And another (Rover) bites the dust...HUUUUU!

eventhough · 07-10-08, 04:46 AM

A friend's son called me over a few days ago and asked if I would help him fix his transmission on his 03 Land Rover. I told him fixing an auto tranny on a Land Rover is probably waaaay above my head but I would be happy to look at it.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. I was shoveling mulch and the kid comes over and asks if I could help...I say sure. Kid is a nice kid and I wanted to help if I could.

Now for a little background. Kid was mudding in a stock Land Rover with basically bald rear tires. He got stuck...got unstuck...got stuck immediately again and then broke his front driveshaft. A friend could not pull him out so he called a tow truck. Tow truck driver made kid sign a release that no damages would be the tow truck driver's fault. Kid signs release and driver drives into woods and pulls truck out. On the way to wherever the truck was being towed to a loud "clunk, clunk, clunk" sounds comes from the Land Rover. Kid tells driver to pull over but driver says "its OK." Kid lets driver keep driving. Kid doesn't inspect Rover until later and finds damage.

Well my friends - ends up the Land Rover was still in 4 wheel drive and the broken front driveshaft had not been removed. Said broken front driveshaft had a fun time bashing the hell out of kid's tranny. Kid tells me that the tranny is leaking fluid and tranny won't catch a gear. Kid bought Rover about 6 months ago used, maybe a little more, and never baselined the fluids so kid doens't know if tranny was low on fluid before or if this is a result of the tow incident. No fluid was in kid's driveway so fluid leaked out somewhere else. Kid has not noticed fluid anywhere on the ground.

I went under the truck and the tranny pan was as I said beat to hell by the broken driveshaft. Tranny pan gasket was ripped almost in half. Kid says that is all that is wrong. I figured that fluid was just leaking past the almost completely torn gasket. I pulled out some body hammers and hammered the lip of the tranny pan back to almost perfect. Kid wanted to reinstall the old gasket but I told him I would not - he had to get a new gasket. So, right before I leave I roll under the Rover to take a look at things...and...

...the broken driveshaft took a chunk of metal out of the tranny's upper aluminum housing. I told the kid and kid says "I guess that's why the dealership said the tranny was cracked."

I'll get pics to document everything tomorrow. My camera's battery was dead yesterday.

So...kid barely has enough money to buy a gasket and fluid so he definitely doesn't have enough money to get this fixed right at the dealer who wanted $800 to install new plugs and wires. Kid said something about wires being tucked way behind the engine...who knows. Kid wants to pull a tranny out of a junk yard and install but I told him I wouldn't be able to help with that. Kid also thought it would work to super glue the gasket back together and it would be good to fill the tranny pan with fluid before you try to install it back into place.

Now here is the current plan (get a load of this). Since the upper tranny housing is cracked and kid doesn't have money to have the dealership fix we are going to try to JB Weld the crack which truthfully is not a crack but more of a missing chunk of metal. We then will use Mr. 'gasket in a tube' to seal between the area on the pan I beat the snot out of to straighten and the tear in the old gasket. Then Mr. Gasket Maker will also be used to seal between the missing chunk of tranny housing and the crack in the old gasket. Kid doesn't want to buy a new gasket now b/c I told him I doubted this method would work. Kid wants to be able to drive the Rover for a couple months before he has money to spend on the right repair. Oh, kid also said it was OK to drive the Rover without tranny fluid as long as you stayed on the highway because you wouldn't be shifting gears much.

I give this on-going repair a 1 out of 10 for a successful outlook/repair and a 7 out of 10 for redneck booty fab.

Trollhole · 07-10-08, 06:50 AM

lol

But you never know.

eventhough · 07-10-08, 07:00 AM

One more thing. The Rover was not jacked up when I needed to get under it. The Rover does have a 'self leveling' system that raises the rear 44mm. I had the kid raise up the rear so I could barely squeeze under. While I'm under the rig I hear the rear releasing (air sound) like it was going back down. I flew out from under the Rover faster than I've moved in a long time b/c I thought I was going to get squished. Kid said "o, I guess it was going back down."

That would have been good to know before I went under your Rover.

I'm starting to like Jeep guys now!

ClemsonCruiser · 07-10-08, 07:11 AM

you can fix anything with JB weld............. just ask Chuck

Turkeypen · 07-10-08, 07:24 AM

So, this kid can afford an 03 Land Rover but not a few bucks for a tranny gasket? I say let this kid learn the hard way. You may only be subjecting yourself to injury, frustration, and a law suit.

This kid is a real dillweed. (Bald tires, gets stuck, continues to wheel on, stuck again, fails to take it out of 4wd for the tow or secure his drive shaft, refuses to pony up for a gasket, thinks you don't need AT fluid on the highway, nearly drops his English iron on you.) Thinning the herd man, let it be!

If he can't afford a gasket, he won't be in Rover world very long . . . .

boombapslappy · 07-10-08, 08:51 AM

Wow.

I'm a moron when it comes to doing repairs but I'm not a...nevermind. I agree with turkey.

