Series 3 Newbie ( SOS Call )

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T

Talha

New Member
Posts
5
Location
Ireland
Hi Guys

I am new to Land Rover world. I recently took loan from bank bought Land Rover Series 3 1972. this is my first land rover. no experience with land rover before .almost not much hand on experience . not a spanner man :(
I got my insurance/road tax sorted. I have changed Engine/Gear Oil/ Fuel/Air/Oil Filter

Question/help required with Gear selection
>> .It is very difficult to find select gear , i am able to find only Reverse or 1st gear.
not sure what is problem with . my friends are able to engage gears better than me.
the gearbox is not completely worn.
>> how i can improve the gear selection.
>> do the gearbox need attention , i am bit worried.

I love to keep the Landy. i like its style and looks but if it getting expense to maintain the land . then i have to sell . by the way my wife didnt know i got land rover till now :)

20170301_1435111_zpswkdwtrnd.jpg
 
Welcome to Lalazone. I can't help you out with your gear selection issues, or your marital, or pending marital problems! You might try painting it with some camaflage paint or get a camaflage net off eBay.ie. She might notice the mesh when you are driving her out to dinner.

Hold on for a while and someone in Lalazone will give you some sensible help. Nevertheless, welcome.
 
We lads from Ireland need to stand together, but I would'nt worry too much. I am on my fith set of different wheels and my wife has not noticed. I have a newly painted Puma style bonnet, which is black and the rest of the car ESB yellow, but I'm still banking on her not noticing. You might just tell her that the LR has been in the back of the garage for ages. You know, just like those shoes she keeps bringing out!
 
Nice to see a traditional parking brake in all it glory :)

If you take the transmission tunnel off and the gear lever bracket it's quite obvious how the lever moves from side to side and pushes the selector rods backwards and forwards. You might find the issue there.

If the selector rods are out of alignment with each other in the neutral position it can take a lot of jiggling to get from one gear to another. Corrosion or lots of gunk on the rods and wear all add to the fun.

It might just be a matter of being a little more patient, it's not a modern car....Think out of gear, into neutral, into other gear.

If you get as far as wanting to take the top cover off the gearbox to look at the selector forks read up first else you'll drop ball bearings into the box.

Other than that the best guide to the condition of a gearbox is how it sounds. If it's not whinning and crunching horribly it should be a simple matter of adjustment.
 
@blue beasty

Thanks for your feedback/advise . Landy hand brake need service :) i am mostly relying on traditional braking method , have some wood brick in jeep as well for emergency.
, I will try what you mentioned and Im going to show instruction to my friend as well .

Thanks again for your help.
 
Talha said:
@blue beasty

Thanks for your feedback/advise . Landy hand brake need service :) i am mostly relying on traditional braking method , have some wood brick in jeep as well for emergency.
, I will try what you mentioned and Im going to show instruction to my friend as well .

Thanks again for your help.
Click to expand...

Good luck :) you'll need every bit you can muster if you call it a j**p again :eek::D
 
Welcome. A nice wee landy. Got defender side windows. The gear changes could be more to do with the clutch. What's the biting point like? If it's biting immediately then it's a bit worn. Have you tried double de-clutching? Checked the clutch system for leaks, fluid level etc. If you're not confident what's wrong take it to a reputable independent landy garage preferably one that knows S3's. clutch pressure and friction plates aren't expensive but repair involves engine or gearbox removal to access the clutch bell housing. Not a complicated job for a good landy garage. The landy is sitting down a bit on the rear springs, a job for the future. Keep the faith and get it fixed and enjoy it's a good looking landy.
 
Welcome - learn how to fix it yourself - ideal vehicle to learn about mechanics in my opinion - doesn't get much simpler than this

Have a look on line for a work shop manual - download - print - bed time reading
 
For some reason the less I drive my series the more fiddly the gears become. When I use it everyday they are fine.
Not that he is talking to me anyway. He's had the right ump since someone tried nicking him a couple of weeks ago. I top up the tyres normally in such situations and it brings him round a bit but even a tickle with an air hose hasn't made much difference.
The only other thing I can think of is to wash him but I don't like drastic measures and being such a big job I might take it to the professionals.
Yours might just be temporarily grumpy or have fallen out with you. Give him a week or two and he will probably come round a bit.
 
Land Rover gearboxes do take a little getting used to but after a week of driving they are second nature.
Is there a lot of side to side movement on the gear stick ? If so take a look at the grub screw in the drivers side of the gearbox where the stick enters the gearbox, no need to lift floor for this. I have found that these come loose of go missing and create havoc for selection, my usual fix is a hex head set screw long enough to locate the stick and then a lock nut on to the side of the housing to hold in place.
If you intend to run a Land Rover it is essential to develop some skill with the spanners, they are simple machines and easy to learn on. I ran series Land Rovers for over 35 years so have done most jobs a few times !
 
I had a bit of a loose gear selection when I first bought my 110, in the end I whipped the turret housing off, the plastic cup the ball of the selector sits it was fairly worn, and the stops on both the left and right needed some adjustment. I ended up getting a slickshift kit which is well worth the money IMO, now it's very 'car like' (if that is possible...)
 
Thanks @John S @Stretch @Bobsticle @divie @JimS for your feedback/comments. Got some Brilliant ideas .
I admit i need to learn more about vehicle , you dont feel you are engaging gears that was my worry :). I will try some of things. my friend also told me to try clutch de-clutch method. not sure it good for clutch or not.

Thanks again
Regards
 
It has been a very very very long time since I drove a Land Rover but I remember the gearbox being what they call "decisive" - it had a firm guiding notchiness much like a Mercedes manual gearbox. If your gearbox is vague and kind of Citroen 2CV magic ball on the end of a stick then there's summit up...
 
blue beasty said:
Nice to see a traditional parking brake in all it glory :)

If you take the transmission tunnel off and the gear lever bracket it's quite obvious how the lever moves from side to side and pushes the selector rods backwards and forwards. You might find the issue there.

If the selector rods are out of alignment with each other in the neutral position it can take a lot of jiggling to get from one gear to another. Corrosion or lots of gunk on the rods and wear all add to the fun.

It might just be a matter of being a little more patient, it's not a modern car....Think out of gear, into neutral, into other gear.

If you get as far as wanting to take the top cover off the gearbox to look at the selector forks read up first else you'll drop ball bearings into the box.

Other than that the best guide to the condition of a gearbox is how it sounds. If it's not whinning and crunching horribly it should be a simple matter of adjustment.
Click to expand...

+1 to all of the above, but especially about the noise - if it ain't, then difficulty in engaging gears is either adjustment or clutch IME. And I'd restate BB's advice about the ball bearings - he and I may know this for the same reason :rolleyes::D
 
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