LR3 Transmission service and Leak....

[TexasTJ]

So... My LR3 Transmission has sprung a little leak. I think it is coming from the wires seal as it on back (has happened to my wife's before). I know i can find the parts for metal trans pan and the filter and the wiring harness seal. But are there any other specialty tools I will need??? How hard is the transmission to refill. My warranty ran out at the end of last year and I'm going to be switching over to do more of my own work, I am competent, I have rebuilt the Top end of a Rover 4.0 and a Jeep Straight 4.0.

Thanks,

Nate

PS only leaks on my steep ^$$ driveway!

 

[TOUGE]

My old LR3 was leaking from the same place. I would put it in the hard but possible to do it at home category. I started to try and do mine but my LR3 was a north east car and a lot of the bolts were rusted so I ended up paying a shop. The Atlantic British vid shows they didn't remove the trans cross member and exhaust but I thought you had too.

These two vids to show you what is needed to do it,


From memory AAMCO Transmitions(they have shops everywhere) were the cheapest place to get the ZF Lifeguard Fluid but if you are getting a pan/valve sleeve/fluid, Atlantic British kit comes out cheaper.

My new LR4 just hit 90k miles and I was going to get it done before the lockdown happened, in Los Angeles this goes for around $800-900 at places that service ZF transmitions. Land rover wanted like $2k or something absolutely stupid, AAMCO was like $400-500 but the reviews were hit and miss about their quality of work, AAMCO are a "certified" ZF repair center.

 

[NASDIESEL]

You can do the service yourself on a flat, level place. Only requires hand tools.

 

[John R]

only leaks on my steep ^$$ driveway!View attachment 578071

Could you just never park it in your driveway?

 

[TexasTJ]

Could you just never park it in your driveway?

I’ll park In the street until I can get Parts from Atlantic British and do the repair.

 

[WHB]

Could you just never park it in your driveway?

Park in reverse!

The new style pan kit (2-piece) eliminates the need to remove cross member or exhaust.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Concur on sweating out the first change to modified 2-piece pan. It's a ********** to do but damn is it worth it for the next time. Suggest the same as the rest and if you have time, find the Fomoto drain to put in your engine oil pan at the same time cuz you may as well do the engine oil too.....lol

 

[TexasTJ]

Yes I plan to do the two piece metal pan and filter as well as replacing the sleeve on the electrical socket. I’ll just get the whole kit. In the end I’ll probably be doing the oil at the same time to. I might as well make a weekend out of it and do the diffs too. ?

 

[Victory_Overland]

@TexasTJ that's what I did!!!!!! LOL!

 

[DVD]

Coincidence. I just ordered and received the kit with the 2-piece filter. I have the same small leak from the sleeve.
I ended up ordering the parts from UK - good prices and quick delivery. (I like Bearmach best because they sponsor events in NA, but Advanced Factors had all the bits I needed so I could place a single order.) Ordered last Thur night and the box arrived Monday! And unlike a couple yrs ago, they can now ship fluids, so I'll be changing fluids in xfer case and both diffs as well.
I bought a flex-head ratchet and big suction pump to make the job easier. Always look for an excuse to buy a tool or 2 when doing the job myself
Good luck to both of us!

 

[Victory_Overland]

Be careful when you use the hacksaw blade to cut the old filter neck from the stock filter; you don't want to scratch the valve body plate so go slow with a new blade and you will be through the filter neck in about a minute. I also disconnected my exhaust at the front near the O2 sensors and I think one other thing to allow for more space when jacking the trans up for clearance.

The old valve sleeve (wiring sleeve) was a bit of a bear to get out cuz mine was in there probably since production; reaching the locking tab is easy with a long screw driver or small/long pr-bar. Good lube on the new sleeve and seals and a bar to help push it into the trans straight and it'll pop in there and then getting the locking tab is a little harder than actually unlocking it but take your time. Honestly this was the hardest part of the job for me outside of the 4x screws holding the heat shield on.

The job takes a bit of time so be patient but its not that hard with the right tools and a good plan.

The job was easy on a lift so if you can get access to one, its well worth it.

New 2-Piece is a really nice upgrade and well worth the time and effort for your next change alone which doesn't require any disassembly outside of pan and filter.

 

[DVD]

In case it helps, I finished the job this weekend.
A couple things went sideways, but that's to be expected for a novice mechanic . All's well that ends well.

I was concerned about the sleeve insertion and did some additional research. Found a document on the ZF that specified 3mm gap between the sleeve collar and transmission bulkhead. It seemed like mine was firmly inserted and clicked in with the locking tab, but the gap was greater than 3mm, so I devised a press (using a big socket) and pushed some more until this happened:


I figure the o-rings are the wear item, so I swapped the new o-rings from the busted sleeve into the old sleeve and inserted until tight (disregarding the 3mm spec). The 3mm spec must be generic for the ZF, but LR3 must have a bit more gap.

The other little challenge was that I de-attached the transmission lever to allow more room for removing bolts. And when I re-attached the nut for the lever, I must have torqued the transmission lever into gear. When I tried to start the engine to suck in tranny fluid, the engine wouldn't start and wouldn't release the key. I only had to re-align the gear lever, and then re-tighten the lever, but it caused some anxiety. With the vehicle in park, it started right up and I could proceed with filling transmission fluid.

Anyhow, all working now. Took it for a test drive and all fine. I'll drive it for a week to ensure no leaks before putting on the heatshield and skid plate.


Lots of fresh fluid in the old girl!

 

[TexasTJ]

@DVD thanks for the extra info... I'm going to order the kit from Atlantic British once their warehouse opens back up. also most of the Pictures show up broken. I would love to see them.

 

[Victory_Overland]

@DVD thanks for sharing the experience you had and it shows that you were willing to tackle something that the vast majority of people will not; don't sell yourself short and way to find innovative ways to get the job done tight and right!

I too read the 3mm thing and then decided I was going to go with the AB video and apply the pressure on the sleeve and latch the locking tab. The process was relatively easy for the entire job outside of the 4 x 8mm heat shield bolts......lol man those things suuuuuuuccccccccckkkkkkkkk

 

[DVD]

also most of the Pictures show up broken. I would love to see them.

Hi TJ, I re-inserted the images. Should display now.

and way to find innovative ways to get the job done tight and right!

Thanks. I always laugh to think of that saying "Land Rover, making mechanics of owners for 76 years."
I think I got the heat shield bolts with an open wrench - with maybe 5% revolution per pull on the couple problem ones. Aside from my sideways adventures, my biggest time sink was devising a tool to get the 8-10 restricted access bolts for the pan. After trying a few different things, I went to the auto store and bought a wobbly 30mm star piece only to get back and find that I needed a 40mm. But then I dug around the garage a bit more and found an extender with the right wobble and orientation to provide access. I think that in 10 different universes, I came up with 10 different make-do tools to get at those restricted-access bolts. Anyhow, if I were to repeat it without having to figure out some of these solutions and knowing that the sleeve just needs to be snug, I'm sure I could get it done in a couple hours. And it's a good feeling to look under the vehicle and see no drops!