Low transmission fluid? - 2003 l322

03l322 said:

Hey guys, the other day in my 03 l322, the transmission started acting up. I parked on the side of road for around 20 minutes, and when I jumped back in the Range Rover and took off in drive, it would start to move and shift up a couple gears, but then instead of continuing forward it would only rev up on the rpm ( around 3500-4000 ), and then grab the transmission gear and jerk the vehicle forward. I tried driving up a hill and it was only revving on the RPM, and wouldn't even go an inch up hill.
Fast forward to today ,I let the Range Rover sit for a couple days, and hopped in to start trouble shooting, and it started driving fine. No missing shifts, or no RPM rev in drive. I took it up a couple hills off a cold start, and it worked beautifully. The transmission shifted smooth, and I cruised up the hills. I drove for around roughly 10 minutes, and then as I was finishing my climb of a small hill, at the very top the RPM revved up for a split second and the transmission caught, and then everything went back to normal. I did a U-Turn, and coming down the hill the transmission and RPM did the exact same as coming up.

Could this be the cause of low transmission fluid?

Thank you all.

Click to expand...

What is the mileage on your vehicle??
when was the last time you changed the transmission fluid & filter?
Why do you think its low fluid? Do you see a leak?.. That fluid does not evaporate so unless you have a leak it cannot be low fluid
im guessing well over 150k miles... it thats the case you are not experiencing low fluid , i have experienced this on my vehicle and it stopped when i changed the fluid and filter but it comes back because that is not the problem.

The possible real issue is your torque converter is beggining to wear out based on the symptoms you give. I encountered this when i hit 200k miles with my 2005 range rover.

Is there a humming that comes along at about 30-50 rpm as you drive in 3rd or 4th gear? if you hear that then it would confirm the prognosis... as the torque converter (which is responsible for mainaining pressure between the transmission and your engine) wears you will experience more of this. good news is they can be changed and they cost somewhere between $280-400 in parts , labour is another topic unless you can DIY. Do not attempt to purchase the TC at the dealer , their price starts at $4000

Here is a bit of an explanation that might help you understand , these vehicles tend to have this issues when they get o a certan mileage.



Juddering
Possibly the most common fault you’ll experience from a torque converter that is having issues is a juddering sensation when driving a lockup speeds, particularly when going uphill. This juddering can feel a bit like driving over a rumble strip, or cattle grid, and is caused by the lockup plate being worn enough to not quite apply properly. Sometimes this juddering sensation is mild, but other times it can be very harsh. In situations like this, the fault will almost always get worse as the converter components continue to deteriorate. One of the worst culprits for this is the ZF6HP26 transmission, especially when fitted in a Land Rover Discovery III.


Loss of Drive
If a torque converter has been allowed to degrade to an extreme, there is a strong chance your vehicle will lose drive altogether. This can happen as the result of one of two things. The first involves the lockup plate wearing down, either over time with wear and tear or due to a fault. When that happens, the lockup plate itself can wear down to the point where it no longer applies properly, causing a loss of drive, but the other thing that can happen is debris from that worn plate can also clog up the transmission filter. Automatic transmissions (especially those with torque converters) need hydraulic pressure to operate. If the filter is blocked, no transmission fluid can be pulled into the system, and so no hydraulic pressure is achieved. This cause of drive loss would still be the fault of the torque converter, even if the converter itself hasn’t yet failed completely.
One of the more egregious perpetrators of this fault are GM, with their 5L40E transmission, particularly in L322 model Range Rovers.


And that’s what a torque converter is, where you might find it, what it does, and what can go wrong with it. If the subject should ever come up, you will be well prepared to sound like you know what you’re talking about!

The symptoms of the LUC failing are, as you described, a vibration/noise under light load which sounds not unlike driving over a cattle grid. Vehicle performance isn’t really affected, and complete LUC failure would only result in a mild detriment to fuel economy. This doesn’t appear to be what the OP is describing.

Low fluid level would most likely create problems when the transmission was cold as the higher viscosity means the fluid takes time to return to the sump and, worst case, can result in the inlet to the filter becoming uncovered and the pump sucking air or cavitating. Once the fluid is warm it can return quicker to the sump and the problem is less likely to occur. Again, this doesn’t appear to be what the OP is describing.

Just for the avoidance of doubt, the only fluid that should be used in the 5HP24 is ZF Lifeguard Fluid 5, which is also available as Mobil ATF LT71141 or Pentosin ATF 1. These are the only fluids guaranteed to use the correct friction modifier pack for which the transmission’s friction elements were designed. A genuine IBS Filtran filter should also be used, rather than a cheap pattern part





and it’s vital that the correct filling and fluid level setting procedure is followed





Phil