I have a 2005 Range Rover HSE with the ZFHP24 transmission and $175,000 miles. It was running fine, had no issues whatsoever, and then all of the sudden heard whining from the pump. Pulled it over, towed it, drained the fluid, put in new fluid and filter (both from the Range Rover dealer). I topped it off as per the manufacturers recommendations (40 degrees C, with the car running) The noise immediately went away and it ran perfect again. 50 miles later, parked it, went back out to drive it and it goes into gear where you feel the nudge either to go forward or backward, but you have to give it a lot of gas to get it to go anywhere. The pump is really whining and making more and more noise.

I drained the fluid again, put new filter and fluid in and no change this time.

I either have blockage somewhere, or a pump seal that is damaged enough the pump can't create enough pressure.

If it is a pump seal, the transmission has to come out it looks like. If anyone knows of common blockage that could cause this problem, please let me know. Nothing large is in the oil pan...just small metal shavings on the magnets. I don't see that the filter could let anything by large enough for the intake of the pump to get plugged, but am interested in others opinions.


I have never had a problem upshifting, and it worked flawlessly until this.


Thank!

 

The 5 speed transmissions in the BMW engine Range Rovers are known to have issues sometimes, as they get older. Hopefully someone that knows more than I do will reply and give you some more things to check, but my guess is that you're going to need a rebuild or replacement.

 

Pull the lines off going to the cooler and see if there is flow???

 

I know there is some flow because when filling, the dirty old oil was being recirculated back through the return line and it was starting to come out of the filler port. It is interesting that you ask that though. My problems started after I tied down both lines to the bottom of the front differential with a couple of cable ties waiting for a piece to come back from the Range Rover Dealer that is a plastic clamp with a screw that goes through the middle. Out of the possibility that I pinched a line, I looked yesterday and they are a little flattened out, but not enough that it looks like flow should be restricted. I am planning to remove the valve body today, and check for anything that is obvious. Again, everything shifts perfectly, so I don't think it is bad, but I am going to see if anything is lodged before getting to the pump. If I am correct, there is a spring and a couple of O rings that I need to be careful with removing. Is that right?

 

What looks like a small pinch on the outside could create a good restrction on the inside of a weak hose, i would cut the wire tie

 

I replaced both hoses, the cooler, flushed it out and nothing is different at all. When flushing it out, I disconnected the return hose at the transmission, and starting it and putting it in in Neutral for not even 5 seconds sucked the new transmission fluid out and so the pump is definitely pumping.


I am leaning towards a bad seal not holding. I do not want to have to take it out to repair a seal, and especially don't want to purchase a new transmission, but it looks like it may be my only choice.


Could a valve body cause this problem?


Any other ideas?


Thanks!

 

I haven't been on this site for almost a decade, and just remember this post I had done. If it helps anyone...the issue is the radiator, and I will explain in great detail.

The antifreeze that circulates through the transmission cooler is in the very bottom of the radiator on the 2003 - 2005 Range Rover HSE's. It may be the same for the later models as well after Ford Motor Company purchased them from BMW. If any corrosion builds up in the coolant system, it settles to the bottom of the radiator, and then it blocks the coolant from circulating in the transmission cooler. The thermostat should warm up the transmission fluid to 102 Celsius, but if you monitor the temperature, you'll see it keeps riizing, and over time, it it gets to 130 degrees Celsius (the transmission fluid boiling point), the fluid will turn to air / vapor, and your transmission will slip. As we know from thinking about a steam engine, the pressure will increase after it has gone to vapor, but the air will compress while the fluid wouldn't, and so you'll initially feel stuttering and then if you dont' shut the car off, the car will not move because of it being largely air in the transmission lines. Let it cool down, and unless you blew seal from the pressure, your Rover will run just fine till the transmission fluid heats up again to the 130 degrees Celsius. If the seal has been compromised, you will have a code thrown and it won't go away. But if you are lucky, the transmission will still work just fine if you fix the overheating issue. I have put 50,000 miles on this rover since figuring this out. I put two transmissions in this Rover at the dealership, and it wasn't them that figured out the problem. They blamed the remanufacturing process of the transmission.

I took the matter into my own hands and had the scanner running full time in my Rover as I drove it. I saw what was happening with the temperature...saw at the 130 degrees it would start to stutter, and figured out what was happening. For me, I took the bottom left (drivers' side) hose off the radiator, drained the fluid out of the radiator, and then took my air compressor and blew 150 lbs. of pressure into the system. Then I pulled the air compressor nozzle, back, and watched what was blown into the bucket. There was so much rust and small debris, that I did this several times (probably 5), until I wasn't getting anything out anymore. I reconnected the hose to the radiator, vacuum filled the system so as to make sure there weren't any air pockets in the heat exchanger, and then drove the Range Rover. I monitored the temperature, and it went right to the 102 degrees it is supposed to be, and I have put 50,000 miles on the Rover since then. Again, you will still see the code thrown with a compromised seal, but it runs fine.

In my case, the Rover had sat for a year, and the rust built up in the bottom of the radiator from sitting so long. I was one of those unlucky ones to have the Oil Separator go bad, and then hydro lock, and throwing a rod. The rod was literally poking through the block, so a year later I put a new motor in the Rover.

Again, I am 100% sure the issue with these transmissions is overheating, and the bottom of the radiator is the culprit. I hope this helps

Thanks,