Tranny fluid for 02 Freelander ?
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Change the fluid, the major time for bad changing is over 100k without ever changing it... should be changed ever 25 - 30k
You can use any Dexron III transmission fluid.
You can use any Dexron III transmission fluid.
- Joined
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I am sure that is what the book says, and I am also sure that is what the dealer says. But as you noted unless you are the dealer or want to pay dealer prices, you can not get that type of fluid.
Almost always any vehicle with list a type of fluid recommended or even required by the manufacture, but 99% of the time this is just a guideline.
Almost always any vehicle with list a type of fluid recommended or even required by the manufacture, but 99% of the time this is just a guideline.
This is late in answering but may help someone else in the future. No need to mess around with other fluids when you can get the recommended type. Even if you had to go to the dealer and pay 13.75 a qt is is still worth it. But you can get it here a bit cheapers http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/LRN402G.cfm
Using Dexron fluid on any of the Jatco Freelander's in not correct.
The proper fluid is the LRN-402 which can be purchased at any Land Rover dealership.
In my case, I had to purchase a complete box full (12 quarts) as minimum. Still, not a bad idea to buy 12x LRN-402 as this is "impossible" to find anywhere, even mails to Texaco caused them confusion with N402, etc....
The service intervals on Auto transmissions are always a source of extreme controversy. One school says NEVER to change Transmission Fluid, just wait for the Trannny to fail then repair. WRONG, only on sealed transmission is this the case.
Another School says never to change ALL of the fluid, but make a mixture of old and new when replacing, maybe correct if the service interval was not honored and the fluid has turned brown, old and moisture laden.
The last School says to follow the manufacturers recommendations.
This may often result in incorrect service intervals as our vehicles work in different climates and humidity levels. The Freelender Jatco specifies 60kmiles. In a temperate climate, in fair driving conditions, maybe. In the hotter climates, totally impossible and unreasonable.
If one 'shocks' an auto transmission with new fluid when the original fluid has chemically converted, this spells disaster and will often result in slippage and internal failure.
I had many lengthy discussions trying to convince my LR shop to change my LRN-402 at 35K-40kmiles. They said that the fluid NEVER needed to be changed.
My print-out of the service manual only made them ignore me further. So at 50kmiles I ordered a full box of LRN-402 and printed-out the service procedure along with the a new sealing washer for the drain plug.
At about 53 kmiles when the fluid arrived what came out of my then noisy Jatco was a rotten, smelly mess. The fluid looked like it had rust mixed with water and a whitish foam. Obviously driving in latitude 18º with constant 70% humidity will turn almost any transmissionm fluid into a brown, smelly mess in less than 20kmiles.
I replaced the fluid following the factory procedures sans TextBook PC system and my car ran 110% better, the tranny noises went. I understand that 1/2 of the original fluid always remains in the transfer case, so one can never change the LRN-402 100%, only at best 50 or 60% of the fluid will be new, depending on how aggressively one changes the LRN-402 fluid.
After than change I made a second one at 65kmiles and the car ran the same.
The hard-shift poblem from the day I bought my car now is a shifting F4 problem. 3rd to 4th gear was always stiff shifting, now it's a F4 indication on my dash. Along the way I managed to develop the dreaded and systematic F4 condition along with the yellow traction control light coming on. One time at 22k miles my Jatco failed to F1 and the dealer said it was a shorted wire....... (hummmmm.)
To reset the F4 I have to stop the car and re-start. Somehow the transition from 3rd to 4th gear slips and causes the computer to fail the transmission.
I re-checked the LRN-402 fluid level on Sunday and I was able to drain about 10 oz of extra fluid and my car runs much better.
Yet I still hear strange rumbling sounds from the mid-rear of my 2002 SE V6. If I drive her accelerating in geriatric mode, she works well. If I punch the throttle, the car fails to F4.
I am trading mine in later this year and every day I make a small prayer that something else does not break.
If you need me to scan and e-mail the procedure from the factory manual let me know. Be warned that any service to a Freelander w/o the Textbook PC interface is not recommended. But the costs of servicing are so high that since the warranty went, I do most of the work myself as I was raised fixing MG's and Honda's.
Remember, modern cars need special care and always the Factory procedures need to be followed as closely as tools and material permit.
Happy Rovering!
Rich
The proper fluid is the LRN-402 which can be purchased at any Land Rover dealership.
In my case, I had to purchase a complete box full (12 quarts) as minimum. Still, not a bad idea to buy 12x LRN-402 as this is "impossible" to find anywhere, even mails to Texaco caused them confusion with N402, etc....
The service intervals on Auto transmissions are always a source of extreme controversy. One school says NEVER to change Transmission Fluid, just wait for the Trannny to fail then repair. WRONG, only on sealed transmission is this the case.
Another School says never to change ALL of the fluid, but make a mixture of old and new when replacing, maybe correct if the service interval was not honored and the fluid has turned brown, old and moisture laden.
The last School says to follow the manufacturers recommendations.
