Category: transmission

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THE CHEAPEST REPLACEMENT PART for a Land Rover EVER (Post #226) 12/11/2010

I started this Saturday out with a cup of hot cocoa in my Fox Battery 2nd Battalion 14th Marines mug and a hope of getting a lot done. The weather report had today getting worse as the day progressed. By the time I knocked off for the day to watch the Army / Navy (Go Navy) football game, the wind was gusting over 30 mph from the north. With an air temperature around 48(F) that makes for an unpleasant work environment in my north facing garage. At a minimum, I wanted to finish what I had started last weekend.

Last weekend I was supposed to be scraping deer hides with my friends. Those plans changed and I was instead home for the weekend. Mrs. OkieRover and I went to a friends house to watch the last Big XII championship football game between our beloved University of Oklahoma Sooners and their long time rival the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The company of my friends is always welcome and it was good to sit and all six of us fuss about the play calling in a tight game. The Sooners triumphed over the bug eaters from the North.

My friend had prepared quite a spread for us. We had chili, lots of finger foods, sushi, and lots of sweets. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and had a great night. Well I can say it started great and ended the next morning with me in the toilet with either a food allergy or food poisoning. I ate the sushi as I always do, but something served did not agree with me. I say food allergy because at one point my hands and feet and ears itched. In any event it ended my weekend early.

The day before all the parts I ordered arrived. I went through the parts and sorted them.

Before the evening activities I was able to go to O’Reilly’s and get some power steering fluid and spare hose clamps. I also asked about replacing the power steering hose that runs from the pump to the reservoir. It is just a length of hose, no pressure fittings. O’Reilly’s did not carry any hoses that would hold up to oils and together we came up with P & K Equipment. They are a John Deere (TM) dealer and do a steady trade in equipment and parts.

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As I arrived I learned from the sign posted there at the counter that they make hoses. So that was good news for me as I knew they would have the type of hose I needed. I handed him the length of hose I wanted to replace and off he went. He was back in a few minutes with a cut length and asked if there was anything else. I described the flange types Land Rover uses for the power steering hoses and expected him to either stare blankly back at me or shrug me off. Instead, he said, “yeah that’s an inverted flange, we can make those.” No shit? No shit. I told him I’d bring the next hose that leaked down to him to see if he could make a replacement.

I was ready to go and he rung me up. I retrieved my debit card to pay for the hose and the young man said, “that’ll be a dollar fifty five.”
I said, “1.55?”
He said, “yep”.
I said, “hang on” as I had that in change in the car and went out to fetch it. With this purchase, I think I have set the record now for THE CHEAPEST REPLACEMENT PART for a Land Rover. Atlantic British lists this hose for 47.95$(US). For you math nerds out there that is a 96.77% savings. YES!

I’m very interested in seeing if they can indeed make the high pressure hoses and how much they might cost. I love finding savings like this.

I reattached all the hoses and today I filled it with power steering fluid. I chose power steering fluid instead of my normal routine of using automatic transmission fluid (ATF). I am looking for leaks and this area is already the location of the transmission cooling lines. We know those have the crimson ATF fluid running through them. So to differentiate I put power steering fluid in the power steering fluid system. The power steering fluid I bought is clear, that way if either are still leaking I’ll know which system has the leak by the color of the fluid leaking out.

In addition to all this steering work, I put the lamps in their sockets where the bulbs needed to be replaced. I then decided to take the Rover to the car wash to put some hot soapy water on the hoses. I need to find the leak and with clean dry hoses if there is a leak it should show up quickly. I should see weeping on the hoses or even a drip on the butcher paper I put down to watch for new leaks.

On the way to the car wash I was able to get the Range Rover through all the gears. As you remember I think I may have burned the 4th gear in my transmission. I put in fresh fluid and the shift points couldn’t have been better. I know this is no measurement of the condition of my transmission, but I was happy to see it shifting well.

Here is the list of projects as of today. I’ve struck the projects I’ve completed.
Projects

  • Brake discs
  • Brake reservoir
  • Bushings
  • Viscous Coupling
  • Rust in the bed
  • Rust on the lower tailgate
  • Rust in the front footwells
  • Broken axle
  • Transaxle shifter solenoid
  • Complete fluid service partially done
  • Power steering hoses
  • Head liner
  • Sun roof
  • Rusted floor pans
  • Windshield Seal
  • Tires
  • Sound system
  • Door locks
  • Transmission problems

Not vital but needed eventually.

