Gearbox Oil Change

Parts Required:

5 litres of MTF94 (for the R380)
5 litres of ATF (for the LT77)
Drain plug Washer: FTC4112
Some method of getting the new oil in to the gearbox (see later in article)

Frequency

A Gearbox oil change is part of the 24,000 mile Service schedule

Preparation

The gearbox is located between the clutch and the transfer box, and the plugs are situated on the right hand side (offside).

It is always recommended to ensure that you can undo the filler plug first before undoing the drain, otherwise you could be stuck with an empty gearbox, late for work and having to weld a bolt onto the filler or trying to cut it out.

I have a retro fitted R380 bolted to my 200Tdi, so started off by looking for the filler plug which should have a Torx TX55 plug. The filler is diagionally above and to the right of the drain (see above photograph).

It looks as though the previous owner had replaced mine with a 1/2 inch instead which would have made life easier if I hadn’t already gone out and bought a Torx socket. After wiping the area around both plugs, I undid the filler plug a few turns and satisfied that everything was ok, got ready to drain the oil.

Before you go any further, the 32mm drain plug is too close to the propshaft to enable you to get a wrench & socket on to it. To this end I attacked my socket with an Angle Grinder and chopped about 10mm off the end. If you have a 32mm spanner then you won’t need to do this, but I wanted to Torq it up correctly so needed to get a socket on it.

Due to the position of the drain, I moved in front of the gearbox and removable crossmember and reached my hand back and up and over the propshaft so that I could both see the drain and keep my arm away from the hot oil. Holding my empty 5ltr oil bottle with the side cut away, I undid the plug, while keeping it pushed in and then with a deft movement removed the plug and caught all the oil. The gearbox isn’t quite as a vigorous a drainer as the engine sump so it won’t jet out as far.

Once the main bulk of the oil had drained, I removed the filler plug and took it and the drain plug inside to clean while the gearbox drained fully. The drain plug has a magnet built into it so expect some iron filings stuck to it, this is completely normal. If on the other hand you have chunks of metal or teeth then be a little concerned. I had a drawing pin stuck to mine and can’t for the life of me find it anywhere on the Microcat diagrams. I do hope it isn’t essential

Stick a new washer (Part No. FTC4112) onto the drain plug and give the surrounding area another wipe to make sure it is completely clean. Torq it up to 38 lbf ft (51 Nm) using your handy cut down 32mm socket and you are ready to fill er’ up.

Because of the location of the filler it is difficult to get the new oil in and there are a variety of options available to you. Some people swear by the Difflock Oil Safe pump but at £78 I think this is only for the professional who needs to fill a lot of Gearboxes. Other ideas include a long hose and a funnel attached to the side of the car and the oil poured slowly in. A friend has a hand bulb pump that he uses, but I decided to go for a cheaper version of the Difflock Pump and using a length of pipe we picked up from an operating theatre (don’t worry, nobody died, my wife used to work in surgery) and a cheap sprayer I got from a garden centre. Total cost about £4.99.

The pump only takes 1.5 litres and the gearbox takes 2.67 litres so I filled it once, pumped it up and went for a cup of tea. When I had finished I refilled the bottle with enough to finish the gearbox off and then pumped it up again and waited until it started to dribble out of the filler hole. Once the box is full (oil is level with the filler), wait until it has stopped draining and then screw in the filler plug and torq up to 22lbf ft (30 Nm), wipe it all clean so that you can spot any leaks and job done.

I originally had ATF in the box but Land Rover changed the oil specification  for the R380 to MTF94 and a lot of people report that it runs a lot smoother. So far I have to agree and the change from 1st into 2nd is very smooth.