Update:
Got the LR3 back from the shop, great job done, noise is gone, I have the old transfer case back, and plan to open it to see what was going on there.


Hi guys,

New to the forum, and recently I got my first LR3, 05 HSE, has 135k miles on it. Everything was checked out fine, never offroaded by PO.

This week I heard some whining drivetrain noise. Replaced front and rear diff oil and tranfer case oil (all oem), the noise persists. Took it to the shop and found out it was the transfer case.

I really like the car and wanna fix it, so here are my options:
1. Used transfer case from junk yard or Ebay, $500-$700- no warranty
2. Rebuilt. Roverland ($2300, 12 months warranty) or Centurion ($3000, 18 months warranty)
3. Brand new ($3200, 12 month warranty)

Currently I lean to Roverland for the price. But I heard some bad review of their diff. Any opnion on the T case? or what you guys would recommend?

Also 7-10 hrs labor sounds right?

 

Ouch. I don't know....if you can find one at a yard and maybe run some oil through it as a flush and then install it; if it's low miles, not sure why you wouldn't do that and save a gob of money. You can buy three of 'em for the price of one rebuilt from Roverland!

Now, that's the pragmatic side of me. If it were me specifically I'd probably curse a lot and buy a brand new one. I have had my LR3 since new and I just may wind up being buried in it. So, I like to re-fresh parts as they go out and keep it running like it did in June 2005.

 

If you're adventurous and/or a DIY kind of guy you could always buy a used one and rebuild your old transfer box. Then, if you ever have problems in the future, just swap in the rebuilt unit. See below:

Magna Steyr DD295 Transfer Box Teardown

 

That post definately helps to understand what's going on inside, but I guess I ll let a shop do it. When I used the stethoscope to listen to it in the shop, it was really loud in the front corner of the TC, I assume that was the some $10 bearing he mentioned.

Another question, how much life the TC will have since making such noises? I have put on like 200 miles on it since noticing the noise, and have to drive it 40 miles to a shop I trust to do the job.

 

there is a guy or gal parting out a range rover sport in the Miami area. Listed it on Craigslist. There are some shops in the LA area, Elite is one of them, that have a number of LR3s. You may be able to get a better price. There is also one at La Paz in San Diego. Good luck. Phil

 

I'd go for the Centurion Aside from that a used one from anywhere but roverland would be worth considering.

The hours seem a bit high for the change out. Ask for the hours from the flat rate from the place you got the Centurion quote.

 

Can you describe your problems or the noise in some more detail, and how exactly was the problem verified? What did the three fluids look like when you changed them?

I too changed all my fluids last night, but the front diff fluid is obviously bad ie. failing front diff so logically I should start there, however there's a lot of noise when I'm at part-throttle that totally goes away when I remove throttle, sounds more towards middle of vehicle so.... perhaps mine's going too?

Fluid color was dark red, no magnetic drain so who knows.. didn't seem TOO bad for 93k miles.

 

Mine has a "machine whining" noise, most noticeable between 25-55 mph. The best way to detect it is to put it on the rack and let somebody drive it, then use stethoscope to find what's making noise. When they do that make sure pull the fuse F26E out, so the suspension compressor wont mess up. I thought mine was front diff, but turned out to be the T case.

One thing Im different from you is the noise will NOT change if I remove throttle, full throttle, or even put in netrual, it's only speed sensitive. So I was sure mine was not engine or transmission. My fluid were all really dirty

 

Be sure to turn off the AC when doing this diagnosis. Mine has a distinct whine to it, I'm expecting it to fail but would like to pick up a good used one if possible before it does.

How did you resolve this, have you done something, or just tolerating the noise for now?

 

It was not the AC. 2 shops confirmed it was the transfer case, output bearing to be specific.

I made an appointment with a reputable local shop to swap a used one, because they have 6 month part and labor warranty. It will be dropped off next week, and I ll report the results.