  • Springs and shocks
  • Air conditioning

That is all for now. Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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Uggggh! Electrical Problems (Post #220) 11/15/2010

I love electrical problems. I love them like I love ingrown toenails. I love them like I love getting speeding tickets. I love them like I love getting phone calls from my children telling me they have dropped ANOTHER cell phone in a toilet or a sink at work or jumped in the swimming pool with it in their pocket.

Lately my electrical problems have been related to the transmission system. When I pull the shifter to change gears the warning tone goes off. Here is the page from the Range Rover Owner’s Manual 1993, Page 41.

Just before I took the Range Rover out of service RovErica and I had been seeing the odd Code 69. And during the really, really cold weather the tone would sound randomly. DietMtDrew thought that was, “the coolest code ever”. Great, teenage boys, I’m pretty sure that is something he and I should talk about. Anyway, it looks like I have something going on with the switches and monitoring of my transmission.

I am guessing the next thing is to find all the electrics and check the connections. Right now the engine and transmission are hot and will need to cool. With the weather change outside that will be easy. Today the temp outside was 57 (F) degrees. It is interesting that when I started this project the temperature is 107 (F) outside. By the time I finish this project, and I say finish in a “finish for now” sorta way, the temperature will be closer to 37 (F) outside.

The engine and transmission were hot, because I swapped the transmission fluid in the transmission. And after I swapped it I went for a little drive. The fluid that came out was a nasty color and had a burnt smell. That was totally expected. If you have read the blog you know I burnt four gear pulling the camping trailer back from Fort Sill where I took possession from military surplus.

I ran an errand early this afternoon to fill up my wife’s Honda CRV with petrol and while I was out I bought a gallon of Mercon/Dex-a-something-or-other. I read a blog post where swapping the fluid was as easy as dropping the fluid and pouring in a gallon of new fluid. It took a little more than a gallon to top her off.

While I was working on replacing the center console I managed to damage the emergency brake position switch. And now it’s broke. I’ll get to that after I sort out the last of my lovely electrical issues, brake light. The last time I shut the Rover down all was well. When I started her up this time, I have a nagging brake light illuminated in the warning lights. Nothing has changed in that system from the last time I drove her so I’ll have to get under and check all the sensors and pray I find a loose wire somewhere. It’s a lead pipe cinch it’s not the emergency brake position switch.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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Sick…again (Post #215) 11/04/2010

I know you are out there wondering “why no post from this last weekend, what a freakin’ slacker”. Well I’ll tell ya, I have been sick, again or maybe even still sick. I’ve been fighting sinus problems for more than a month now. Now its official, I have a sinus infection.

I managed to start Saturday by putting a few nagging tasks behind me on the Restoration Project. I first relocated the retaining clip for the tailgate springs. In its present location it was rubbing off the paint I labored so hard on the week before. I also removed the tires in preparation for another round of brake bleeding. I also hooked up all the electrics underneath the passenger side seat. I also sprayed some 3m Undercoating to seal the holes in the cargo area. And I got all the tools that were scattered all over the garage, put back in their places. All of this was so I could test out my handy work on the suspension, brake system, and viscous coupling with a short drive.

My goal for Saturday was a drive. As fate would have it though I was asked by my wife’s best friend’s husband if I would like to use his wife’s ticket to attend the University of Oklahoma vs the University of Colorado football game at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Allen “The Cable Guy”, is a hoot to tailgate hang out with. He informing me that the ham he was bringing was smoked for 8 hours in his smoker, and a promise of a ride to and fro, I accepted.

By Saturday mid-morning my head felt like someone had driven a chisel directly into my brain with the entry point between my eyes. Normally, I would have said no thank you I need to rest and recuperate. But I was thinking a handful of Advil and a couple of beers and I’d be good to go for a football game. Hell, I’d felt like this all week, how would today be any different than yesterday?

I had a haircut scheduled for 13:00 and wife my wife’s advice I stopped in at the Minor Emergency Clinic at the Healthplex for some drugs. Normally, I would have attempted to see my preferred physician, Dr. Karl Langkamp. The name almost impels you to say it with a hard German accent punctuated with an exclamation mark.
Doc-tur Kaarl Lang-KAMP!
But, Dr. Langkamp is not a first generation German emigrant like my friend The Evil German Dude (EGD) whom I’ve written about several times. The good doctor, is a gentle and jolly man, sans German accent. To get back to the story, Dr. Langkamp does not see patients on Friday afternoons and I didn’t think I was all that sick on Friday. I was at that time, still holding out hope that I would defeat the infection.