This may often result in incorrect service intervals as our vehicles work in different climates and humidity levels. The Freelender Jatco specifies 60kmiles. In a temperate climate, in fair driving conditions, maybe. In the hotter climates, totally impossible and unreasonable.
If one 'shocks' an auto transmission with new fluid when the original fluid has chemically converted, this spells disaster and will often result in slippage and internal failure.
I had many lengthy discussions trying to convince my LR shop to change my LRN-402 at 35K-40kmiles. They said that the fluid NEVER needed to be changed.
My print-out of the service manual only made them ignore me further. So at 50kmiles I ordered a full box of LRN-402 and printed-out the service procedure along with the a new sealing washer for the drain plug.
At about 53 kmiles when the fluid arrived what came out of my then noisy Jatco was a rotten, smelly mess. The fluid looked like it had rust mixed with water and a whitish foam. Obviously driving in latitude 18º with constant 70% humidity will turn almost any transmissionm fluid into a brown, smelly mess in less than 20kmiles.
I replaced the fluid following the factory procedures sans TextBook PC system and my car ran 110% better, the tranny noises went. I understand that 1/2 of the original fluid always remains in the transfer case, so one can never change the LRN-402 100%, only at best 50 or 60% of the fluid will be new, depending on how aggressively one changes the LRN-402 fluid.
After than change I made a second one at 65kmiles and the car ran the same.
The hard-shift poblem from the day I bought my car now is a shifting F4 problem. 3rd to 4th gear was always stiff shifting, now it's a F4 indication on my dash. Along the way I managed to develop the dreaded and systematic F4 condition along with the yellow traction control light coming on. One time at 22k miles my Jatco failed to F1 and the dealer said it was a shorted wire....... (hummmmm.)
To reset the F4 I have to stop the car and re-start. Somehow the transition from 3rd to 4th gear slips and causes the computer to fail the transmission.
I re-checked the LRN-402 fluid level on Sunday and I was able to drain about 10 oz of extra fluid and my car runs much better.
Yet I still hear strange rumbling sounds from the mid-rear of my 2002 SE V6. If I drive her accelerating in geriatric mode, she works well. If I punch the throttle, the car fails to F4.
I am trading mine in later this year and every day I make a small prayer that something else does not break.
If you need me to scan and e-mail the procedure from the factory manual let me know. Be warned that any service to a Freelander w/o the Textbook PC interface is not recommended. But the costs of servicing are so high that since the warranty went, I do most of the work myself as I was raised fixing MG's and Honda's.
Remember, modern cars need special care and always the Factory procedures need to be followed as closely as tools and material permit.
Happy Rovering!
Rich
Here are the scanned Jatco Tranny procedures from the RAVE manuas.
Without the TestBook PC system, I use my Fluke DVM temperature probe to measure the LRN-402 temperature when topping-up and re-filling my Jatco. Apart from this, the procdure is straightforward.
The only reason my Jatco still works today to 70kmiles is that I did NOT follow the Land Rover dealer advice and changed the fluid myself at 53kmiles, which was in my opinion way past the point of fluid deterioration.
Neverthereless if one performs the procedure every 15k to 20kmiles, the Jatco should last a very long time. Of course, all of the depends on the driving habits, the ambient temperature where the Freelander is being used and the ambient humidity levels, towing, off-roading, etc.
People often mistake the fact that fully synthetic fluids do not have any magical properties. They should be replaced at the recommended service intervals and to be safe, I would de-rate the factory interval in the Freelander to 35kmiles from 60kmiles based upon the condition of the LRN-402 I drained at 53kmiles.
Maybe the 60k interval was designed on purpose to fall outside of the factory warranty. Hummmm... but I can't bet on it. All of my e-mail to LR in 2003 and 2004 concerning this went un-answered. Now those of us who have seen the F4 indication know why.
Best of luck!
Without the TestBook PC system, I use my Fluke DVM temperature probe to measure the LRN-402 temperature when topping-up and re-filling my Jatco. Apart from this, the procdure is straightforward.
The only reason my Jatco still works today to 70kmiles is that I did NOT follow the Land Rover dealer advice and changed the fluid myself at 53kmiles, which was in my opinion way past the point of fluid deterioration.
Neverthereless if one performs the procedure every 15k to 20kmiles, the Jatco should last a very long time. Of course, all of the depends on the driving habits, the ambient temperature where the Freelander is being used and the ambient humidity levels, towing, off-roading, etc.
People often mistake the fact that fully synthetic fluids do not have any magical properties. They should be replaced at the recommended service intervals and to be safe, I would de-rate the factory interval in the Freelander to 35kmiles from 60kmiles based upon the condition of the LRN-402 I drained at 53kmiles.
Maybe the 60k interval was designed on purpose to fall outside of the factory warranty. Hummmm... but I can't bet on it. All of my e-mail to LR in 2003 and 2004 concerning this went un-answered. Now those of us who have seen the F4 indication know why.
Best of luck!
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happyhippo
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I may attemp this myself. Where did you put the temp probe? Where the level plug goes? Wish I had seen all this earlier myself. Just over 50k miles now. Haven't noticed any problems though and I've really had very little trouble in the four years I've had it.
