Thread: 1995 300tdi auto clunks when drops from 4th down to 3rd

Check the ball joint on the top of the diff for play/movement and i would also disconnect the kick down cable from the injector pump and take it for a drive like a manual but let it change down on its own when you come to a stop and see if the problem is still there, if the cable is over adjusted it will bang/clunk as it changes

Another possibility but should have been fixed in a 95.

April 20th, 2005
Bulletin No: 37/20/96
Subject: Gearbox Mainshaft Spline Wear
Affected Vehicles:

Discovery LJ 178205 onwards
Discovery LJ 506525 onwards
Defender LD 976480 onwards

Detail:

Some customers may complain of clonks and backlash in the transmission system. This may be due to gearbox/mainshaft spline wear. The clonk/backlash will be most apparent in stop/go traffic under overrun conditions or when maneuvering the vehicle during parking, etc. From transfer box number 28D 460996 F (Discovery) and 22D 461124 F (Defender) all factory built LT230 transfer boxes have a revised design of input gear, featuring lengthened splines and cross drilled oil feed holes. This modification eliminates the requirement for an oil feed disk (bulletin H415) and eliminates input gear/mainshaft spline fretting/wear. Coincident with this change, the transfer box identification number has been raised to Suffix “F”.

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The problem is that no oil can get to the gearbox output to transfer case input splines and they fret and wear. This affects all LT230 transfer cases prior to mid 1994.

The symptoms are clunks, i.e. backlash, in the transmission especially at low speed in low gears. I don’t believe that the wear will hurt anything until the splines break. This, of course, will leave you stranded and the loose spline bits could damage the rest of the transfer case.

The fix was to fit a splash ring (bulletin H415) to the shaft which improved lubrication of the splines. Transfer cases with this modification should have a prominent paint mark on their rear cover plate. This fix limits further wear. The more expensive fix is to replace with the newer longer splines with a cross drilled transfer case input gear.

This covers LT230 boxes prior to 28D 460996 F Discovery, and 22D 461124 F Defender and all Range Rovers with the LT230. Following this the LT230 transfer boxes have had longer splines and cross-drilled oil feed holes thus solving the problem.

The matter is discussed in Land Rover bulletin “37/20/96″.

Mine does this rarely but mostly going from drive to reverse and vice versa mines flogged out in the stub shaft and input gear. I have heard of the shaft being replaced in situ but I just can't see it going throu the t case input seal with out damageing it

Originally Posted by 460cixy

Mine does this rarely but mostly going from drive to reverse and vice versa mines flogged out in the stub shaft and input gear. I have heard of the shaft being replaced in situ but I just can't see it going throu the t case input seal with out damageing it

1 bolt holds the output shaft/spud shaft on and it is in fresh air when the transfer case is removed- very very easy to replace, I fit the transfer case to the auto with out the output/spud shaft installed and the input gear of the transfer case out this way you dont damage any of the seals, then poke spud shaft through pto cover and tighten up and then refit input gear and pto cover, very very easy