changing gearbox / diff oil

300tdi, 1998 r plate.

its been a little sluggish the last couple of days and this morning i noticed a horrible clunking kinda noise coming from the transmisison type area.

its probably over due a full service so i'll sort that asap but in the mean time, how do you fill / topup gearbox, transfer and diff oils? and whats the best stuff to use?

Diffs, EP90, mainbox ATF, even if a manual!

Just did my mainbox the other night, it's an arse of a job, be prepared to get VERY dirty and get oil everywhere. Basically drain it out the lower plug, and fill up via the tapered top plug until it runs out the filler hole. Get a Haynes manual, gives you the full low-down. You'll need to keep refilling a bottle type can with a spout on it, you can only get about half a bottle in before you have to refill. My S3 was far easier, middle seat out and in through the top!

WELL WORTH adding a shot of Forte gearbox & diff treatmeant, has dramatically improved my gearchange and quietened the box down. Never heard the turbo above the box din, now I can.

However from the sounds of things you might want to check propshaft UJs for wear...

I've just had a replacement gearbox and transfer box after hearing a "clunking kind noise" I suggest you get it checked out pronto!

Bon chance!

Undo filler before drain, then you can be sure to get oil back in once drained,you need a special torx 4 socket that you can get from difflock for a few quid,I borrowed a 1litre scringe the last time with a second person filling it up whilst I was under vehicle, easy if it aint just drained and or you've just driven through a massive pile of dog ****e

you will find it much easyier to fill the mainbox by inserting the end of a short length of garden hose in the filler hole then leading the other end out through the engine compartment and sticking a funnel in it ,
you will need someone under the car to kink the pipe when the box is up to level then you can drain the excess in the pipe back into your container.

Jason is the Toerx size 4 socket for the filler or the drain or both?

James said:

Jason is the Toerx size 4 socket for the filler or the drain or both?

Click to expand...

The torx 4 dibble what not is just for the filler plug, the drain plug is normal hexagonal.

My 95 M plate was just a 13mm hex head...???

Iain C said:

My 95 M plate was just a 13mm hex head...???

Click to expand...

Sumut wrong there buddy!

DIFFLOCK Tools, Servicing & Workshop Equipment

And look under gearbox.

You are referring to the filler ?

It's a cone shaped thread too so I can't see some bod sticking a bolt in there

Just looked on the Difflock site, so the R380 gear box is a torx for the filler and the LT77 is a 24mm socket (which mine is) and the drain is a 32mm for both

Hmmm, I'm being a divvy here, it was not a hex head!

However, it was a square head, certainly not a torx jobbie. Please tell me that there is not some other square headed plug that lives near the torx plug and I've filled to the wrong level!!!

Gearbox is loads better whatever it is!!!

And preferably do not put ATF in the R380. The spec was changed to MTF94 in 1997, before your car was made! If you can't get that oil you can use a 75 grade Manual box oil such as Castrol VMX. I have heard that the best change and wear properties come from using a fully-synthetic Dexron III oil such as Castrol Transmax Z. All these oils give a better gear change than ATF.

I used Dexron supplied by a very good independant LR specialist so hopefully I got that bit right! Also matches spec in the Haynes manual...

Haynes manual is outdated. I know, I've got one. Go to your LR specialist and ask for your money back. Dexron II = ordinary ATF Dexron III = synthetic ATF. Your gearbox should NOT have ordinary red Dexron II in it if you want it to last. But it's your vehicle and your money, after all.

ECHNICAL BULLETIN N O : 0007 ISSUE: 2 PAGE: 1 OF 2
ENGLISH
TECHNICAL BULLETIN
MODEL/DERIVATIVE: Bulletin N o : 0007
Range Rover
Discovery / New Discovery
CDS. ref: L8462bu
Issue: 2
Defender Date: 29.03.2000
Freelander

AFFECTED RANGE:
All R380 manual gearbox derivatives - refer to text for specific change points
All Freelander

RE - ISSUE INFORMATION:
Incorrect specification reference deleted from PARTS INFORMATION.
Please destroy your existing copy and replace with this Issue 2.

PROBLEM:
GEARBOX OIL - CHANGE TO SPECIFICATION

CAUSE:
At the following VINs, the original oil fill specification for the R380 gearbox was
changed to Texaco MTF94 high performance oil:
Range Rover - WA 384300
Discovery - WA 752315
Defender - WA 131138
New Discovery - All vehicles
The Freelander PG1 gearbox has used the new oil since introduction of the model.

ACTION:
MTF94 will be recognised by its orange/honey colour as opposed to the red
Dexron II oil previously used, and is now available from Land Rover Parts.
It is now the only oil which should be used for topping up and complete fill on
R380/PG1 gearbox applications.
The new oil is compatible with the old and to enable earlier vehicles to benefit from
its introduction, should be used retrospectively on vehicles prior to the above VINs
for all top up and refill requirements.
Refer to PARTS INFORMATIONoverleaf for details.
Until further notice, current Service Schedule gearbox oil change periods are
retained and must be adhered to.


Well, there you go.

Jim

Thanks for the advice on this. I challenged the original supplier on this and they said that Dexron 2 is fine on an R380, and when I spoke to their workshop on a separate site they said the same, and it would only be on a TD5 that you'd want to put synthetic in an a option.

To back this up I spoke to 2 other specialists, one local to me and used to preparing vehicles right up to expedition spec. They said that as oil technology improves, LR will keep upping the spec if there is a better oil available with a genuine performance increase, however bear in mind that by nature LRs are designed to operate in environments where the very latest spec may not be available and as such the R380 will be just fine on Dexron 2.

The only box which will really does need Dexron 3 if at all possible will be an automatic.

So taking all the advice I think I'll stick with the D2 at the moment and possibly put D3 in it next time.

Apparently the forte treatment I have added will make far more of a difference to longevity and gearchange than the difference between D2 and D3.

But thanks again anyway, all advice is appreciated!

If you look at the date on that tech bulletin, it is true that at that time they were making TD5s. But the bulletin also advises use in older gearboxes. After all it is the gearbox we are talking about here. I also think that there was an earlier tech bulletin of 1998 (note the one above is no 2) and at that time the tdi was still being made. And that bulletin advised the use of MTF94 in the LT77 as well. As someone who lives in the third world I can advise that modern oils are available just about everywhere now, so their excuse is just that. And if you are going round the world or whatever, take the oil with you and don't rely on local suppliers. The ignorance of LR dealers and even good independents never ceases to amaze me. I reckon many of them can't or won't read so don't keep up to date at all.

If you were going to pop in some Forte Gearbox Treatment, would you use the manual or auto stuff - for a manual box using ATF fluid?

I'm thinking of poping some in my 1986 2.5N/A 90.