RangeR Rover autobox grating noise

I took my Classic for an MOT yesterday, which it passed with flying colours, after a slow front end re-build after driving through a fence two years ago.

On the way there, there was a grating/whining noise from underneath that I initially put down to rusty discs, but the autobox didn't want to change up properly, so I think that's the culprit. I took it easy on the two mile journey back, as it sounded pretty bad still. There's plenty of oil in the box according to the dipstick, so I'm a bit confused!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Have you checked the oil when idling? does oil need changing?

I don't know when the oil was changed to be honest, as I only had it less than a year before the crash, would crappy oil cause this then?

If so, do you think just changing the autobox oil would sort this?

Its certainly the cheapest way to find out

Looks like I'll be getting oily over the weekend- but not in a nice way!

You don't say which of the 2 auto-boxes you have in your classic, but assuming it's the ZF I can offer the following: Whining noise, especially from cold, is likely to be caused by the pump trying to cope with a clogged filter which if not attended to will result in intermittant loss of drive & the eventual demise of the 'box. Fluid should ideally be red, though with age/mileage can take on a brown tint. Despite what the WS manual says(!) changing the filter is a workshop job as the chassis side rails need to be spread in order to remove the X member supporting the 'box.

norseman said:

Despite what the WS manual says(!) changing the filter is a workshop job as the chassis side rails need to be spread in order to remove the X member supporting the 'box.

Click to expand...

Really?! I've never found it that difficult

But otherwise I agree with ATF and filter change. I believe that there are service kits on the market......try the difflock.com shop.

By the looks of it, it's a bit of a pain to do, as mine's a V8. The exhausts got to come off and the chassis spread. My brother works in the car trade, and has access to a hydraulic body repair ram thing. Is this the sort of thing I need to spread the chassis?

Could something have come adrift in the box when I crashed it into the fence? I wasn't going fast, but the noise has only started since the crash and to my ears, sounds really graunchy, like metal on metal.

Never needed to spread the chassis on mine.
Remove the bolts & use a big hammer to work it free, hit it back & forward to work it down with plenty of plusgas/wd40/oil to help. Trolley jack to put it back again.
It is possible the box could have sustained damage, friend of mine had to have a new box in a Mercedes Sprinter after a frontal impact.

I've just been for a spin, and it's not making as much noise. The box is changing up, but it's really reving in top, like it's still in third. I've got 750 tyres on Land Rover rims on it at the moment (it did have 205s before) to get it through the MOT. The air to coil conversion springs have made it sit higher, which has made it possible to fit the bigger tyres by the way. This couldn't possibly have an effect, or could it? I don't see why, but I'm clutching straws at the moment.

I'm suffering from brain fade at the moment, so maybe there's something obvious. Maybe my box is shagged!