Learning to drive a car is not always unproblematic, and occasionally it may seem like a good solution to select an automatic Land Rover Defender, if it’s for simple convenience or ease of use, this sort of transmission is becoming more and more prevailing. However, while they might seem like the best solution, there may possibly also be problems with the automatic gearboxes of your Land Rover Defender . This is exactly the theme of our content. First, we’ll briefly describe the different types of automatic gearboxes, then, in a second step, which problems you may possibly face with the gearbox of your Land Rover Defender , and, at last, how to solve them.

problem-automatic-transmission-land-rover-defender

The different kind of automatic gearbox of a Land Rover Defender

.
Gearboxes have the advantage of being known to be solid, as you don’t need to use your clutch pedal and everything is electronically and mechanically controlled there will be no early wear of your clutch or other components that could be put to the test by misuse on your part.
However, depending on the sort of automatic transmission your Land Rover Defender is equipped with you will have more or less reliability, we will present them to you now:

  • Classic automatic gearbox: It will use a torque converter, which will manage the gear changes, it’s the oldest technology, it has evolved a lot in the last decades (more gears and a better management of the gear changes).
  • Robotized automatic gearbox: This is a manual gearbox with a robotized system that will replace the driver’s action. This sort of gearbox is less and less general because they are considered very slow. We also quite often feel a coupling during deceleration.
  • Dual-clutch automatic transmission: This is the greatest automatic transmission, it functions on the same principle as the robotic transmission, but thanks to its dual clutch, you won’t have any more problems with slow speeds or increased fuel consumption. They are often fitted on luxury models.
  • Continuously variable automatic box: It is the same concept as on a scooter, a variator will come to control the differences between acceleration and motor speed, they are especially slow and often be unresponsive during the acceleration phases of your Land Rover Defender.

.

I’m having problems with the automatic transmission on my Land Rover Defender

We now start the part that absolutely attracts you the most in this article, what are the problems you may encounter with the automatic transmission of your Land Rover Defender? As explained above, generally speaking they are more reliable than manual transmissions, nevertheless, here are the main problems you may face:

  • As explained above, no matter what sort of automatic gearbox, they are quite often known to be slow and have inertia when accelerating. However, this phenomenon is supposed to occur only when the car is started, not when it is launched. If it feels like it happens constantly, the clutch or converter is most likely dead.
  • I have the impression that a gear in the automatic transmission of my Land Rover Defender no longer shifts or jumps: If you have the impression that your gears no longer shift or often jump on your Land Rover Defender, there is a part that is most likely to blame for this failure. In actual fact, the solenoid that acts as a “switch” to engage the gears must not be functioning effectively, second option, a speed or engine unit speed sensor may be defective and send the wrong information to your gearbox.
  • If you experience drops coming from the automatic gearbox of your Land Rover Defender: If you experience a clutch when you go up or when you slow down, it is either your oil which is too old and which does not lubricate any more adequately all the mechanisms of your gearbox, or else a sensor which gives bad info

    • .

  • My Land Rover Defender’s automatic transmission is leaking: At last, if your Land Rover Defender’s automatic transmission is leaking, it’s most probably one of your spy seals is too worn.

How do I fix automatic transmission problems on a Land Rover Defender?

And finally, we’re going to try to give you the methods to correct the automatic transmission problems on your Land Rover Defender . Find them below:

  • Oil leak on the automatic gearbox of a Land Rover Defender: Locate the source of the leak, and replace the concerned gasket, get it conducted by a specialist, opening a gearbox is not easy. It will cost you a few hundred euros, specifically for the labour. Do not think twice to read our content on gearbox oil leaks on Land Rover Defender.
  • Sensor problem: No matter which sensor is concerned, a replacement is the only solution, sensors do not repair themselves, you should count from 100 to a few hundred euros according to the difficulty of access to the one that concerns you.
  • Couplings: If you have problems with the couplings on your Land Rover Defender, you will only need to do a whole gearbox change to gain comfort and preserve your gears.
  • The automatic gearbox of my Land Rover Defender slips: In such a case, you most certainly have a dead clutch disc, you will have to change the clutch, and on some models you won’t have the ability to change it without doing a standard exchange of the gearbox, be prepared to spend more than a thousand euros.

There are other automatic transmission problems on Land Rover Defender, such as electronic problems or pressure problems, but this list lists the main ones, in any case, for such difficult mechanisms. Once you feel a problem on this level, we recommend you to go quickly to your mechanic.

If you wish more tutorials on the Land Rover Defender, go to our Land Rover Defender category.