reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 What life expectancy would you feel acceptable from a reconditioned gearbox that had had regular oil changes since fitting? My LT77s has nearly always crunched into 3rd on a downchange (unless you are REALLY slow with the gearchange) and now hates engaging 2nd on a downchange unless i am almost at a stop. The problems ease a great deal once the box is hot. Going up the gears is fine cold or hot. Its done 55k miles since fitting and had its oil changed regularly (including that fancy Evo1 stuff at one point). Dropped that a couple of weeks ago and replaced with DIII ATF, but no improvement in the gear changes. Am i expecting too much to get closer to the 150K that the original unit had on it? (and I only replaced that because the output shaft splines were worn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Expecting a bit much perhaps, unless the box was brand new genuine parts you'd have to assume during a recon that some parts were inspected, deemed OK and put back in otherwise it would just be a whole new box. People do seem to get very variable results with LT77's and R380's from various suppliers, seems like a bit of a lottery unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Yes, its frustrating. I just want a summer where I'm not pulling boxes off for some reason or another. As well as the crunch in 3rd (was told it would wear in but never has) and now second, this box also had a leak after about three years - it wasn't the input seal, but the gasket on the front cover of the box - looked like it had been crushed during assembly and ended up leaking (there's a post on here somewhere about it). Its been somewhat disappointing really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 If it's better when hot, that suggests the oil is a factor. You might try other oils, especially something fully synthetic where the viscosity change cold-hot is least. I know Morris Lubricants do an oil supposedly esp suitable for the LT77,, Lodexol MT75, http://www.morrislubricantsonline.co.uk/mt75-transmission-fluid.html, and I am using their MTF94 successfully in R380s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 If it's better when hot, that suggests the oil is a factor. You might try other oils, especially something fully synthetic where the viscosity change cold-hot is least. I know Morris Lubricants do an oil supposedly esp suitable for the LT77,, Lodexol MT75, http://www.morrislubricantsonline.co.uk/mt75-transmission-fluid.html, and I am using their MTF94 successfully in R380s Thanks for that - might be worth trying the MT75 in an attempt to extend the time before i have to replace the darn thing again! Its had ATF, MTF94 and EVO1 oils in it and none have been a massive improvement over the others. Transfer box is leaking from the intermediate shaft o rings (second hand and sold to me by someone who should have been more honest as not leaking to replace the old leaking one), so the upshot is that the GKN overdrive is the most reliable/currently without problem gearbox on my 110! Never thought we would hear that said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Never ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 There are various gearbox re-builders in the UK All are in someway trying to make a profit So with the enormous number and variation of parts on the market it would make sense to look to shave a few pence off a part here or there... My own LT77s has done 88k from new and has had 5 oil changes in that time. It drives like it would have when new. I know that because I drove a new one back in the day. It's so much better than even a fresh recon box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 I don't suppose you can buy new ones now can you?! Given that the current one was ~£500 from memory, I'd happily pay double that and maybe a bit more if it meant i wasn't having to remove the thing to fix silly leaks and crunchy gears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Never ! I thought you'd like that Mo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 A recon, specifying all new OEM parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I don't suppose you can buy new ones now can you?! Given that the current one was ~£500 from memory, I'd happily pay double that and maybe a bit more if it meant i wasn't having to remove the thing to fix silly leaks and crunchy gears! Is this for a 200TDI? If so, you can get a new stubby R380. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Is this for a 200TDI? If so, you can get a new stubby R380.Yep, for my 200tdi 110. Where can you get new ones from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 A recon, specifying all new OEM parts? I guess not Ed. When I bought it I wasn't so savvy with what the word recon meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dailysleaze Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I've got a recon R380 on 14k. It started leaking within a year and the shifts feel notchy, but it works. I've also got an R380 on 40k from new, and it's amazing. I seem to think that reconditioning buys a tick in a box to say it's "probably going to be reliable", and new is something else which you can't get unless you buy new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boydie Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I'm unable to comment on the LT77 but I re-built my own R380. It's a VERY basic gearbox designed to put up with a great deal of shoddy gear changes consequently 1st - 4th gears have TWO synco rings instead of a single ring. They are there for a reason, to withstand abuse. This means that to smoothly change gear you have to allow BOTH rings to synchronise, consequently gear changes have t be slower, but hey, its a truck for heavens sake, not a sports car. As for life expectancy, that comes down to the user. If you take care of it, and take pride in smooth gear changes, (it normally takes me 1.5 seconds to go up a gear, - out of gear, - neutral, - into gear) then the box will last you thousands of miles, try to treat it like a sports change