So after I got my hardcore Marine Corps style haircut, I went to get some treatment for my sinus infection. I filled out the forms, saw the doctor, got a few prescriptions for treatment of a chisel-to-the-forehead style sinus infection. I had to fill them away from my regular pharmacy (chemist) as well, they close at noon on Saturdays.

With pills in hand I arrived home just before Allen “The Cable Guy” was due to pick me up. With Mrs. OkieRover, THE REGISTERED NURSE, by my side she gave me instructions about the pills.
“Take the antibiotic now. You can start the Prednisone and Respa C&C tomorrow. That way you can have a few beers tonight.”
So I popped the first dose of Azithromycin, 500 mg, 2 tablets, as instructed and went to the game.

I have taken this pill many times. Why I can’t remember that I have to take it WITH FOOD is still a mystery to me. In any event you would think your wife THE REGISTERED NURSE, would have mentioned that I not take that on an empty stomach. She didn’t.

So we get to the tailgate and I start to put my drink on. I had 4 hours to game time and a six pack to nurse. I didn’t need to get blind, stinking, drunk, I just wanted to have a nice buzz come game time. At that point, I had also decided that I would treat myself with a cigar. So I walked through the tailgates and down to the neighborhood tobacconist, Royal Pipes and Tobacco, and picked out an Arturo Fuente Opus X. It had a nice draw and overall was pretty good for a 10$(US) cigar.

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So back at the tailgate, I’m nearly finished with my cigar and have had two beers. Then it hit me. I became very dizzy and started sweating profusely. I had the overwhelming desire to lay down except for the fact that if you lay down in public, on campus, surrounded by beer drinking revelers, you are going to get arrested. I also had an overwhelming desire not to be manhandled by the friend police officers of the OUPD. Discipline is the key to life. And today I’m glad I had the discipline to ride it out.

As you can well imagine, I didn’t want my day to end that way. So I sat down in the shade and waited it out. Allen “The Cable Guy” came back to the tailgate and told me, “I didn’t look so good”. I told him the story and we both thought if I ate something I would be good to go. They had just started serving and with a plate full of food and a couple of bottles of water I was in fact, good to go.

We continued to enjoy the company of the tailgate and finally headed into the game. OU prevailed in grand fashion and it was back to the tailgate. I had one more beer and then it was back to home.

Overall it was a good day. I would have liked to finished the short list of Saturday’s tasks but I had a good time and the break from the Restoration Part Duex was well deserved. As you may well imagine, I spent most of Sunday in bed. It wasn’t from the 3 beers I drank either. I started feeling human late Sunday evening. Except for some unexplained tiredness, I think I have turned the corner and feel pretty good. I’m hoping I will defeat the sinus infection this week and get back on the project come Saturday.

This coming Saturday I am going to drain the transmission fluid and replace it with some fresh stuff.
I am going to bleed the brakes and sort out any remaining issues with that system.
I am going to put the carpet and interior parts back inside the rear of the Rover.
And lastly I am going to drive the Range Rover for the first time since late August.

Hopefully it will be a satisfying jaunt and will be a welcome reward for so much time spent working on her.
And if it is not…at least the Marine Corps Ball is that night and I can toss a few back to forget about it.

As always, thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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My search for transmission service (Post #182) 6/23/2010

Well once again a resource I counted on is gone and I am left looking for service for my transmissions. I have two vehicles needing service for their transmissions. RovErica is driving the Ford Taurus these days. She reports trouble with it shifting…sometimes. She has independent third party confirmation that the transmission is misbehaving. I’m not sure that is enough to have it taken to the shop. So I went out one night she was home, which is a rare event, and tested it. I drove it and made it shift hard. It didn’t misbehave for me. And when she drove it home it didn’t misbehave for her.

I’m guessing at this point it only happens when it’s hot. When we got back to the house I checked the level, it was good, and smelled the fluid. It does have that lovely burned smell. The Taurus has never had a transmission service in its 8 year life. The car doesn’t even have 70,000 miles on it yet. But it looks and drives like it was driven to through a war zone, twice. So a service it will have. And hopefully it will last another 70,000 miles until RovErica can afford a new car.

As you read in the last trailer post, I think I’ve done something to the Range Rover’s transmission. As you may or may not remember there was some rough going when the transmission ran in 4th gear as I got to the half way home portion of the drive. The transmission fluid is burned. That is a fact. Or as my son, Diet Mt Drew would say, “that is a true fact”.

