Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: gearbox locked up...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    86

    Default gearbox locked up...

    '70 IIA with o/d: Driving along in 2nd and 3rd mainly, ugly clunky noise, suddenly tough to shift...one block later can't shift in or out of forward gears, for the most part. When I was in gear, it would go sluggishly and jerky. Stopped in middle of road, people loving me.

    Engine off. Very difficult to pry out of gear, can for awhile shift to reverse, but then not even that. In neutral, clutch or no clutch, either way cannot get into gear. Put o/d in neutral, put transfer case in neutral, only then could I push it to the side of the road, where it sits now.

    Clutch is full of fluid, so no failure of lines, etc. Truck is far away from my house in residential neighborhood so not ideal to work on.

    Any ideas on what I'm looking at, next steps, and how to go about it? My instinct is to tow to my house and tear it apart, and likely will find some serious ugliness in the gearbox, but I'd love to hear reasonable speculation and ideas before I do that.

    Thanks in advance, any feedback and input appreciated.

  2. #2

    Default

    Well, I think youve narrowed it down to the transmission!
    Siezed mainshaft bearing(s), grenaded syncro assembly, I guess it doesnt matter at this point- its gotta come apart so you can remove the mangled parts. Get a friend with a tow strap, better yet a trailer or roll back and go get it before something worse happens to it!

  3. #3

    Default

    As usual keep us posted on what you find.......I really like the "Stopped in middle of the road,people loving me" part. Start every ride with this in the back of your mind. My last one was a distributor failure and was dead nuts in the middle of an intersection as i had just moved from stop light with no forward speed.Got to love these things.

  4. #4

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 01birddog View Post
    As usual keep us posted on what you find.......I really like the "Stopped in middle of the road,people loving me" part. Start every ride with this in the back of your mind. My last one was a distributor failure and was dead nuts in the middle of an intersection as i had just moved from stop light with no forward speed.Got to love these things.
    My last one was a snapped rear axle. Happily putting the transfer case into low range got me going with front wheel drive and through the intersection quickly enough to keep the love level reasonable.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    killingworth CT
    Posts
    836

    Default

    You know the drill, drain box, transfer box, look through fluid for shiny metal, pull gearbox, breakdown, I like the grenaded synchro, or locked up bearings, look for wear and work splines on main and layshafts, you will find it. Cheers.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    86

    Default

    After some overly complex limitations and logistics (including night time family outings to push the truck from one spot on the street to another, to mimic driving behavior so it would not get ticketed) I was finally able to get the truck towed into my driveway today. Upon draining the gearbox, shards of parts that should not see the light of day after installation confirm that there is real trouble inside.

    My first question is simply this: can the gearbox/transfer case/overdrive be removed through the bottom of the truck (where gravity is my friend), or are the instructions I've read accurate? Does the whole shebang have to come out upward, through the cab?

  7. #7

    Default

    Unless you have an aftermarket frame with a removable transmission-mount cross member, I think it has to come out up through the interior.

    Why such a well thought out car that was built to be serviced on the side of a trail, next to a water hole or under a tree on the Savanna would have such a dreadfully awful way to access the gearbox is surely one of life's great mysteries!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    killingworth CT
    Posts
    836

    Default

    The rover world, full of Rover mysteries.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    86

    Default

    A little update on things for the curious. First, some kind soul did a marvelous job of modifying my frame to have a bolt-in crossmember, so gearbox removal was much simpler for me.

    Second, see the scary and interesting pic...um, I think I found the problem. Ever seen a mainshaft break? I haven't until now. There doesn't seem to be any other damage besides the roller bearing, at least in the gearbox.
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    North MS
    Posts
    977

    Default

    Wow! Now you'll have to wonder, was it the bearing that caused the failure, or the shaft failure that caused the bearing failure?
    61 II 109" Pickup (Restomod, 350 small block, TR4050)
    66 IIA 88" Station Wagon (sold)
    66 IIA 109" Pickup (Restomod, 5MGE, R380)
    67 IIA 109" NADA Wagon (sold)
    88, 2.5TD 110 RHD non-hicap pickup

    -I used to know everything there was to know about Land Rovers; then I joined the RN Bulletin Board.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
About us
Unparalleled product knowledge. Our mission is to support all original Land Rover models no longer supported by your local Land Rover franchise. We offer the entire range of Land Rover Genuine Parts direct from Land Rover UK, as well as publish North America's largest Land Rover publication, Rovers Magazine.
Join us