Gears and a new Jam Jar!

[@calsurflance5598]

Mike; I wish you were out here in central California. No shops around for 100plus miles. My Series 2A needs your touch.👌🙏

[@BritannicaRestorations]

I've heard California is great, but the workshop is here!

[@calsurflance5598]

@ Yes that might be a problem. 🤔Lol

[@koitorob]

In my back garden i have a Disco 1. It's got a used rear axle in the back. When i went to collect the axle i backed down between the gate posts in front of the seller's outbuilding. He and his mate loaded it into the back for me as i'd just, a couple of days before tripped over at a militaria show and badly twisted my wrist. Then discovered i couldn't get it out of reverse gear. After a minute or two of struggling, wrenching, swearing i managed to get it into first and departed. I then realised i'd lost a couple of forward gears. The journey home was about 18 miles. A few miles on i noticed a general gearbox noise and vibrating through the floor. I then began praying to all motoring gods, to let me get back to my town, then my district, then my road. The noise and vibration got worse. I pulled up just before my drive to see if i could get it into reverse, AND OUT again as i usually pull across the road to reverse onto the drive. It went in and came out again so i blocked the road then reversed back. Glad to have finally made it home with a replacement axle i went inside and left it. A couple of days later i tried the gearbox again and discovered it was now wedged in first gear, so assuming the gearbox was totally kerbolloxed i removed one of the fence panels and drove it straight through into the back garden where it now lives, still complete with spare axle 😁 A month or two goes by so i find i'm on ebay looking for second hand R380 gearboxes. I found one for £1800. At first glance it sounds bloody expensive for a used gearbox but this one came fitted to a TD5 Discovery 2. A 2003 model so no locking centre diff. I got it stuck in places the old D1 just drove through! The TC was useless!!! I've since read that R380s are prone to one of the gear shafts breaking inside leading to my symptoms. After getting rid of the TD5 i came across a reconditioned R380 on facebook. Went to collect it in the boot of my 320d BMW. I'd forgotten how small the box is minus transfer box and bellhousing. Needing something 4WD for fun muddy days, the latest is a 101 ambulance. After brimming my first two tanks with petrol i got to see accurately what it's doing to the gallon. 8.2! So now i'm thinking of the recon box with the LT230 from my Disco with either the 300TDi or maybe a TD5. I think the guy who sold me the recon box said it was from a TD5. Do you know if the TD5 and 300TDi R380s are different?

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Good story! The Td5 has a longer input shaft than a 300Tdi.

[@husq2100]

There were small improvements along the timeline of the R380, with the Suffix L being the best. Input shafts and bell housings are different for each engine variant coupled to the R380. 5th gear bearing is notorious for failing , they are just under designed. There are two proprietary bearings in the rear output housing that RHP (NSK) no longer make. For a while there was only cheap poor replacement, but Ashcroft have a good option now. Ashcroft were also doing a bearing upgrade for these two when nothing decent replacement wise was available. They are an ok box when limited power is put through them. A good synthetic oil will help, and if in hot climates you might find yourself the thermostat housing that allows for the fitment of an oil cooler. The Factory cooler (if fitted) was a simple loop of tube on the Defrs and a proper cooler on Discos. If I remember correctly there is one error in the factory WSM regarding rebuilding and the orientation of one of the gear clusters…

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Ashcroft will not sell the "HD" bearings, nor will they supply the rear end casing with the HD bearings in place. I think the bearings are Inch series as one of the shafts is 5/8

[@husq2100]

@@BritannicaRestorations regarding the HD bearings upgrade, that was about 10 years ago lol. I just did some digging, the HD bearings were the same brand as their current replacements (NKE). I was lucky they supplied me with a rear output housing with new oil pump fitted along with bearings machine work and bearings installed. I’d say they feel their newer developed NKE are more than adequate and no need for the extra work for the HD mods.

[@Badfinger61-i4w]

Rust never sleeps. Tabernack!

[@husq2100]

Mike, I’m sure you sorted this with Dave Ashcroft, if using the D1 gear set in a 98 or later case you’ll need the old style rear bearing support plate for the input gear. I’m fairly sure that there is no later style input gear to suit the pre 98 D1 style 1.2 gear sets. Basically in 1998 one of the changes they made was the overall length of the input gear (for both the regular 1.4-1 Defender sets and the 1.2-1 Q gear sets ) by about 5mm longer and the rear bearing moved reward that same amount. The corresponding rear bearing support plate is of a stiffer design than previous, but unfortunately you can’t mix and match.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

From Dave Ashcroft: Input gear FTC4962 if you are using the thicker rear bearing carrier

[@husq2100]

⁠​⁠@@BritannicaRestorations thanks Mike, I had forgotten there was 1.2 gear set with the 26 tooth input (thought only 28 tooth) , which means you can use the later FTC4962 26 tooth out of suffix G Def’r cases 👍👍

[@BritannicaRestorations]

FTC4962 - LT230 Input Gear Thick cover FRC9552 1.222 Intermediate Gear FTC1085 1.222 High Gear

[@iceman9678]

Rovers are like high school girlfriends. They're good to you so long as you keep feeding them money.

