I have a 95 disco with 157k on her, the thing has been on blocks more since I bought it than on the road, and I have never had it offroad due to the seemingly endless sequence of problems. I am now staring down the barrell of at least $600 in labor costs to have the trany dropped to replace the recently blown front pump seal. Let me be very clear when I say that before owning a rover, I changed oil and inflated tires. This is the extent of my mechanics experience. I have done several more simple jobs myself since buying the thing and so far have been able limp my way through them and come out on the other side. Just skimmed the rave on trany removal and it seems simple, yet some of the wording is meant for someone who knows technical terms and such, and for this reason I am very skeptical of my ability to get this one done. Are there any other rookies out there who have attempted this? Any veterans who can offer a wing to shelter me from what could turn into a complete disaster for my poor Rover? I do have a line on a $50 an hour mechanic but at this early point in my Roverdom I am having a very hard time coping with the thought of spending even more money on a truck I've put over a grand worth of parts into and who knows how many hours, if I can but the seal for <$20 and do the work myself. What a decision. Makes my head hurt.
Considering dropping my own trany
- Thread starter handyandy123
- Start date
Go for it. doing is the only way to really learn. Plus you get the bragging rights when your done..
Hi; You don't mention your working conditions, ideally a hoist and a transmission jack would make this a fairly easy task....
If you have to (like i do) lay on your back under the vehicle in the great outdoors it will be difficult but not impossible to remove the transmission....
You mention you have the RAVE CD, I haven't looked at in awhile but i'm sure it covers the removal procedure...
Make sure you jack the truck high enough to work and lower the tranny, needless to say it should be blocked up well, have some pieces of wood on hand and perhaps a`couple of jacks, the Land Rover jack and possibly a floor jack also a piece of 3/4" plywood would be good to put under the floor jack....
Alternately and i've done this with the 110, have a couple of nylons slings, a length of chain and a cable type "come-a-long" available...you open both front doors, rig the sling over the roof and attach the come-a long inside the`cab, hook the chain under the tranny and run it up thru the opening in the tranny tunnel and onto the come-a-long, which you will now use as a "hoist" when you get everything unbolted.....
It would be useful to have a helper to pass tools and as a safety precaution.....
Hope this helps and good luck with the project.....
If you have to (like i do) lay on your back under the vehicle in the great outdoors it will be difficult but not impossible to remove the transmission....
You mention you have the RAVE CD, I haven't looked at in awhile but i'm sure it covers the removal procedure...
Make sure you jack the truck high enough to work and lower the tranny, needless to say it should be blocked up well, have some pieces of wood on hand and perhaps a`couple of jacks, the Land Rover jack and possibly a floor jack also a piece of 3/4" plywood would be good to put under the floor jack....
Alternately and i've done this with the 110, have a couple of nylons slings, a length of chain and a cable type "come-a-long" available...you open both front doors, rig the sling over the roof and attach the come-a long inside the`cab, hook the chain under the tranny and run it up thru the opening in the tranny tunnel and onto the come-a-long, which you will now use as a "hoist" when you get everything unbolted.....
It would be useful to have a helper to pass tools and as a safety precaution.....
Hope this helps and good luck with the project.....
oil changes and tires...
your screwed alone.
go find a mechainc.
$600 to swap a trans out and back in will seem like a deal once you start into it.
your screwed alone.
go find a mechainc.
$600 to swap a trans out and back in will seem like a deal once you start into it.
MUSKYMAN said:
I feel semi-capable...probably better off than this guy.
I would pay the money...that's just me.
Dont do it unless you have a lift (drive on or regular one). it sucks balls and takes about 4 times as long if you do it on your back.
600 would be more than worth it to pay someone else to do it.
600 would be more than worth it to pay someone else to do it.
Thats something youre going to want to have to proper equipment to do if you ask me. Youll be able to drop it, but I think getting back in right might be a different story. It possible, but I think you'll be biting off more then you want to chew.
1-buy crash helmet, jock strap and cup, and life and health insurance if youre gonna try this on your back
2-put me in your will
3-please tape this, it will be so cool to watch on you tube
in all seriousness, go to a shop before you hurt yourself
2-put me in your will
3-please tape this, it will be so cool to watch on you tube
in all seriousness, go to a shop before you hurt yourself
You all for the most part have re-enforced my fears of my own incapability. I only considered it because I have seen several threads where people have done it. I would probably be able to aquire all the tools and a lift to get the job done. I also learn extremely fast. But on the other hand, I don't want to screw this up. and it seems that when I say: I need to drop my trany, would anyone be able to help me out? I see a quick flash, and everyone suddenly disappears. True friends. And yes, $600 is a damn good price to save myself the pain and misery of doing the job myself and potentially screwing something up beyond repair. Thanks for all the input.
PS...If needed I already have the helmet, the insurance, and enough brain power to truly weigh the options (obviously) before tackling something like this. Its amazing that there is always at least one person who attempts to make themselves feel better by posting totally non-helpful sarcastic advice here when they could save everyone some time by not saying anything.
PS...If needed I already have the helmet, the insurance, and enough brain power to truly weigh the options (obviously) before tackling something like this. Its amazing that there is always at least one person who attempts to make themselves feel better by posting totally non-helpful sarcastic advice here when they could save everyone some time by not saying anything.
