L322 TD6 gearbox issue

Hello all, after a bit of advice...

I was out in my 05 TD6 RR the other night and it lost drive when I came to a stop at some traffic lights, I tried shifting through P R D and manual mode, it revved up but no drive.

After restarting the engine it was ok for a few minutes then threw up the transmission failsafe message and locked into 4th(?) gear. Got it home.

Tried it yesterday to see what its doing. Fine for a minute or two but then loses drive. Restarting the car then makes it function for another minute or two. No message on dash.

What should I look at first? transfer box hi/low motor?

Only had the car 3 weeks, done 300 miles in it no problem, nice smooth gearshifts etc

I've already been looking up this problem and can certify that I have the latter type redesigned front propshaft and my battery voltage reads 14v with the engine running. Battery is only 18 months old, it read 12v with the engine off but I imagine there are many drains.

is there anything to check first before I drain the gearbox oil and see if there's half a torque converter ground up in there?

How many miles has it done? these boxes generally start having issues after around 80k

juliethotel said:

I've already been looking up this problem and can certify that I have the latter type redesigned front propshaft and my battery voltage reads 14v with the engine running. Battery is only 18 months old, it read 12v with the engine off but I imagine there are many drains.

is there anything to check first before I drain the gearbox oil and see if there's half a torque converter ground up in there?

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12 volts is a flat battery so your battery is not good. You should see 14.8 with the engine running.

Ok I assumed it was down at 12v because some electrics would be draining it. I'll disconnect the battery, charge it then check its resting voltage.

Are you sure it's supposed to be 14.8v? that seems quite high to me.

juliethotel said:

Ok I assumed it was down at 12v because some electrics would be draining it. I'll disconnect the battery, charge it then check its resting voltage.

Are you sure it's supposed to be 14.8v? that seems quite high to me.

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Certainly not less than 14.7 immediately after starting. After charging, the battery with no load should hold at 12.7 volts after the surface charge has dissipated.

juliethotel said:

....is there anything to check first before I drain the gearbox oil and see if there's half a torque converter ground up in there?

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Unfortunately, with the 5L40-E transmission in the L322, that is the very first thing you should check




Phil

backinblack said:

How many miles has it done? these boxes generally start having issues after around 80k

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140k so its done quite well by the sounds of it.

Did you buy it from a dealer? If you've only had it 3 weeks they should fix it.

backinblack said:

Did you buy it from a dealer? If you've only had it 3 weeks they should fix it.

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No, I only gave £1300 for it privately so I was half expecting some trauma tbh.

Is low voltage known to cause gearbox issues? I've got 14.1v when running but I find it very hard to believe that's causing the issue.

Anyway, I'm in the process of draining the oil and getting the sump pan off so will be back later....

Low volts at startup will cause issues with the ECU's that may not correct themselves once the alternator has kicked in.

backinblack said:

Low volts at startup will cause issues with the ECU's that may not correct themselves once the alternator has kicked in.

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As above^^^^^ Plus 14.1 volts is low with the engine running. Check the earth strap from engine to chassis.

Datatek said:

As above^^^^^ Plus 14.1 volts is low with the engine running. Check the earth strap from engine to chassis.

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Will do, thanks. Where is that? rear right of the engine at the bottom? (as you look at the engine from the front)

juliethotel said:

Will do, thanks. Where is that? rear right of the engine at the bottom? (as you look at the engine from the front)

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Not sure on your car, others will know.

Earth strap is passenger side near the engine mount and the may look OK but corrode inside, you can test using a jump lead as a temp strap.

Definitely sounds like a voltage issue, I am no expert on RR's mechanically, but I do know about electrics. The power drain on a poorly earthed or less than fully charged battery, even one that is only 18 months old, will cause you all sorts of problems. Is yours a Vogue or maybe an Autobiograthy? If so the lack of voltage could well be the culprit because of all the additional 'toys' that need power. Try running an additional earth strap directly to a piece of bodywork and start with a fully charged battery, IF it runs OK for a while and the problem returns you might do well to check your alternator output.

nevillen said:

Definitely sounds like a voltage issue, I am no expert on RR's mechanically, but I do know about electrics. The power drain on a poorly earthed or less than fully charged battery, even one that is only 18 months old, will cause you all sorts of problems. Is yours a Vogue or maybe an Autobiograthy? If so the lack of voltage could well be the culprit because of all the additional 'toys' that need power. Try running an additional earth strap directly to a piece of bodywork and start with a fully charged battery, IF it runs OK for a while and the problem returns you might do well to check your alternator output.

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It is indeed a Vogue, ok thanks, handy to know, I'm doing it all in my driveway so am at mercy to the weather currently.

I dropped the oil yesterday, it's very dark and stinks but doesn't seem to have much crap in it. I haven't dropped the sump pan yet which will I'm hoping will provide insight. Will check the earth when I've put fluid back in it. Got 5 litres out, that's with running the engine for ten seconds to get as much out as poss. Does 5 litres sound about right? I know there'll be a bit more stuck in the TC and such.

Finally completed the gearbox oil change today
It ended up being about 7 litres that came out it total, I only received 6 in the 'service kit'
I did indeed find quite a lot of metal shavings in the sump, the remains of a TC lining I'm led to believe.

Put new oil in and took it for a spin. Seems fine! drove it for about half an hour, engagement into D and R were slow to begin with but normal after half an hour.

I think I'll get hold of another litre of oil; bung that in and see how long it lasts.

juliethotel said:

Finally completed the gearbox oil change today
It ended up being about 7 litres that came out it total, I only received 6 in the 'service kit'
I did indeed find quite a lot of metal shavings in the sump, the remains of a TC lining I'm led to believe.

Put new oil in and took it for a spin. Seems fine! drove it for about half an hour, engagement into D and R were slow to begin with but normal after half an hour.

I think I'll get hold of another litre of oil; bung that in and see how long it lasts.

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To get the correct fluid level, it has to be done at the correct temperature, it's not a case of "just bunging a bit in"

juliethotel said:

I did indeed find quite a lot of metal shavings in the sump, the remains of a TC lining I'm led to believe.
.

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if you have Tc lining running round the system wont be long before you will need a gearbox rebuild