89s rule · 07-10-08, 09:56 AM

OH my, wow, i agree with turkey about being able to afford the '03 rover although that was prob in the 10-15K range and they dont hold value worth poop. I would tread lightly on this. He might need to see what carmax will give him for it and take the Kia and run.

mooker82 · 07-10-08, 10:21 AM

Its a Rover...hes probably used to having it leak fluids everywhere.

I do like the redneck JB weld. You need to somehow use a coathanger and duct-tape too for true redneck style. I have seen some aluminum aircraft epoxy stuff somewhere that may work better than JB weld but from the sound of it the kid would not want to spend the $40 on the stuff to try that.

Carp · 07-10-08, 11:36 AM

We are looking at this all wrong. This is Steve's opportunity to enlighten this poor sap to the wonders of the Cruiser world. If Steve helps get him back up and running, by showing him how to do something, maybe he'll want to learn how to do things, then realize what a piece his Rover is, and become a Cruiser head.

By the way, don't discount the RTV silicone seal substitute for the gasket. A lot of manufacturers don't use gaskets in low pressure situations anymore. The RTV silicone will hold on an auto tranny pan, no problem. I would use only the RTV and throw the old gasket away.

BTW:

eventhough · 07-10-08, 11:45 AM

I did show the kid how to wheel afterwards. I have about a 4 foot tall pile of mulch in my driveway...

I had some fun...the

was not impressed.

eventhough · 07-11-08, 06:29 AM

A little update...

I got home yesterday and the kid had already put JB weld on the tranny. He didn't do a bad job actually...but I did use a razor blade to trim up the JB Weld to be smooth. The JB Weld had supposedly cured for 4 hours which is what the company recommends but I could still shave off pieces w/ a razor blade - I hope the JB was mixed correctly.

We put the tranny pan on with some RTV. I left the kid w/ instructions on how to tighten down the tranny pan so I HOPE that he didn't crank everything tight right off the bat.

If the tranny pan was tightened down properly and the JB Weld was mixed properly then I up the chances of this repair across the board by 5-10%.

VTCruiser · 07-11-08, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eventhough

If the tranny pan was tightened down properly and the JB Weld was mixed properly then I up the chances of this repair across the board to 5-10%.

fixed it for you...

eventhough · 07-11-08, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTCruiser

fixed it for you...

I was trying to be optimistic!!!

TRfWJ · 07-11-08, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eventhough

I'm starting to like Jeep guys now!

What's that supposed to mean?? HAHA! This is hilarious! He's shot himself in the foot so many times now, it's not even funny. I can't wait to see pics and the final result. Best of luck but watch yourself Steve. You don't want to be liable for anything in the end of this. I know you're a good Samaritan, but that can come back to bite you in the end.

eventhough · 07-11-08, 07:15 AM

I'm watching myself - don't worry.

Basically as the tranny sits now it is trashed. The guy needs a new tranny - I have told him that. I'll make that clear again today to both the guy and his Dad.

I assume there will be a test drive today. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

eventhough · 07-11-08, 07:16 AM

PS: I've always like Jeep guys!

89s rule · 07-11-08, 07:34 AM

And get some pics!

eventhough · 07-11-08, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89s rule

And get some pics!

I was going to take pics yesterday but there wasn't much to see, it was raining and the

wouldn't let me use her camera.

k9crazy · 07-11-08, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eventhough

I'm watching myself - don't worry.

Good, just don't touch yourself. You'll go blind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eventhough

I was going to take pics yesterday but there wasn't much to see, it was raining and the

wouldn't let me use her camera.

I haven't told Ali I love her for her fantastic jedi mind control over you. Please pass that along.

Sputnik40 · 07-11-08, 03:03 PM

I definitely need to share this one with the Florida Rover group - a few of em of a little senseless, but most of them know to avoid messes like what you're describing (the kid that is).

Damn hilarious - don't help him anymore, as while it's dangerous to assume - chances are high he's the type that gives wheeling a bad name. Encourage him to get out of the rover and into one of those little economy boxes - where he can do less harm hopefully.

Just my .02 cents - eagerly awaiting pics (and no doesn't sound like the JB Weld was mixed right.

eventhough · 07-12-08, 11:08 AM

Kid said today that the tranny was holding fluid. He also came over and helped me spread mulch in my backyard for a little bit. He is off at work now but I'll go over some time this weekend and poke at the JB weld to see if it hardened any more.

fj40z · 07-12-08, 08:03 PM

Mighty Putty to the rescue.....LOL I couldnt resist

jfz80 · 07-13-08, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClemsonCruiser

you can fix anything with JB weld............. just ask Chuck

except a quarter sized hole in a hot t-case....just ask that guy ^^^

fj40z · 07-13-08, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfz80

except a quarter sized hole in a hot t-case....just ask that guy ^^^

What?....... youre not referring to this little knick are you?

eventhough · 07-13-08, 07:37 PM

Guy says tranny is holding fluid. I told him to clean the tranny around the pan junction very well so you can detect any leaks. I'll have to follow up tomorrow to see if he did it.

FJ60Cam · 07-15-08, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eventhough

... The JB Weld had supposedly cured for 4 hours which is what the company recommends but I could still shave off pieces w/ a razor blade - I hope the JB was mixed correctly...

The kid's an evil genius... he instinctively knew to mix it a little on the soft side since he was patching aluminum