autobox banging and jerking

hi all

hope someone can help me out with a fault on my fathers freelander.

everything was fine until yesterday when he booted it up to 40 mph onto a duel carriageway. Since then there's a really harsh jerk and almost bang when changing up or down gears.

iv tried manually selecting gears, but the jerking is still there.

ill be getting underneath during the week to see if anythings come loose, and to check the fluid level. but any help would be very appreciated

cheers

jon

40 !

Perhaps he was racing ''guvner''....

yes 40


what i ment was he floor'd it out of a petrol station onto duel carrigeway (with a 40 limit) and since then the problem has occured.
everything else has been fine since he purchased the car in the summer.

is there some sort of solenoid that reduces the torque inside the box whilst changing gear?

There's a big ass engine mount on the drivers side that is prone to giving way.

Also check rear diff mount bushes

There's a big ass engine mount on the drivers side that is prone to giving way.

Also check rear diff mount bushes

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ok cheers ill take a look at those tomorro.

in the mean time ill search around to find sum pics, so i know what im looking at

most likely the rear diff front mount.

If your checking the auto oil on a Freelander 1, don't undo the wrong nut. The one on the rear of the auto is for the reverse brake band. There's a long fred on here how to check the oil level. Needs to be done correctly, to the correct procedure. Also use the correct oil. It's all in the fred.

rear diff mount on the left of the flange

thanks for the pic hippo, iv been reading your thread on the auto fluid, and the pics are very helpfull.

do these mounts usually go so suddenly? id have expected them to slowy deteriorate.

this seems to have suddenly gone from smooth gear changes to very harsh ones that feel like somones driven into to back of the car.

Had exactly the same issue on my auto hippo. Felt like I'd been shunted at 5mph. Auto was leaking. Low oil causes the torque convertor to cavitate when theres air in it, due to low oil. You don't always notice the oil leak as the milk tray under the engine collects it, and dumps it at speed. :doh: Cost me me auto that did. :doh:

When it happened to mine, it only happened when hot. I'd pull over and wait for it to cool down. Then it would be ok until warm. Lower the oil level, the more it will do it. Keep driving like that and the auto will need replced. Few garages take them apart and repair. Mainly replace, and get swap it with a reconditioner.

It could be an electrical problem. A diagnostic would advise faults codes. First thing I'd do if it were mine, is check the auto oil level.

well iv just had a quick look under the bonnet, and there does seem to be quite a bit of movement on that engine mount.

ill have to drive it a few miles so i can get underneath to take a look at levels. will prob do that tomorro or maby later this afternoon if the roads are quiet.

Can you get someone to watch your engine as you put it in and out of D or N? This will display the engine movement if you keep yer foot on the brakes. Easier first step than the oil level.

Can you get someone to watch your engine as you put it in and out of D or N? This will display the engine movement if you keep yer foot on the brakes. Easier first step than the oil level.

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yep, had my helpfull sister take it in and out of drive, engine did rock a bit but nothing that would explain such a harsh jerk.

iv managed to get it over my pit and have a quik look underneath, took the tray of and cant see any signs of an atf leak, although ther's a bit of leaked oil covering the alternator.

had a good look at all other mounts and have a few that might need renewing in the future but nothing worrying.

while i was underneath, i also tried to check the atf level.
with the engine running, i undid the correct bolt (6 mm allen bolt exactly where your pics show).
unfortunatly what came out looked like thick coffee and smelt burnt
i assume the atf should be cherry red and smell sweet? (at least the stuff i put in my pajero does)

so to sum it up, i know im gonna have to do a few atf changes and check the level properly, but .. nothing so-far explains the sudden change from smooth to jerking.:confused2:


ohh and the 2 plug connectors look like they've never moved and are bone dry,

That doesn't sound good. Burnt or black oil may be due to something going wrong in the auto, or the wrong oil being used. LR and it’s main dealers would have used the LRN4092 red stuff.

It's often misquoted on the web that LRN402 Freelander 1 Jatco auto oil is not available anymore. ALL UK main dealers sell it for a start. It could be that at some point someone has put dexron ii oil in your auto. I think I’m correct in saying this was used in some foreign markets, as the contents of the LRN402 were banned in those countries. There’s some stories on the web of peeps putting this in, on rover 75’s, as they assumed this was correct. Either the same, or similar oil used in previous rover car auto’s. Some complained of problems.

Changing the auto as I did in the other thread only swaps out 42% of the oil. To increase the percentage of oil replaced, you either have to try to suck more out (don’t know the best way to do this, or if anyone has managed it) or some choose to remove the front black plate (covering the vales/solenoids) on the front side of the auto. This allows for more oil to come out. Refit with sealer if you do.

An oil change is known to work wonders on the Jatco. I notice the difference when I change mine. It’s difficult to know what’s wrong with your auto. I only learnt from bitter experience. If it were mine, I’d be looking to get the oil changed. And as much as possible.

When my auto started playing games, I’d just pulled out of BnQ. I’d restarted it when warm, drove out the car park, paused at the roundabout, then bang. Thought in me head of me dad saying he’d never have a auto… (it was his before I had it) and I had to pull over. Finally got home. Fault seemed to just start to happen. Obviously mine was low oil as it was leaking.

Where abouts are you roughly? Someone may know of a garage that could help with diagnostic kit.

There’s also a number of other things like smooth lockup of the torque converter failing, line pressure being low…

Also it might not be the autobox [jatco] could also be IRD ,VCU, DRIVE SHAFT OR REAR DIFF PROBLEM . . . .best way to solve most [excluding IRD ] IS TO DISSCONECT THE DRIVE SHAFT TO THE VCU. . . . .But i would get a propper diagnostics done first [Ashcrofts come to mind ] hope this helps . . . . . .

ming said:

Also it might not be the autobox [jatco] could also be IRD ,VCU, DRIVE SHAFT OR REAR DIFF PROBLEM . . . .best way to solve most [excluding IRD ] IS TO DISSCONECT THE DRIVE SHAFT TO THE VCU. . . . .But i would get a propper diagnostics done first [Ashcrofts come to mind ] hope this helps . . . . . .

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wud it not be a good idea to do a VCU test before removing prop, Minge - it is easier to do the torque test with it on car, Shirley?

The Mad Hat Man said:

wud it not be a good idea to do a VCU test before removing prop, Minge - it is easier to do the torque test with it on car, Shirley?

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Dunt call me Shurly. . . . .Yes your reet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ok well the atf level is fine, (tested with fluid at approx 40 degrees)

the cars at my works in hatfield, there is a landrover service center a few miles away, but that means driving straight out onto a duel carrigeway for at least 3 miles.

while i try and find someone to do a diagnostic ill check the vcu, and if thats ok ill disconect the driveshaft just to check things.

im leaning toward it being a fault inside the box, i suspect somthing like a solenoid is stuck.
im thinking this way because there's a hard jerk going from N to either R or D, 1-2 is still rough, 2-3 drops in power then bangs in like its been rear ended, 3-4-5 isn't too bad but could be better.

the burnt/dark brown atf im putting down to age and milage (dead on 100,000 when the fault occured)

as for getting atf from LR, i rang the local one today, to be told they could only buy it in 20l drums, at a cost of £160 + vat.

i think my works get oil direct from texaco, so when i find that correct number ill see if i can get it that way.