This is the original transmission and has well over 190,000 miles on it. I have had it serviced only once that I can remember (curse me for not filling out those service books). I had trouble with the transmission one other time when the torque converter went out. I was hauling down the Indian Nation Turnpike in route to a Fur Trade event at Fort Towson. I stopped for a candy bar (3 Musketeers) and a Coke (what kind? Coca-Cola, see #19) it’s an Okie thing, you may not understand.

When I walked back out to my Classic I thought I saw a puddle of magic red motion juice under the right rear of the engine bay. I thought to myself, “I must have parked over someone else’s leak. Sucks for them.” But then I thought, “what if its mine?” So I moved her to a dry spot and sure enough I was leaking. Eek Gad! I quickly popped the bonnet and looked. I finally found the leak at the transmission filler tube. What had happened as best I can figure was the torque converter was failing (wobbling) and was causing the fluid to foam. When the magic red motion fluid foams it is less magical and thusly less able to move your Range Rover down the road effectively.

In any event the Indian Nation turnpike between I-40 and that gawd awful state to the south (Tejas) is not somewhere you want to be stranded on a cold Oklahoma night in February. You can die out there. Now I’m a resourceful kinda guy and had all the trappings with me to sleep over night in February in Oklahoma circa 1820. So that was not what I was worried about. I was worried about getting the Rover home and avoiding a 300$(US)+ towing bill by Bubba the “how much money you got” tow truck driver. So I canceled my plans and rotated my “Which Century Are You Living In” dial back to the late 20th Century and headed back west on the first exit and traversed the back highways to highway 9 and on into Norman at an easy, slow pace.

The Monday after the aborted trip I took her to Cottman’s off West Lindsey street in Norman. They did a great job getting my torque converter repaired [895$(US)] and I would recommend them again. But that’s where this post started. They are no longer in business at that location. And if you have read the post that details my preparation for our cross country jaunt to California in 2008 you will remember the trouble I had getting the Discovery a transmission service. The Cottman’s in South OKC left me hanging. As you may remember I made an appointment, took half a day off from work and when I arrived they told me they couldn’t get me in due to a man “not showing up” that morning.
Therefore unless someone tells me that they are…

  1. Under TOTALLY NEW management, as in everyone from the district manager down has been fired and replaced.
  2. And, the recomendee received what would equate to SUPERIOR service.

Otherwise, I will never use them again.

So that leaves me with no “reliable” source for transmission service. Read “reliable” as recommended by someone I trust. This trust, led me to call Sports and Classics to find out who they use to rebuild and service transmissions but they want first crack at it. And if it is too serious they will have the work done by another shop. I’m thinking I could save my self some time if I just go to the shop that will be doing the work in the first place. Its no reflection on them or their work, but time is important.

The transmission service for a Range Rover Classic is not fun. The transmission is a common European transmission. ZF HP24’s are used in BMW, Volvo, and Land Rovers. And as I have read, it is a very tough transmission. Being that it is tucked under a very tough Range Rover Classic it is difficult to work on. There is a frame cross member directly below the pan and to replace the filter it must be removed. This in itself makes this project a really crappy one. And as you can imagine an expensive one too.

So after a precursory call to JagGuy shake of a Magic Eight Ball browse through a phonebook look on the internet. I am going to go to Transmission Clinic on South Classen in Norman. I called them and Breck seemed very up front and said they would evaluate the situation before making any determinations. Basic service for the Taurus is going to be $110(US). And who knows how much for the Range Rover. He would give me a quote before any work was done.

Wish me luck.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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We have a trailer (Post #182) 6/8/2010

I made it home. I’ll start with that because between Chickasha and Blanchard Oklahoma I wasn’t sure I’d be home tonight.

The drive down was totally uneventful. The temperature today was supposed to be nearly 100 degrees (F). Clouds were out and the temps weren’t bad. The winds however were brutal as they were blowing into a storm in the north part of the state. The BWB (Big White Bus) does highway like no other car I’ve ever owned. She cruises at 85mph with little or no effort. The fun part of that is the suspension and how she dances all over the road. She didn’t used to behave like that. But after today I have decided that the springs and shocks all have to be replaced. Something isn’t right with the suspension and how she bounces all over the road has to be the combination of the springs and shocks and the bushings being worn out.

