The gearboxes on Series Land Rovers are basic in design but are very strong. All component parts are fairly easily obtained and a good DIY repair is perfectly possible. There is, however, a need for sufficient preliminary reading-up on the processes involved before attempting to dismantle the gearbox.
The basic design of the gearbox remained the same throughout Series I-III Land Rover production. Early Series I's however had a freewheel ring-pull mechanism for the then permanent four wheel drive to prevent axle wind-up on smooth surfaces. This was soon replaced with a lever selector for the now optional four wheel drive. The late Series IIA and all Series III models had an all synchromesh gearbox, instead of just having synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gears.
The transmission unit as a whole consists of three units - the main gearbox, the transfer gearbox and the four wheel drive selector unit. Each of these units can be separated from each other before working on one, or more, individually as necessary.
The April 2015 UK homepage considered a gearbox overhaul for a Series Land Rover. It covered the basic procedure required without going into detail but included some useful hints and tips.
The March 2016 homepage focussed upon a Series Land Rover jumping out of high or low transfer. A variety of reasons for this were mentioned and various strategies described for solving the problem.
Archived Brake Articles From Foreign Homepages
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1. February 2007 Australian homepage
dealt with gearbox fault diagnosis. Problems briefly referred to are concerned with noise, gear selection, leaks and jumping out of gear.
2.
April 2008 Australian homepage provides a basic outline of the history of the Series Land Rover gearbox and gives detailed figures for the gear ratios for each stage of development.
3.
January 2013 Australian homepage focuses upon the transfer box and details causes and possible remedies for noises and selection problems.
4. March 2008 USA homepage
describes the correct use of the main and transfer box levers for those new to Series Land Rovers.
5.
July 2008 USA homepage outlines the step by step procedure for the removal of the gearbox.
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