[@benlamb695]

In the UK, power of attorney ends when the individual is deceased. Disposal of their possessions then becomes the responsibility of the executors. Don’t get caught out.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

He is the executor

[@thechod]

Mike how much is shipping from uk for a transfer box?

[@BritannicaRestorations]

£350 shipping + Canadian import fees, £350 core charge if you do not send your old unit back, so it can get quite expensive! This is where you have to be careful, because if the box is deemed to be beyond economical repair, then, not only have you lost your deposit but the return shipping too. So I say to guys send your box to me if you are in Canada, I will inspect it for free and then if it is worthwhile, then they can get an exchange unit

[@jameskerr5756]

Definitely a different looking car from the Focus of that style we had here, but hope it does you well Mike. Bit of welding, grinding and filler jobsagoodin.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Thanks 👍

[@alanhowatson3462]

Is it possible the owner of the tdci needs educating in how to use the transfer box, it does look like they have tried to change between hi and low gears on the go, and shredded the gears?

[@BritannicaRestorations]

I really do not know - to me (by the wear on the gear) it looks as if the gearbox output shaft was stationary to strip the teeth in one place, but there are only chips on the outer edge of the intermediate gear - the high gear on the output had teeth chipped where bits had gone into it

[@googlegok9637]

congrats with new car - the good about body work , you dont need expensive parts , just a l o t of time ... the transbox: maybe big tires in combination with diff lock and "fast&furious" clutch work on asphalt?

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Very true!

[@tormitchell1351]

Gearbox noise !! I can’t hear anything over the 200 TDI and wind noise 😂

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Maybe cut back on the beans... Lol!

[@fire44x]

A bit of mesh and filler all's good lol

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Might as well do - no MOT here!

[@thechod]

Has someone chipped the 2.2 puma engine giving it seriously more torque causing the stripped gears mike?

[@woodcote90]

Can anyone help with my r380 box? I just rebuilt it with new 1-2 & 3-4 synchros. I can get all gears going up but can't get third when downshifting. No crunching. It feels more like the selector isn't lining up. I really don't fancy lifting it all out again on my back.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Unusual, it changed up but not down to 3rd Did you get the hub the right way round? Is the synchro in the right place?

[@woodcote90]

@BritannicaRestorations yes it all went back together correctly. I bet it will be the synchro. Ashcroft's didn't have a 3-4 in stock so got a different one from somewhere else. I'll mess about with the bias spring and check what I can see on the selector but I'm guessing the box will have to come out. A bit annoying after rebuilding the car from the chassis up.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Been there, got the tee shirt - normally the 3/4 gives very few problems - it is the 1/2 I have had difficulties with - found out it is the selector fork that wears, NOT the synchro

[@jeremycooke7102]

Nowt wrong with a bit of welding!

[@jeremycooke7102]

BTW series 3 gearbox leaking into xfer case.. thoughts!???

[@BritannicaRestorations]

The seal has dried out or the bearing housing need refitting with sealer between the gearbox rear housing and the bearing housing

[@jeremycooke7102]

Cheers Fella

[@kevinmartin9432]

In the 70's Ziebart used to offer us mechanics £20 commission for every customer that had their motors treated! Glad to say I declined.

[@BritannicaRestorations]

The original owner of my Yaris, paid over $1000 on top of the sale price for a 10-year warranty - sounds good, but they only touched up with a brush the chipped exterior parts every year, and when the door started to rust badly, they would not do anything until there was 'perforations' and even then, the stuck on a used door and the paint didn't match!

[@mp721]

There's no such thing as a little bit of welding, it always leads to more and more..

[@BritannicaRestorations]

No, I think I can boss this pretty simply

[@dariuszrad4559]

Naprawiam lt230 ibrakowało podkładki i był zaduzy luz sprawdz i sprawdz maila odpisz pozdrawiam mówiłeś ktoś to rozkręcał

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Jaki e-mail?

[@dariuszrad4559]

Do ciebie

[@marklong2248]

Christ, who does Ford's styling over there? That is one ugly ......... I had a Zibarted Mini - It rotted where they had drilled a hole to wax the sills!

[@BritannicaRestorations]

Most American cars are ugly as sin, still, the price was right so not really bothered