issue fitting a Romerdrive to 300TDI
- Thread starter PopaDom
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Aha, an overdrive thread.
I've had experience of both the Roamerdrive overdrive and the other comparable option, which is an R380 gearbox with the high fifth gear fitted.
I was pleased with the overdrive initially, but it was making the transfer box run very hot on long motorway runs. So around mid 2016 I made myself an oil cooler, consisting of a miniature radiator, an electric pump, a thermostatic switch and some pipework. Great, problem solved. I could do some of my long trips - putting my foot down and going to Scotland and back in a day for example - whilst keeping the drivetrain cool. Then in 2020 something went wrong with it and it started cooking my oil, even with the oil cooler working. I've now taken it off and it's waiting in the shed for me to dismantle it and see what's wrong. I expect it will be repairable - I think it's just spun a bearing. The makers claim that all the bearings are standard sized units so it shouldn't be impossible finding spares. During the time I was using it my impressions were that it was good having a very high gear as this cut down the engine noise considerably, but that it was so high that performance was very 'flat'. If you needed another 10 mph to merge into a faster moving stream of traffic for example, it took ages to pick up. Similarly, you tended to lose speed going up hills on motorways.
OK, so up to the later part of 2020 I was Roamerdriving, until the overheating problem meant that I couldn't use the high ratio for more than about 5 miles. It was still alright in its low range though, but that's because its drivetrain is locked together, and isn't making more heat.
Then in January 2021 I got a reconditioned R380. The old one was getting very noisy, especially when lifting one's foot off the accelerator and I didn't feel it was particularly trustworthy any more. I asked for the high ratio 5th gear to be fitted. On putting everything back together I didn't bother to reinstall the Roamerdrive because it needed looking at, so it was put away to await further exploration at a later date. Overall I prefer the latter option overall. That's because it's not quite as highly geared as it was with the Roamerdrive and you have a bit more flexibility for changing lanes and merging. So accelerating up a slip road to merge with faster moving traffic is easy, as is gaining 10mph to move out into lane 2 or 3 in suitable gaps in the traffic. Plus it doesn't overcook the oil like the Roamerdrive. Fuel economy is probably about the same. The engine's turning slightly faster but is meeting with less resistance so with the TD5's ECU managed system fuelling is adjusted to compensate. Factors like headwinds, traffic jams and whether I've got a roofrack on make a much bigger difference to the cost of journeys.
Cost wise, I think the reconditioned R380 is somewhat better value too. Once you've returned your old unit and reclaimed the core charge (assuming you have one and the reconditioners think they can re use it!) it works out less than the prices currently charged for a Roamerdrive. Plus you've got an as-new gearbox, whereas a Roamerdrive, for all its fine engineering, can't revive a sh@gged out transmission.
So that's my experience. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I've had experience of both the Roamerdrive overdrive and the other comparable option, which is an R380 gearbox with the high fifth gear fitted.
I was pleased with the overdrive initially, but it was making the transfer box run very hot on long motorway runs. So around mid 2016 I made myself an oil cooler, consisting of a miniature radiator, an electric pump, a thermostatic switch and some pipework. Great, problem solved. I could do some of my long trips - putting my foot down and going to Scotland and back in a day for example - whilst keeping the drivetrain cool. Then in 2020 something went wrong with it and it started cooking my oil, even with the oil cooler working. I've now taken it off and it's waiting in the shed for me to dismantle it and see what's wrong. I expect it will be repairable - I think it's just spun a bearing. The makers claim that all the bearings are standard sized units so it shouldn't be impossible finding spares. During the time I was using it my impressions were that it was good having a very high gear as this cut down the engine noise considerably, but that it was so high that performance was very 'flat'. If you needed another 10 mph to merge into a faster moving stream of traffic for example, it took ages to pick up. Similarly, you tended to lose speed going up hills on motorways.
OK, so up to the later part of 2020 I was Roamerdriving, until the overheating problem meant that I couldn't use the high ratio for more than about 5 miles. It was still alright in its low range though, but that's because its drivetrain is locked together, and isn't making more heat.
Then in January 2021 I got a reconditioned R380. The old one was getting very noisy, especially when lifting one's foot off the accelerator and I didn't feel it was particularly trustworthy any more. I asked for the high ratio 5th gear to be fitted. On putting everything back together I didn't bother to reinstall the Roamerdrive because it needed looking at, so it was put away to await further exploration at a later date. Overall I prefer the latter option overall. That's because it's not quite as highly geared as it was with the Roamerdrive and you have a bit more flexibility for changing lanes and merging. So accelerating up a slip road to merge with faster moving traffic is easy, as is gaining 10mph to move out into lane 2 or 3 in suitable gaps in the traffic. Plus it doesn't overcook the oil like the Roamerdrive. Fuel economy is probably about the same. The engine's turning slightly faster but is meeting with less resistance so with the TD5's ECU managed system fuelling is adjusted to compensate. Factors like headwinds, traffic jams and whether I've got a roofrack on make a much bigger difference to the cost of journeys.
Cost wise, I think the reconditioned R380 is somewhat better value too. Once you've returned your old unit and reclaimed the core charge (assuming you have one and the reconditioners think they can re use it!) it works out less than the prices currently charged for a Roamerdrive. Plus you've got an as-new gearbox, whereas a Roamerdrive, for all its fine engineering, can't revive a sh@gged out transmission.
So that's my experience. Your mileage may vary, of course.
