Thanks for weighing in. Not yet. I have an Autel scanner that can read the BCM in addition to the rest of the modules and I have no codes from the wheel speed sensors at this time. If the valve body doesn't fix it, I'll start trying other things. So far, I've probably spent 10-12 hours doing research into the common problems of the Aisin TF-81SC and for the exact symptoms I had, the valve body is the most common culprit. Wear in the solenoid bores causes pressure leaks that cause the hunting and flaring. Time will tell.

 

Today's work consisted of getting all of the cooling system hoses refreshed, including the one that goes from the oil cooler to the block. The snap-fit connectors on many of them are really nice to work with. The PITA came with the heater hoses, which are tucked behind the engine on the driver's side and require small hands (which I don't have). Oh, and that firewall insulation is no joke. Gotta wear long sleeves and mechanic's gloves. Wore a KN95 mask as well because I don't want that stuff in my lungs.

 

I have the exact same problem with my 2008 SE. It started while I had a bad thermostat, so I assumed it was coolant related. I thought that maybe the truck had a transmission cooler, and it was slightly overheating so I had not used the LR2 much. Now that I finally got around to replacing the thermostat, I thought that the problem had gone away but after driving it a bit and bringing it up to temperature I started to notice the hard shifting again. It appears to only be around the low gears - from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to third. The hard shifting/clunk happens only when putting it on reverse. With all these common problems you'd think they'd be a recall but nothing.

Anyway, I suspect the transmission control valve, but it hasn't tripped any warning lights. Good luck, hope you find the problem!

 

Make sure that ALL of your motor mounts are good. If they haven't been replaced they're overdue at this point.

Also drain and flush your tranny with OEM aisin fluid ATF-04T (JWS3309 spec for 2008). Every 40k-50k miles.

Buy the Aisin branded fluid, way cheaper than the LR brand but same stuff. The tranny is made by Aisin.

That solved all of my rough shifting, 180K miles so far.

 

Getting there little by little. Got the water pump, A/C compressor, tensioner, belt and vacuum pump in. The heater hose set I had on hand contained 2 of the same hose so I had to order another. Tomorrow it will be the intake manifold, remaining hoses and the new radiator.

 

This is a good call. I did the three mount components on the pax side but I was going to skip the transmission mount shown in the picture above because it seems to be okay. But I bit the bullet and ordered a new OEM one this morning anyway since it's a relatively easy change.

 

I suspect you have TWO simultaneously occurring problems here. The TF81SC transmission was updated in 2010 to resolve most of the problems we're seeing with these older units (which are still quite reliable and durable), but for the units we have, the valve body is the source of many of the drivability issues we're seeing as they age. In particular, the hard shifting and bump-bump-bump hunting between the lower gears when the fluid is warm. The root cause is wear in the aluminum bores in the shifting and pressure control circuits in the valve body. The fix is either a full valve body repair that includes bore liners (not just a Transgo shift kit) that runs $400 plus shipping to/from Eastern Europe, or a factory new valve body for $900, shipped from the UK. Forget the ones "rebuilt" or "remanufactured" in China for $200 because they're a total scam, as I learned the hard way.

The other problem I think you're having with the clunk into reverse, is probably the transmission mount on the driver's side (below), or the isolator under the dog bone mount on the pax side.

https://parts.landroverpalmbeach.com...cvb_make_model

 

I'm not sure about the mount because it shifts into reverse very nicely up until the fluid warms up and I start having the other issues. Why are the Chinese ones a scam? Also, is it easy to remove the valve body? Is it just removing some bolts after removing the transmission oil pan?

 

See post #19 above regarding the scam valve body.

I wouldn't call it easy to remove the valve body, per se. Lots of stuff in the way to get to the transmission pan, but I can confirm that there is no need to drop the subframe as on some of the Volvos on this platform. Once you get the pan off, getting the valve body out is relatively easy. 8x 10mm bolts. Just gotta be careful with the wiring connectors because they're brittle and can break easily.

 

It’s alive!!! Today’s work was the intake manifold, coolant reservoir hose, heater hose, transmission cooler hose, new PS fluid reservoir, pax side motor mount, new radiator and all new fluids. Spent about 3 hours on it today in total. It really is a great runner - satisfying to get it all back together.


That motor mount under the dog bone on the pax side was really bad. Glad I have a new transmission mount on the way because I’m sure it’s bad too:



And check out that debris in the old power steering fluid reservoir:


Thanks to all of you who’ve blazed the trails for this stuff so I can read what you’ve done and learn. Great people here.