no guarantee that a replacement will be new.

Having had 5 go, my "best" replacement was a reconditioned one from a local specialist.