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chemtool said:
no. This is the way i did it and it still sucked hardcore. I had it about 2.5ft up.never again.
i'd do it myself but thats just becasue im broke 98% of the time. i worked at a transmission shop one summer as an R&R guy. automatic transmission are heavy, really really heavy. i had all the state of the art equipment though like lifts and air over hydro trans jacks, special fluid catchers and every tool you could imagine. and i have done a few transmission in my own garage on my back, heaviest in my 300m at 200+ pounds, it sucked but i got it done.
this reminds me of the 1-ton 4x4 chevy i did once. I did 1/2 ton Z71's everyday and step one was remove driveshaft take out the 6 or 7 bolts from transfer case and get out of way when it swung down and dumped the trans fluid everywhere, then slide it off and carry it over to the bench, well the 1-ton looked all the same, swung done the same but when i slide that f'er off the output shaft it about killed me because it weighed 3 times as much as it's "lil brother" and i wasn't about to drop it and have to buy this guy a transfer case.
so i guess my point is make sure you have the right equipment or pay a guy
this reminds me of the 1-ton 4x4 chevy i did once. I did 1/2 ton Z71's everyday and step one was remove driveshaft take out the 6 or 7 bolts from transfer case and get out of way when it swung down and dumped the trans fluid everywhere, then slide it off and carry it over to the bench, well the 1-ton looked all the same, swung done the same but when i slide that f'er off the output shaft it about killed me because it weighed 3 times as much as it's "lil brother" and i wasn't about to drop it and have to buy this guy a transfer case.
so i guess my point is make sure you have the right equipment or pay a guy
I was considering doing mine myself, but the lack of a vehicle hoist, tranny jack, etc made me decide against it. I would have to do it in the driveway and that sucks.
It is possible, but a real PITA without the correct equipment. I helped a friend drop his Jeep's gearbox in his garage and that was a killer, even with a large trolley jack to take the weight.
Damn I just dropped my 3rds for an ARB upgrade and that's bad enough...... serious chunks of steel.
If you can get access to a hoist, extra pair of hands, all the tools, then go for it
It is possible, but a real PITA without the correct equipment. I helped a friend drop his Jeep's gearbox in his garage and that was a killer, even with a large trolley jack to take the weight.
Damn I just dropped my 3rds for an ARB upgrade and that's bad enough...... serious chunks of steel.
If you can get access to a hoist, extra pair of hands, all the tools, then go for it
I helped my neighbor do this early in the summer. Older Model Chevy z/71 with 300kmiles- original engine and tranny. In his driveway. With no lift. On our backs. Save yourself the time and trouble and spend the 600.00. Fluids everywhere, and without a lift and proper jacks for the tranny, he ended up bench pressing the tranny into place. Although, it is a great learning experience.
If you know someone in the military, they have access to garage shops with lifts on some of the military bases. My neighbor said this after we did all the work. I was pissed he was so dumb.
If you know someone in the military, they have access to garage shops with lifts on some of the military bases. My neighbor said this after we did all the work. I was pissed he was so dumb.
Well on wednesday I am headed out to drop the beast off with the "right guy" for the job. I didn't Have a lot of confidence in myself, and thankfully you all didn't either. I am glad to have the availbility of this site. I have to drive the thing to the shop two hours away. Leak can't be too bad because it wasn't leaking at all before fluid chang. I asume stop leak used by seller probably had something to do with that. any way, it held up the weekend after I bought it for a 7 hr trip to the coast so I hope I can put a little stop leak in it myself and limp it to the shop. Any opinions? Trailering is an option but a complicated one that I would prefer to avoid if possible. And i can always set out and trailer from the point it gives completely out if I had to.
im in the same boat as kyleT...i hate transmission jobs on these trucks even with a lift at the shop, with all my tools, a trans jack, and ratchet straps. shit, X5's and ML's with a lift and trans jack sucks.
but if you think anyone can do this job armed with a rave, then by all means go for it.
even with my 5" lift and ground clearance a trans jack adapter on a floor jack sucks my dick.
pay someone to do it, at least when you pay someone to do it you at least get a warranty. we offer 12 months/12k miles at the shop. $600 at our rate equals 6.3 hours. we charge 8 hours flat rate on cars, so for a rover that is a very good deal. we'd probably charge about a grand.
take it to a shop.
but if you think anyone can do this job armed with a rave, then by all means go for it.
even with my 5" lift and ground clearance a trans jack adapter on a floor jack sucks my dick.
pay someone to do it, at least when you pay someone to do it you at least get a warranty. we offer 12 months/12k miles at the shop. $600 at our rate equals 6.3 hours. we charge 8 hours flat rate on cars, so for a rover that is a very good deal. we'd probably charge about a grand.
take it to a shop.
keep in mind we would charge that amount due to, exhaust manifold studs usually pull out or snap so you have to repair them, you probably have both frame cross members, and that hardware always breaks coming out so you have to repair that, sometimes' the trans cooler lines don't just 'come off, etc.
i will say the bell housing bolts are very easy to get to along with the starter bolts, so once you get to that point it's pretty down hill. if you do do the job yourself go ahead and put a new flex plate in, if it's not cracked now it will start cracking two weeks after you do the job.
i will say the bell housing bolts are very easy to get to along with the starter bolts, so once you get to that point it's pretty down hill. if you do do the job yourself go ahead and put a new flex plate in, if it's not cracked now it will start cracking two weeks after you do the job.
its not ability. the job itself isnt too "hard". it is just very physical, and laying on the ground makes it 99billion times more difficult.
I dont hate the job with a lift.
I dont hate the job with a lift.
handyandy123 said:
again, I said it :
in all seriousness, go to a shop before you hurt yourself
sorry you didnt like my sense of humor, just the same glad you wont need the insurance or helmet for this job
I work in the dealership and hate that job on a lift and could not imagine trying to do it on my back in a drive way.