Freelander - Losing Reverse When Hot

**101RRS** · 5th December 2006, 11:10 PM

Hi all - an issue with my Freelander gearbox.

Under normal operation the gearbox and clutch all works fine. When the outside temperature gets hot or the car is worked hard the box continues to work well - except it becomes difficult to get into first and almost impossible to get into revese. Despite the clutch being ok, the car will not go into reverse unless there is a lot of crunching - first is very notchy - other gears are fine. If the car is driven gently all comes back to normal for a while.

My initial thoughts are the synchros on reverse (I assume it has them) are going - mainly because if you move the gear lever very slowly and allow the sychros to catch up it goes into reverse.

Other relevant information is that the clutch has been in for 80,000km but seems to work OK. The clutch system hydralics are not serviceable - cannot be bleed - the fluid never needs replacing - the system is plastic so corrosion is not an issue - the master/pipes/slave/fluid are all one unit and are replaced as a job lot - as the other gears work OK, I don't think there is a clutch issue.

Any ideas?????

On a related issue the oil in the gearbox, transfer case and rear diff is not supposed to be changed - just topped up - there is no service schedule in early freelanders for these items. It has been 20,000km since I have actually changed these - how often are people changing gearbox, transfer and diff oils in there Discos and Defenders.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have - cause today to get the car into reverse I had to stop the engine, engage reverse and restart to manage it.

Garry

**jimbo110** · 6th December 2006, 07:24 AM

sounds like the clutch is draging slightly. try engaging 4th, then quickly into reverse or first. this should work till you get the clutch fixed.

**Scouse** · 6th December 2006, 08:57 AM

Check the slave cylinder mounting bracket. I've seen a few of these develop cracks & flex under operating pressure.

**Blknight.aus** · 6th December 2006, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by jimbo110

sounds like the clutch is draging slightly. try engaging 4th, then quickly into reverse or first. this should work till you get the clutch fixed.

Providing its not making any funny noises once its in gear thats your culprit. Although it may not be the clutch itself it may be the clutch spigot bearing inside the flywheel grabbing.

**101RRS** · 6th December 2006, 02:21 PM

Thanks for the comments - if it is the clutch or a component why do you think is it a problem only when really hot and only in reverse and to a lesser extent first - all the other gears work OK in all circumstances. I like the point about the spigot bush though - can cause just about all the symptoms.

Garry

**ladas** · 6th December 2006, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by garrycol

Thanks for the comments - if it is the clutch or a component why do you think is it a problem only when really hot and only in reverse and to a lesser extent first - all the other gears work OK in all circumstances. I like the point about the spigot bush though - can cause just about all the symptoms.

Garry

When hot - not sure, but with 1st and reverse - it would be my guess it's because they are the furthest from 1:1 ratio

First = 3.250:1
Rev = 3.000:1

Second through to Fifth range 1.894:1 - 0.649:1

Just a thought

**BigJon** · 6th December 2006, 03:48 PM

The reason why the problem is more pronounced with first and reverse is because these are the two ratios you select while stationary. All the other ones are moving gearchanges and we all know it is possible to clutchless change once moving.

When you are stationary and you have your foot on the clutch, the drag of the lubricant, etc in the gearbox will halt the internal rotation of components allowing easy gear selection. If the clutch isn't disengaging correctly (as yours appears to be doing) then the internals of the box will still be turning, giving difficult engagement of first gear (synchro working very hard to stop the box) and reverse gear (no synchro, therefore grinding).

**Blknight.aus** · 6th December 2006, 04:04 PM

and only when hot will have to do with the expansion of the components in the clutch when it is hot, especially the spigot bearing, if its run dry then it'll grab when its warmed up and the tolerance is taken up...

or you could have just a mickey of warp appearing in the friction plate when it gets hot and thats just enough to make contact with the pressure plate

prude · 27th February 2007, 11:36 AM

Hi
I have the same problem on my 1999 diesel. First becomes a pig to select on really hot days. I had a new LR clutch fitted with no improvement. I think it might be clutch drag because the clutch bites about 1" off the floor and, apparently, is not adjustable. There is also a slight judder when pulling away unless you get the clutch/throttle just right.
Have you had any luck with a fix?
Steve

**Quiggers** · 27th February 2007, 12:31 PM

Best headline I've read in years

sorry Garry couldn't help meeself.

Seriously tho', how's the gearbox oil?

GQ

Thread: Freelander - Losing Reverse When Hot

Thread Tools

Freelander - Losing Reverse When Hot

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions