R380 input shaft play

JohnnoK

Well-known member
Mar 19, 2017
190
19
Cape Town, South Africa
The R380 runs ATF and has an internal oil pump, so I wold run a trans cooler.
Negative, you should use MTF, not ATF. The correct spec is in RAVE.
Trans cooler is not part of US market spec, as far as I understand, but it won't do any harm to fit the kit. If it has run any teeth or bearings, then a complete strip down is advised as the bits get into the pump and the internal oilways and before long, the rest of the bearings will be toast.
It's a tricky box to get right, shims on the shafts, so best to get the manual if you plan on DIYing it. Replace the pump, too if you open it up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ptschram

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
I have two 96 D1s with R380 and V8 that came from factory with oil coolers. My ROW D1 R380 with 300tdi did not come with an oil cooler. My guess is the oil cooler was only added for V8s that may be pulling trailers.
 

JohnnoK

Well-known member
Mar 19, 2017
190
19
Cape Town, South Africa
I have two 96 D1s with R380 and V8 that came from factory with oil coolers. My ROW D1 R380 with 300tdi did not come with an oil cooler. My guess is the oil cooler was only added for V8s that may be pulling trailers.
I think it's more determined by final market.
My Td5 in South Africa has a cooler as do all the other Discos I have seen.
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
FWIW, I recently acquired a D1 R380 with 26,000 miles from new and there is very little play in the input shaft. Alternatively , I also acquired another R380 rebuilt by a prominent shop in the US with 6,000 miles since rebuild and it has a lot more play than the 26,000 mile unit. The rebuilt unit was working just fine when removed.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Got a used(supposed to be good) R380 trans. There seems to be play at the input shaft. I've never had an R380 before and have no idea if this is just normal, or something I need to address?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I didn't mean to give you a thumbs up. I can't open the link from my phone.
 

terryjm1

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2011
1,485
375
I didn't mean to give you a thumbs up. I can't open the link from my phone.
Nowhere near that much play, even in the rebuilt one. However, as the low mileage non-rebuilt one has extremely little play I suspect the rebuilt one should have had a thicker shim.
 
Negative, you should use MTF, not ATF. The correct spec is in RAVE.
Trans cooler is not part of US market spec, as far as I understand, but it won't do any harm to fit the kit. If it has run any teeth or bearings, then a complete strip down is advised as the bits get into the pump and the internal oilways and before long, the rest of the bearings will be toast.
It's a tricky box to get right, shims on the shafts, so best to get the manual if you plan on DIYing it. Replace the pump, too if you open it up.
It's a crap shoot as to whether your truck will or will not have an oil cooler. Some DIs have them, some don't.

As for the fluid, there was a TSB at one point where Land Rover went to ATF to deal with cold weather/cold start-up difficult shifts. Right before they stopped offering the manual in NAS trucks.
 

robertf

Well-known member
Jan 22, 2006
4,778
354
-
Crapshoot globally, maybe, but its real clear on NAS. Do you see that many ROW discoveries?

not sure I follow the hand on the shifter bit. Sounds like something the fat guys behind the counter of the parts store that still allows smoking would say
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Crapshoot globally, maybe, but its real clear on NAS. Do you see that many ROW discoveries?

not sure I follow the hand on the shifter bit. Sounds like something the fat guys behind the counter of the parts store that still allows smoking would say
You should never leave your hand on the shifter. The fat guys right.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
A synchronizer has 2 jobs. To make the gear speeds align as you push the shift dog onto the gear. It's second job is to hold the shift dog in position once it's engaged( hold it in gear)
So if you rest your hand on the shifter you are wearing the shift fork for sure, but also causing extra wear on the synchro and blocker rings.
The other thing I catch myself doing is the clutch pedal. I get lazy and leave my foot resting on it while the pedal is up. That wears the throw out bearing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Discomania

robertf

Well-known member
Jan 22, 2006
4,778
354
-
Doesnt the detent rail do that? Or at least require shifting pressure to move the fork against the collar?
 

Attachments

  • 6748218D-8335-4EEA-BF76-DC6E6442829D.jpeg
    6748218D-8335-4EEA-BF76-DC6E6442829D.jpeg
    110.2 KB · Views: 2
Crapshoot globally, maybe, but its real clear on NAS. Do you see that many ROW discoveries?

not sure I follow the hand on the shifter bit. Sounds like something the fat guys behind the counter of the parts store that still allows smoking would say
Real clear on NAS, eh? I've had several in the shop. The only one that did not have the cooler is mine.

David Ashcroft was the one who told me about the hand on the shifter. Rob Dassler said the same thing. It used to be VERY common for the same thing to happen to the M20/21/22 Muncie manuals as well-40 years ago.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Doesnt the detent rail do that? Or at least require shifting pressure to move the fork against the collar?
I'm not sure what your saying about the detent doing that. The biggest job of the detention is to make it impossible to select 2 gears at once.
Keep in mind I'm just talking basic theory, not specific to any one trans

Now I seee what your talking about. My phone sreen wasn't helping. Yes it would probably resist the pressure left on the shift forks and related shittery. That is a detent for that shaft. But wouldn't that be the detent to hold the shifter in nuetral? So once a gear is selected that shaft is not in the detent I would think.
 
Last edited:

Discomania

Active member
Feb 10, 2017
40
9
NM
A synchronizer has 2 jobs. To make the gear speeds align as you push the shift dog onto the gear. It's second job is to hold the shift dog in position once it's engaged( hold it in gear)
So if you rest your hand on the shifter you are wearing the shift fork for sure, but also causing extra wear on the synchro and blocker rings.
The other thing I catch myself doing is the clutch pedal. I get lazy and leave my foot resting on it while the pedal is up. That wears the throw out bearing.
Man, that's good info. I never knew what a fuckup I was, driving with my hand on the shifter, all cool like. Thanks!
 

Disco95

Well-known member
Mar 20, 2020
51
21
Portland, OR
Real clear on NAS, eh? I've had several in the shop. The only one that did not have the cooler is mine.

I'd also read that they were ROW only. Was surprised to find the lines and funny little boot brush-looking cooler ahead of the rad on our 95. Those lines plus the cat made the slave cylinder job a real bear. Really, the weird path of the lines and the tiny cooler make the whole thing seem like an afterthought. But, hey, the trans still mostly works at 200k miles!

d1-r380-cooler-lines.jpg d1-r380-cooler.jpg

Cheers,
joe in pdx