Hi All,
I have a 2010 TD HSE with an auto box and 103k on the clock. I've had it around 3 years and it's aways had a judder at around 1600 revs that shakes the whole car. Giving it more beans kicks it down a gear and all is well again but it's really annoying me now. I've had new drive shafts and a new PTU (they both needed doing as they were ) and that made no difference. Changing the transmission oil cured it for a couple of weeks but then it reared its ugly head again.

I like the car and don't feel like changing it yet so I was wondering about the possibility of converting it to a manual. I miss driving a manual and hopefully it should cure the judder issue once and for all!

Is it "practically" possible to do the conversion?

I am comfortable with servicing and replacing brakes, wishbones, suspension, steering components etc but I've never tackled anything on this scale before, would I be way out of my depth?

Given that the car has a limited value I don't want to spend £5k doing it but if I can find a box from a scrapper etc could I/should I consider it?

Apart from the gearbox and trim what other components would I need to replace?

Am I nuts for even considering it?

Cheers for any help and advice

Are you sure the judder is from the gearbox - could it be the torque converter ?
Have you had an expert look at it?

IMO It would be a lot of work for questionable benefit - I think the autos are better than the manuals (Ive had both).
Personally I think you would be better replacing the auto with a recon auto, if thats the problem.


Remember gearboxes are very heavy - I did considerable damage to my shoulder when a Skoda Fabia manual gearbox slipped and I took the weight on my arms whilst lying under the car. Jules

I'm not completely sure that the judder is from the box. When changing the transmission oil temporarily fixed it I assumed that it was the box but my knowledge of auto boxes could be written on the back of a stamp .

I have had it to a LR specialist and they were at a loss to explain it, another that I spoke to said he'd just seen exactly the same problem on another F2 and spent a week changing parts to try and cure it but to no avail.

My advice would be sell it, and immediately buy a manual gearbox version.
There's still plenty of used FL2's out there for sale up & down the country.
Auto trader yields good results.

Personally even as a chap that enjoys a bit of spannering on a Land Rover I couldn't be bothered diving down the rabbit hole of trying change transmissions, as you are bound to get to a point where you will say to yourself "why did I start doing this"


Cheers
Brian

Cheers Brian, the more time I spend looking into this today the more I am starting to see that's it's not the best idea I've ever had. I'm not as strong as I used to be and the idea of trying to hoof a gearbox into place while laying on the cold concrete floor is starting to sound very unappealing!

I was looking at the Bell Engineering website for exchange gearboxes etc and spotted their "Free Transmission Diagnostic Vehicle Checks". I'm going to be in their neck-of-the-woods next week so I think I'll give them a call on Monday and see if they can take a look at it. If they can diagnose it then at least I'll have an idea of where I stand, if they can't I think it'll be time to start looking for a new car.

Many thanks.

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic31479.html?highlight=1800

Have a read through the above. Sounds similar to a problem that a lot of autos have.

Mine has always done it. It’s not that bad a vibration just annoying as I know when it’s going to do it now. If it is the torque converter it will get replaced when it starts to fail. At the moment I don’t feel a vibration for a few seconds at one part of the rev range justifies a thousand pound repair bill.

If you want a manual spend the cash you would use on converting on buying a manual. I would not buy an auto that had been converted to manual even if it was possible (which I think is highly unlikely). Or use command shift.

Thanks for that Billsy, it sounds like good advice, thank you. I'll have a look at that thread.

It's April 1st.....
 Current driveway contents:
2021 V60 Cross Country B5
2009 FL2 dog bus and shooting wagon

On Order: 2023 Fisker Ocean Ultra - deposit paid.

CaptainBarnacles wrote:

Cheers Brian, the more time I spend looking into this today the more I am starting to see that's it's not the best idea I've ever had. I'm not as strong as I used to be and the idea of trying to hoof a gearbox into place while laying on the cold concrete floor is starting to sound very unappealing!

I was looking at the Bell Engineering website for exchange gearboxes etc and spotted their "Free Transmission Diagnostic Vehicle Checks". I'm going to be in their neck-of-the-woods next week so I think I'll give them a call on Monday and see if they can take a look at it. If they can diagnose it then at least I'll have an idea of where I stand, if they can't I think it'll be time to start looking for a new car.

Many thanks.

CaptainBarnacles wrote:

Hi All,
I have a 2010 TD HSE with an auto box and 103k on the clock. I've had it around 3 years and it's aways had a judder at around 1600 revs that shakes the whole car. Giving it more beans kicks it down a gear and all is well again but it's really annoying me now. I've had new drive shafts and a new PTU (they both needed doing as they were ) and that made no difference. Changing the transmission oil cured it for a couple of weeks but then it reared its ugly head again.

I'm not completely convinced that it is the transmission just that it is likely based on the fact that it stopped for a while after the AT oil was replaced.

The juddering seems to come from the mid/rear of the car (I know that these things can be deceptive) and progresses to absolutely shake the whole car, fairly violently sometimes. I'm clearly not an expert but it does "feel" like a transmission thing.

I've started reading that thread and making a list of things that I can check myself, I might get a chance to have a look tomorrow so I'll certainly report back if I have any joy.

Just to clarify the details of the judder that I have; it can happen on level road or slight inclines but is much worse on hills. It happens regardless of the load on board, just me or the whole family with luggage and a trailer, it makes no discernible difference. It always comes in around 1600 rpm and remains until around 1850 rpm. I've had 4 new Michelins fitted, new PTU, new front drive shafts, new AT oil, Haldex service, brakes and wheel bearings checked and replaced as required. I've done the AT reset (as found on YouTube I think) and then drove like a car thief to "re-educate" the AT. I plugged in my basic diagnostic tool and found no relevant fault codes.

Thanks again for all the help guys, it is really appreciated.

To honest. If you're happy to go from auto to manual, then you're better off selling the auto and buying an identical vehicle in a manual, which will be less expensive, as automatics hold their money better. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ionic 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

CaptainBarnacles wrote:

Just to clarify the details of the judder that I have; it can happen on level road or slight inclines but is much worse on hills. It happens regardless of the load on board, just me or the whole family with luggage and a trailer, it makes no discernible difference. It always comes in around 1600 rpm and remains until around 1850 rpm.

There was a strange transmission problem that effected MY11 FL2s. It was associated with that particular auto gearbox and was shared by other makes (Volvo, etc).
It felt like a slipping clutch (with a hesitation) when traveling at about 30 - 40mph as the gearbox changed up under a light throttle. It got worse as the weather got warmer.

Read my posts towards the end of this thread link,
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic37187-45.html

It was called 'Flare' and you can find many comments on the internet search 'Aisin Auto Flare'.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f...43969.html

It was NOT a Judder however.

My judder is accompanied by a mechanical 'rattling' sound, as I said, rightly or wrongly, I am treating as I would an old fashioned 'known' Flat Spot, and adjusting my driving accordingly.
Just change throttle position and/or gear. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

I Like Chips wrote:

CaptainBarnacles wrote:

Just to clarify the details of the judder that I have; it can happen on level road or slight inclines but is much worse on hills. It happens regardless of the load on board, just me or the whole family with luggage and a trailer, it makes no discernible difference. It always comes in around 1600 rpm and remains until around 1850 rpm.

That's the same as the problem I had. Turned out to be a failing/failed Torque convertor and possibly a stiff solenoid

Give Driver Transmissions in Brum a call see what they say. They did a free check and replaced mine.

The box should be fully flushed ever 24,000 to 36,000 miles. Depending on how you are on the tools more importantly how steady your nerves are the first time you do it, a DIY full flush is easy.