Defender 90 R380 Manual Gearbox Exchange

R380 Manual Gearbox Exchange for the Defender 90: a remanufactured R380 five speed with new bearings and synchromesh.

The transfer box splits drive between the axles and gives the low range that makes these vehicles what they are. The LT230 on the Defender, Discovery 1 and Discovery 2 is nearly unbreakable if it has oil in it and is routinely found without. The two speed units on the Discovery 3 and 4, the Sport and the Range Rover are electronically shifted and fail more often at the motor and the control module than in the gears, which is worth diagnosing before you buy a whole box. The 90 is the short wheelbase and the one that gets used hardest off road, so the parts on it are the ones we see worn out fastest.

Specification and fitment

• Fits: Defender 90, chassis code LD 90
• Engine: 200Tdi, 300Tdi, Td5, 2.4 and 2.2 Puma diesel
• Production dates: 1983 to 2016
• Quality: Remanufactured or New Unit
• Part number: cross referenced to the factory part number for your VIN and confirmed before dispatch, because supersessions on these vehicles are frequent and one printed number would be wrong for somebody
• The failure this addresses: jumping out of gear, crunching into second and worn layshaft bearings
• Labour time: about 8 hours
• Coding: none. This vehicle predates the modules that need it
• Also needed: a clutch if it is near the end, which saves doing the job twice
• Torque: factory figures
• Weight: about 60 kg
• Warranty: two years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first

What arrives

• Gearbox
• Gaskets
• Oil

Fitting

Labour guide: about 8 hours. Land Rover changes specification mid production, often by VIN rather than by model year, so send the VIN or the registration with the order and we confirm the part against the build data before anything leaves. It takes two minutes and it is the difference between a part that fits and a return. We are an independent Land Rover specialist and parts supplier. We are not Land Rover or Jaguar Land Rover and are not appointed by them; the model names are their trademarks and are used here to describe fitment. Everything we sell is chosen for vehicles that actually get used: towed with, loaded, driven through water and parked in fields, rather than for the brochure.

Which version to buy

Remanufactured is stripped to the casting, measured, rebuilt with new bearings seals and wear parts and rig tested, with a surcharge refunded on your old unit. New Unit is a brand new unit rather than an exchange, for when your old one is past rebuilding or you cannot be without the vehicle while we assess the core.