I will apologize for not taking pictures before I describe the next part of the trip. Taking pictures on a military base makes people nervous. I was nervous doing it and I didn’t want anyone nervous watching me do it. So with that I took one picture while on base.

I arrived at Key Gate well ahead of schedule. I was a little concerned about time but then again I’ve never driven to the Key Gate exit at 85mph. When I used to drive down there while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve we never went over 40 mph.

I was warned that at the gate I would need my vehicle registration, which in Oklahoma is the equivalent to the vehicle title. I was told to have my insurance verification, no problem that is required by Oklahoma law. When I got to the gate the security guard scanned my driver’s license with a hand held scanner and said, “drive safely”. That was it. I was a bit disappointed. I went through the gate.

I was given excellent directions by Joe the night before. So I ignored the directions I had looked up on the internet. I called the number I was told to and they gave me the same directions they did on the phone. I was nervous until I started seeing the street signs. Sure enough, Seawright was the correct road. Cathy told me to go in the gate marked military vehicles only and wait.

I pulled up right in front of the trailers and waited. My trailer as it turned out was just out of the picture to the left.

Cheryl arrived with another customer and got them hooked up with an M105. I dropped Joe’s name right off but it wasn’t necessary. She said, “Joe buys all kids of stuff and was a great guy.” She was great to talk to and the deal was done with just a signature on her paper. She didn’t even ask to see my copy.

My hook-up required me to off road it back behind the trailers over busted up concrete and weeds. “Matt” helped me get the trailer hooked up and they said thanks.

I made sure the safety chains were hooked up. It took a little bit of wrapping to get the chain length just right. I checked the emergency brakes but I don’t think they work. I pulled out of the yard and stopped to make sure the tarps were all tied down. That was smart as several of them were not tied down. It doesn’t take long flapping in the wind for the tarp to be torn up.

I headed out and back to Sheridan to get off base. I thought for sure there would be someone there to verify that I had purchased the military property I had attached to my Rover. But again, I was disappointed and surprised when I drove straight out the gate. When the budget our government’s budget was really low back in the early 1980s Fort Sill didn’t even staff Key Gate. I’d have to say it was only just staffed today.

I decided to skip the turnpike on the way home and took the state highways. I wasn’t sure how fast I would be able to travel and thought if I broke down or had trouble I’d rather not be on the turnpike. Besides I’m sure there is an additional charge for the extra axle on the turnpike and because I have a PikePass I didn’t really know how that would all work. State highways have more to see anyway.

I stopped at the first intersection with a gas station
A) to wash my hands which were covered with oil from the chain, and
B) to get something cold to drink, 90 degree water is not very refreshing.

 Here she is. That is the Porter Hill intersection in the background. I think I can live with that. When I get upgraded springs I think the ride will be perfect.

You can see the monster HMMWV tires. That is possibly a good place to start to lighten up the trailer. I’m hoping I can shave a few pounds off the trailer weight.

I got a cold drink and got back on the highway. I didn’t choose a very scenic drive home but I did snap some pics along the way. These are not in order.

 

Bluffs outside Verden

Fire truck in Anadarko

Indian City, USA

A plateau outside Cyril

One of the first tourist attractions my parents took us to after we returned to Oklahoma from Guam, was Indian City, USA. It was supposed to mean a lot to me because as my adoptive parents said, “I was a Cherokee Indian”. My parents didn’t know anything about being an indian, and at that age neither did I. Well as I was to learn, Cherokees didn’t live anywhere near this place. This was a place for the Southern Plains tribes. In fact, some Tonkawas were massacred on or near this site. There is no good link for the Indian City site that I could find. This is to be expected, as the museum is now owned by the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. And they are notorious for a poor web presence.

I faced some serious head winds when I got outside Chickasha. At least 20 mph+ and there were gusts above 30 mph. This took its toll on my transmission. I was not able to go faster than 60mph in fourth gear. I could kick it down to third and get up to 65 mph, but as soon as I got back to fourth gear my speed would drop back down.

I’m guessing the transmission was not performing as it should. I will be investigating that further when I take the Rover down for another round of restoration, real soon. At a minimum I’m going to add some additional transmission cooling. It’s always a good idea in this climate. I will need to get the transmission in for a fluid change and possible service too.

After a what seemed to be a long drive I finally got the trailer home. There it is behind the house. I will be constructing a gate soon. I was able to drop a panel and park it on the side yard in the back. My neighborhood would not tolerate the trailer parked out front for very long.

Rooster was excited and wanted to pose on the tongue for some strange reason.

