Thread: L322 not changing gears when hot

did they change filters on the gearbox etc...i'm assuming it has them

I'm assuming you have the petrol model as these seem to suffer from auto problems more than the diesels.

The radiators are renown for blocking internally & causing the transmission to run hot (the transmission cooler is part of the radiator). LR issued a bulletin for this & the radiator needs to be checked first (remove & carry out a flow test).

Unfortunately, if the oil is burnt already, it may be too late.

Check the radiator first & flush the transmission fluid (not just a change) & see ho it goes then.

High Kingfisher, there are filters in the transmission and although they should never need changing, when my 03 diesel trans played up, changing the filters did help for a while but to have dirty fluid, then I think you already have problems.

You need to find someone who actually knows about the box and not just take it to any automatic transmission service center.

It’s a GM box and I can’t remember the part number but you should be able to find that somewhere and then do some research on how to get it fixed. It has loads of clutch pads ( I think 9 or so ), you really need to get someone who knows what they are doing.

If the box needs overhauling, it’s actually not that much cheaper than a recondition box and there is a company in Melbourne that specialises in reconditioning these GM boxes, but either way it’s not cheap. Mine cost $5,500 to overhaul the box and it only lasted 12 months before it played up again. A recondition box was about $7,500 and was the way I should have gone.

Thanks guys,
yes it is a petrol. I'd thought the box in these was from BMW because the engine was.
Ok so where do I take it? I'll get the radiator flush done first and see where it ends up. Then have a long think about whether I keep it. I don't really get why it would happen with so few kms on the clock.

It's a ZF box behind the BMW 4.4 engine.

Originally Posted by Kingfisher

I don't really get why it would happen with so few kms on the clock.

I've seen it happen with a lot less .

Yep, the ZF box in the v8 can play up from time to time, we've had issues with the torque convertor not locking properly on ours in the past.

As has been mentioned this box can be very sensitive to temperature and the radiator does indeed get blocked. This was the problem on ours, blocked radiator leading to cooked fluid which was stuffing the torque convertor. The dealer we bought the car from kept sending it to a standard "transmission specialist" who didn't really have any knowledge about these cars so it took us taking it to the proper ZF recommended specialists in Melboune to identify and resolve the actual issue after it cooked 2 reconditioned torque convertors. Full fluid flush done properly on the proper ZF machine, brand new torque convertor, new radiator/trans cooler and all has been fine ever since (and thankfully all was covered under warranty).

I would suggest giving ZF a call on 02 9679 5555 to see who their approved specialist is near you to get it looked at, they'll be able to hook the gearbox up to all the proper diagnostic kit to see exactly what is going on with it.

thanks Ariddell,
on ZF's website there isn't a service agent in Sydney, how much did your work to the gearbox cost?

Originally Posted by Kingfisher

thanks Ariddell,
on ZF's website there isn't a service agent in Sydney, how much did your work to the gearbox cost?

Try ZF themselves - they have their own workshop & are usually very helpfull. See if they can do a test drive & then see what they suggest is the next step.