rover drive vs fairey

[woodman1]

my 63 series IIA has a loud whine when i put the fairy into high range. I was wondering if anyone has switched to rover drive from a fairey? Is it worth it?

[siiirhd88]

I still have Fairy OD units in two of my Series. Both are noisy when overdrive is engaged, and have been for years.

Bob

[mongoswede]

I have not switched but I think the Rover Drive is a better design. It is expensive so maybe if you can sell your Fairey unit for most of the cost of the new unit then it won't be so bad.

[Tim Smith]

Too much noise could be a sign that it's going to go soon. They are noisier than the roverdrive so even a brand new fairey would likely be louder. I'm not sure if it's worth the cost to swap over though. There is just a lot of noise in general and the fairey is only contributing to that.

Make sure you change the oil in the fairey! Make note of the contents of the oil and if you see much metal in there, you should probably pull it out to avoid an unneeded breakdown.

I've heard that redline is very good at reducing drive train noise. I have used Lucas additives with good success but after reading up on that some more, I'm not so sure I can recommend it.

[rejeep]

I love my roverdrive!!

[bobzinak]

I have had my fairy OD for ten years and although it is a bit whiney, it hasn't ben bad. recently I replaced the transmission and after that it make a horrendious noise.. wondering what had change I came to discover that the bolt holding the shift lever touched upon the transmission case and transmitted all the gearbox noise through the overdrive lever..it was horrible...a little grinding on the bolt a little bending of the overdrive lever support and things once again were ok by rover standards. a i/2 inch piece of hose slipped over both the transmission shift lever, overdrive lever, and the high low lever helps with noise reduction, and doesn't look to bad either..rove on , bobzinak..

[tmckeon88]

Fairey vs. Roverdrive

I installed a Roverdrive last fall after 6 months without any overdrive. (cringe) My Fairey disintegrated after 15+ years of use -I can't say that I didn't get some use out of it (including an Alaska-to-Argentina jaunt). But I will say that my new Roverdrive works better, is quieter and seems more robust than the Fairey. It has also actually made my transmission shift and hold gears better, maybe because the slop in my worn Fairey was facilitating it jumping out of gear. Now there's no more of that. I am aware of a slight whine while driving with it disengaged, but engaged it doesn't get any louder. Overall I'm very happy with it. It wasn't an absolutely effortless installation, but it worked OK, especially since I had already had an overdrive in there. I can recommend it highly.

[Boddington]

Do Roverdrives have different gear ratios 1-4 than a stock transmission with a Fairey?

Oddly enough I would prefer to have the stock gear ratios ... low and slow is the way to go on the back country roads on which I drive. But I've wondered if Roverdrive is any different.

[woodman1]

roverdrive

actually I think the ratios are about the same but the roverdrive is quieter than the fairey.

[tmckeon88]

The difference with the overdrive engaged feels about the same as the Fairey, but of course you don't have to engage it. It's helpful for splitting 3rd gear on climbing some hills.

[scott]

I've got the fairey. Never seen a roverdrive so can't compare. And I'm one of the economically challenged type of series owners so if my whinny old fairey craps out I've got the parts to cap off the tranny end and will just have to get use to driving slower

[Boddington]

I guess this is as good a time as any to ask: How exactly does the overdrive work? Does it slip into "fifth" gear or do you use the clutch? What happens if you keep the overdrive engaged and you downshift into third or second?

I hear that overheating was an issue. Why? These were lubricated just like a transmission, yes?

My '67 IIa had the stock transmission and conversely couldn't go any faster than 45. Before I sold it I had plans to find a Fairey, but never fully understood them.

[scott]

the fairey is engaged while moving using the clutch. mine almost always grinds a bit when shifting "out". it's like a 2 speed gear box between the tranny and transfer case. so it could be used in all gears but i only use it with 3rd & 4th. i engage it in 4th at about 5o mph if i'm going to be cruis'n. if i hit a bit of a hill i'll shift to 3rd with the fairey still engaged. it's gearing halfway between 3rd & 4th

[Boddington]

Thanks Scott. How fast can you go with it engaged? 60-65? Were Faireys the factory option from Land Rover?

[jac04]

I hear that overheating was an issue. Why? These were lubricated just like a transmission, yes?

The Fairey has its own oil sump and doesn't 'share' oil with the transfer case (like the Roverdrive does). The sump is small and the unit doesn't get rid of heat very well. With the sump being small, the problem is that even a little leak with a small oil loss will have a significant impact on oil level, leading to overheating. If you check the oil level often this shouldn't be a problem.