L322 Range Rover l322 gearbox issue

Range Rover l322 gearbox broken?

Hello ,I have finally joined this forum as I have just bought an l322 it is a td6 from 2003 with a 5 speed Gm box.I am 16 years old and this is my « dream car »however it has a broken gearbox.I am going to attempt to fix it as I’ve already got some experience changing RRC gearboxes but I could do with some advice.

The problem is about a minute after start up when all the oils warm it loses all drive and reverse,it will no longer move at all in till it cools down again.

There are no error messages or lights on dash and the transfer box seems alright switching between high and low.

It is also worth mentioning the cars done almost 300000km and I’ve got no service history.so I started by draining transfer box oil which was clean ish with no metal in it but the gearbox however had some grey sludge and metal shavings in the oil pan.On idle there is a rattle/grinding noise coming from gearbox area.

I have got a quote to rebuild the gearbox for 2 grand but I’m unsure if this would fix the problem,Could it be torque converter,transfer box or electrical issue? I don’t know,so any knowledge would be helpful.Thanks

Hi and welcome.

I assume you have checked the oil level at the correct temperature having selected all the gears first?

Did you have drive before the oil change? Did it also rattle?
These gearboxes don't last forever

Thanks,yes the oil level was checked correctly but I did not try manually selecting gears although when I drove it very briefly it got up into 3rd gear no issue.it has now had two oil changes since it broke as the old owner did one to see if it was the problem and I’ve done just to verify with my own eye,it only seems to rattle on idle when it’s not moving.

before you do anything else, i would check the level according to the manual, to make sure its correct
it does sound like the level is low, but i'm not expert on the 5 speed

Could very well be the box has died, your best bet I think would be a good second hand box if you can find one at a good price, just my thoughts on it.

That sounds like how they fail, loss of drive. Either second hand or bite the bullet and have it rebuilt. Then you know it’s a good box and torque converter. That’s the weak bit on the td6. Once sorted there a solid reliable machine.

The valve block in the GM box is made of cheese and rarely lasts beyond 80K miles. Likewise the torque convertor has a variable slip lock up clutch which fails and contaminates the box and the oil cooler.
I would say you are in for a gearbox overhaul, specify the Sonnax valve block plus a replacement torque convertor and either a new oil cooler or a very good flush to clear out any rubbish.

Datatek said:

The valve block in the GM box is made of cheese and rarely lasts beyond 80K miles. Likewise the torque convertor has a variable slip lock up clutch which fails and contaminates the box and the oil cooler.
I would say you are in for a gearbox overhaul, specify the Sonnax valve block plus a replacement torque convertor and either a new oil cooler or a very good flush to clear out any rubbish.

Click to expand...

or go manual, how does a 16 year old drive an l322?

badfluffy said:

or go manual, how does a 16 year old drive an l322?

Click to expand...

"how does a 16 year old drive an l322?" If he is like most youngsters, recklessly

Click to expand...

and some adults

Thanks for the advice i will try to source another box with torque converter and definitely clean out the oil cooler.

Just make sure it’s a good box. No point paying for a second hand one , fitting it etc only to find it lasts a month and goes bang.

Before you pull the trigger on a new or reconditioned box, firstly as has been suggested make sure the oil levels are correct with the engine and box warm. Then do a complete diagnostics scan, and I mean complete.....it may takeup to half an hour, but these old GM boxes have ways of hiding error codes. It really is worth investing the time because you never know what code will 'suddenly' appear! Scan everyting you can, ALL the ECU's and anything else you can scan....also use a smart VIN that gives you the choice of year in case you have a crossover model. Sounds too simple to be true? Well our 5 speed GM box was exhibiting all the symptoms of being on the way out 8,000 miles ago. It needed scanning and code clearing on a regular basis for a month and then decided to work properly. If you can get some life out of it try using low range for a couple of small journeys and then use sport mode, if you don't get a trans failure warning then it could just be one of the solenoids associated with the box. With old L322's with the GM box diagnostics are ESSENTIAL, apart from that the 3.0diesel is pretty bullet proof so long as you change the oil every six months without fail. Good luck

Do you have the BMW 3L engine, with the GM gearbox made from cardboard !?\
Sorry bro its the one Achilles heal to these cars, I had 140K miles and had to get a new gearbox, well they call it new, but complete strip down and new internal parts, cost was £3500.

A1EK said:

Do you have the BMW 3L engine, with the GM gearbox made from cardboard !?\
Sorry bro its the one Achilles heal to these cars, I had 140K miles and had to get a new gearbox, well they call it new, but complete strip down and new internal parts, cost was £3500.

Click to expand...

£3500? Seems steep, place I use qouted me £200 for full rebuilt and new torque converter, although depending on when it was cost of repair has dropped from what it used to be.

hmmm, I had looked all over the country and never found any quotes less than £2500. Are you sure they are replacing all the internals components? solenoids and most importantly you must get a new gearbox filter system as the broken up failed parts will be clogging it.

rich28uk said:

£3500? Seems steep, place I use qouted me £200 for full rebuilt and new torque converter, although depending on when it was cost of repair has dropped from what it used to be.

Click to expand...

£200, you can't be serious

Think he meant £2000! I was quoted £2400 when I enquired for future reference a few months ago.

Recon is the only way to go, but it is expensive north of £2000 usually for a recon box and converter

Before doing though i;d have a good look around the rest of the l322 to make sure its worth the investment, tin worm like to nibble at the old L322, best done so you don't spend a small fortune on a rot box

He is right you know, thoroughly check the rear quarters, they are the 'Attenborough Retreat' for tin worm, as are the rear jacking points and you must also check the dreaded suspension rear bush assemblies which are a MASSIVE job to replace!