and even with multiple oil changes your garage can expect to see your sad face in about two years time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulcan bomber Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Yep, for my 200tdi 110. Where can you get new ones from? Ashcroft recondition R380 boxes and they fit a short input shaft and bellhousing and call it a stumpy.... Mine has been happy in the 110 all the time it's been in there after its 1st oil change. If I had the space to do it, I'd rebuild gearboxes myself. It's not difficult, and then you only have yourself to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I have seen Withams advertising Lt77s , I can' remember whether new or rebuilt. Might be worth a quick browse of such sites, eg X Mod. Re the intermediate shaft O ring, I successfully did the O ring bodge, but I went to the trouble of using a Viton O ring, the leak is sealed at least for now. It's easy to do with the box on the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Can you buy a second one and do it up yourself? This is what I ended up doing after getting fed up with various recon-box failures. Has been good as gold since! (I'll regret saying that now.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boydie Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Rebuilding your own R380 isn't hard, if you have the required tools and measuring instruments, some of the "special" tools are not required - you can make up your own, but you will need a hydraulic press or at least access to one to press on the bearings. If you can obtain one get an "L" series, they have larger bearings and some of the gears are thicker as well. The first thing you MUST do is build the holding frame as shown in RAVE, without it you will need to train a very strong octopus to help you re-assemble it. Don't forget to cross drill the input gear in the transfer box while you're at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I have often wondered if one might not be better off buying a new engine or gearbox then a new one. They often seem to disappoint. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I priced up a new R380 - one website listed it as over £4,000! If you could find the right source though, that's probably the best way to go as suggested. Or ask Ashcrofts or the like to rebuild one, but use all new parts. Wonder what the cost of that would be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Getting a "recon" one, even from a very well know supplier, is a gamble and the further away you are form the supplier, the less he in general cares. And they are not cheap - fitting them is work and having it done is even more money. After some 300k miles the ZF died in the 300 Tdi Disco I drove. Needing the vehicle I bought a recon ZF from "the leading expert on recon gearboxes". After 10 miles the ATF Mildly miffed out from the belly housing, the second ond lost drive after 20 miles and the 3rd one again lost drive after 40 miles. Last 2 boxes were itted by an appointed workshop and the the supplier that wasn't interested at all. In the end, friends found me a "good but used"ZF from a V8 and we fitted that. Lasted me another 150k miles. So in the end, I will try to rebuild my own gearbox for the 110 if I can get the parts as in that case I can just blame myself if things go wrong.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Hunter Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I've just had fitted a recon R380 from Ashcrofts, but being located in BC, Canada, it wasn't worth returning my old box to recover the core charge. I made arrangements for a similar box to be supplied from within UK. So, I now have a failed R380 in the shop, taking up space. I hadn't considered rebuilding it myself, but from this thread it seems to be doable by the average Landy owner, who must be reasonably mechanically minded, otherwise they wouldn't have a Landy, so where should I go for the necessary replacement parts to ensure that they are not made of Chinese cheese? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 If it's better when hot, that suggests the oil is a factor. You might try other oils, especially something fully synthetic where the viscosity change cold-hot is least. I know Morris Lubricants do an oil supposedly esp suitable for the LT77,, Lodexol MT75, http://www.morrislubricantsonline.co.uk/mt75-transmission-fluid.html, and I am using their MTF94 successfully in R380s Just dragging this back up. I didnt get around to doing anything other than an atf change after I posted last year but the problem worsens and changing down to second whilst rolling at all when cold just grinds the gears. I have renewed the ATF in the last year, but no real improvement with new oil. No real swarf etc on the magnetic plug or in the filter. Cackshifter mentioned using a fullky synthetic oil above - now my understanding is that that is what the Difflock Evo1 is - I found no difference between that and the much cheaper ATF III. The Morris MT75 appears to be a mineral fluid with similar viscosity to ATF and is fairly cheap to buy: http://www.premierlubricants.co.uk/morris-lodexol-mt75-transmission-fluid.html Would this be worth a try in my gearbox? Just to recap, I have used Land Rover MTF94, Difflock Evo1 and Castrol ATF III. All produce similar performance so I have stuck with ATF as it is cheaper. Is there anything else i could try or is my box knackered after a disappointing 55k? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Talk to specialists about your situation and see what they say.. But rebuild / recon / overhauled / whatever things are always a bit of a gamble.. I'm again in the UK later this month and one of the things I'll be collecting is a rebuild Series III gearbox & Transferbox to go into the Hybrid. As this "DIY Overhauled" gearbox survived 24 years of abuse, drowning and other joys of life I have hope this "new" one will outlast me. Esp. as we are talking it a bit easier these days with the Hybrid.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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