Cant get reverse gear. R380.

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mick the builder

mick the builder

Well-Known Member
Posts
5,901
Location
Sligo,Wild West of Ireland.
Recon gearbox, new clutch, master and slave cyl.
I can get 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ( bit awkward but getable) and 5th. Cant get reverse when engine running. I have it up on the lift. If i turn off engine and put the clutch in, it slips straight in, then i start engine, let out clutch and i have drive. As soon as i take it out, it wont go back in. Any ideas, adjustments i could make while the gearbox is still in? At the end of my tether now.
 
Al2O3 said:
Don't want to sound cheeky, Mick. But, you have put the oils back in! ;)
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Yes i have Al, and double checked the levels. At first i thought it was air in the system but that is not the case. Im hoping its a clutch issue but i have driven it around the house and although not the best of gear changes, it drove. I just cant select reverse while the engine is running, although all gears are selectable with engine off.Also it dosent lurch backwards when i start the engine in gear but i can pull away steady.
 
mick the builder said:
Yes i have Al, and double checked the levels. At first i thought it was air in the system but that is not the case. Im hoping its a clutch issue but i have driven it around the house and although not the best of gear changes, it drove. I just cant select reverse while the engine is running, although all gears are selectable with engine off.Also it dosent lurch backwards when i start the engine in gear but i can pull away steady.
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Sorry, mate, thought it was worth asking in case it was an easy fix :)
So you can start it in reverse and nothing happens until you put your foot down a bit? Sort of like an automatic?
 
Al2O3 said:
Sorry, mate, thought it was worth asking in case it was an easy fix :)
So you can start it in reverse and nothing happens until you put your foot down a bit? Sort of like an automatic?
Click to expand...
No, with engine running, i can not get it in reverse. If i switch the engine off then depress clutch, it goes straight in. I can then start engine while in gear and clutch down without any bother then as i lift up the clutch, it pulls away as normal.
 
mick the builder said:
No, with engine running, i can not get it in reverse. If i switch the engine off then depress clutch, it goes straight in. I can then start engine while in gear and clutch down without any bother then as i lift up the clutch, it pulls away as normal.
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Got ya!
I wonder if the push rod from the slave cylinder is the right one? I think you can get two different lengths? I'm just thinking around what JM said about the clutch not clearing.
 
My experience with the R380 in mine is that where there's any torque at all getting through the clutch, it is reluctant to change gear, but reverse is the one that gets most difficult soonest. Before taking the transfer box off I'd try some easier things first, such as adjusting the nuts on the clutch master cylinder push rod to give it a bit more travel, topping up the fluid level and bleeding it a bit. Another possibility is that the seals on the master and slave cylinders are getting a bit tired.
 
Brown said:
My experience with the R380 in mine is that where there's any torque at all getting through the clutch, it is reluctant to change gear, but reverse is the one that gets most difficult soonest. Before taking the transfer box off I'd try some easier things first, such as adjusting the nuts on the clutch master cylinder push rod to give it a bit more travel, topping up the fluid level and bleeding it a bit. Another possibility is that the seals on the master and slave cylinders are getting a bit tired.
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Ive already tried those issues. I also thought i may have the wrong size rod in the slave so put a nut behind it to give it more travel but that didnt work. Its then that i changed the slave and master cly.
 
mick the builder said:
Ive already tried those issues. I also thought i may have the wrong size rod in the slave so put a nut behind it to give it more travel but that didnt work. Its then that i changed the slave and master cly.
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OK, so you've already done the easy stuff. Rather than start taking the transfer box off, I'd jack it up and see if there's any drive getting through when the clutch is depressed. Try something like a rolled up newspaper on the handbrake drum if it is spinning. An assistant can press the clutch down or if there's no one available I find my Disclock plus a few offcuts of 4x2 can be wedged in the footwell to keep the clutch pedal fully down. Oh and put it in diff lock too. If a roll of paper doesn't stop it, I see if it'll make my wellies smoke if they're applied to the spinning handbrake drum. Don't copy Uncle Brown at home boys and girls. If it won't stop with friction applied to the handbrake drum then you know it is dragging!
 
Brown said:
OK, so you've already done the easy stuff. Rather than start taking the transfer box off, I'd jack it up and see if there's any drive getting through when the clutch is depressed. Try something like a rolled up newspaper on the handbrake drum if it is spinning. An assistant can press the clutch down or if there's no one available I find my Disclock plus a few offcuts of 4x2 can be wedged in the footwell to keep the clutch pedal fully down. Oh and put it in diff lock too. If a roll of paper doesn't stop it, I see if it'll make my wellies smoke if they're applied to the spinning handbrake drum. Don't copy Uncle Brown at home boys and girls. If it won't stop with friction applied to the handbrake drum then you know it is dragging!
Click to expand...
And if it is, the solution is?????:)
Luckily, ive a two post lift. Ive no drive getting to wheels in gear and clutch depressed ( all wheels off the ground). With engine off, i get all gears easy enough. Engine running i still get forward gears but no reverse. 4th's a bit hard to get.If i try to get reverse, as i try to put the stick where reverse should be, the front offside wheel tries to turn in judders if that means anything
 
mick the builder said:
And if it is, the solution is?????:)
Luckily, ive a two post lift. Ive no drive getting to wheels in gear and clutch depressed ( all wheels off the ground). With engine off, i get all gears easy enough. Engine running i still get forward gears but no reverse. 4th's a bit hard to get.If i try to get reverse, as i try to put the stick where reverse should be, the front offside wheel tries to turn in judders if that means anything
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4th rev and 5th are single baulk rings the others are compound so are more efficient
i think there are 2 solutions ,remove box change clutch cover or cause of not clearing, or maybe box needs loking at i cant see any other solution, which is why i suggested removing t/box as it will have to come off in any case, unless push rod is very short so nut wasnt enough or some other strange reason like slave piston retracts instead of adjusting itself so a pedal stroke isnt enough
 
Yes, it's sounding a bit like time to take the gearbox off. When it's dragging there is seldom enough drag to move the whole car. Land Rovers are pretty stiff to push around, if you've ever tried it single handed. That's why I use paper, or the sole of my boot. But there can be enough drag to stop it changing gear smoothly.
 
Im plucking at straws here but could i have been supplied with the wrong trust bearing? i.e. not as long on the shaft as the proper one. As its had a new complete clutch fitted im wondering if a different bearing would fit on the shaft but being thinner, wouldnt press enough on the diaphragm spring.
 
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