There is Rooster macking it for the ladies. I’m not sure what that means. He has a girlfriend too so I’m not sure what “ladies” he is macking. And there is my dear patient wife, with her monagramed MiMi t-shirt on. Who as you can probably tell, looks mostly disappointed. Rooster noticed it too. Her comments were not approving.

“Where are you going to park it?”

“How are you going to get it through the fence?”

“I thought it would be smaller.”

And with that, she was back in the house. It was only a concept to her and now that it is a reality she will have to warm up to it. So I have a gate to put in the fence. No biggy.

After my inspection of the trailer there is some surface rust and some missing paint. My buddy JagGuy called me while I was typing this blog entry. He buys an automotive paint that is real close in shade and superior in its appearance and said he always has some left over. I’m sure I could get the rust off and the spots primed and the next time he is spraying one of his M35s I’m sure we could spray my trailer. Check out his site. As he said, when his Range Rover busted a drive shaft and took out the casing on the transmission, he pulled it to the shop with a “real 4×4”. I told him with a former 6×6 and we each had a chuckle. We are such nerds.

The tires are huge! Well 37 inch anyway. They are mounted on split rims, which is pretty cool. So if I were to carry a spare, I would only need to carry a tire and not a rim. These tires can be swapped without even unloading the trailer. JagGuy said used tires could be had for around 85$(US). That is going to make me think long and hard about swapping them out. I will have to pack a deep well socket for the new nuts on the rims.

I’m not sure what the item in the next picture is, but it is obviously damaged. It seems still functional so I’m not how important it will be to replace. Perhaps a post on one of the militaria web sites will answer what it is. I will also be looking for the manual for this trailer which I’m sure is available online.

The transmission issue seems more important now after talking with JagGuy. My thoughts were the fluid needed to be cooled more. His thoughts were more that the fluid is either burned or there is something wrong with the transmission. So it seems I’ll be having a shop check that out. I can check to see if the fluid is burned. If it is, that’s not good news. There is a slight chance that replacing the fluid will make it better, but a transmission service would probably tell me more. It is time for it as I think it was at least 60,000 miles ago that I had trouble with the torque converter. It might even have been 80,000 miles ago. Which in my mind would be time for a fluid change.

Over all it was excited to be back on the base. All that militaria and being back on the base I spent most of my USMCR hitch on was great. I passed the old chow hall that we were able to eat Sunday morning breakfasts at. I wrote about that in my military biography. Western omelettes are still my favorite.

So today was exciting and fun and a learning experience. More later, thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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When bad things happen to good mechanics (Post #179) 6/2/2010

Remember the last time you saw something on your Land Rover that made you say to yourself, “I really should fix that.”?
Do you remember the reason you used to convince yourself that it would be alright as long as this thing or that thing didn’t happen?

Well let me tell you, sometimes the consequences of those actions have us sitting in our Land Rover on the side of the road wondering if your one friend that owns a trailer and truck big enough to haul your dead Rover to your house/shop/shade tree. Sometimes the consequences of those actions are having your step-son calling you during a historic Spring hail storm that crippled an entire city for several hours and caused tens of millions of dollars of damage to houses, cars, churches, etc.with tennis ball sized hail for several minutes.

Yep, true story.
Who’s Land Rover: My good friend JagGuy’s Step-Son’s Range Rover Classic.
What was the part: Drive Shaft.
The Reason: That won’t blow as long as I don’t drive it hard.
When did it happen: During the epic Spring 2010 Hail Storm of Oklahoma City.

Who would have imagined a drive shaft failing would permanently disable your Land Rover? I for one do, now. JagGuy had noticed the drive shaft issue during an inspection some time ago. He gave the Classic to his Step-Son. And as good a kid as he is, he doesn’t know anything about the magic metal box with tires that gets him from point A to point B.

So when the drive shaft popped and knocked a hole in the side of the transmission limiting his speed to 25 mph no matter how hard he pressed on the accelerator the Classic was doomed. When JagGuy got there he saw the transmissions life blood running down the street on top the 4 inches of hail covering the street. The initial diagnosis was a busted transaxle. But that was short lived when he climbed under the Range Rover at the shop.

Sadly he found the transmission case cracked. The transmission is not going to be a cheap fix. As of this post I do not know what was decided if the disabled Range Rover was to be a parts car or repaired.

Lets hope he can get the money together to fix it. I know he loved driving it. So let this be a message to all you fellows thinking that problem can wait.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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