RR Classic Drivetrain

[simon285]

Hi

my classic 1989 has the usual worn drivetrain leading to the clonk powering off and on, nothing actually broken.

I was thinking of looking to change a few things in a logical step to get rid of it.

But have been told even from factory they clonk when taking up power and off power ( mines a manual which makes it worse)

Have been told to change the transfer box then diffs in that order but is there any point if it is still going to clonk!! Will it improve much? has anybody done this drivetrain overhaul to any great affect and did it improve things?
it would be good to find somebody with alow mileage or freshly changed transfer and diffs in manual to try it out to see how little they can clonk compared to mine to see if its worth doing or not

Many thanks

Simon

[onslow]

I owned a 28000 mile RRover it clonked,waste of time trying to rectify it, its just the way they are,sell it get a newer one if it annoys you.

[Irvin]

I've owned my '92 Rover Classic for 2 yrs. 128,000 miles when purchased. Rover clonked going into gear(automatic). Current mileage 159,000. Transfer case was replaced 15,000 miles ago, NO MORE clonk going into gear.Other wierd drivetrain noises are gone also. Borg Warner REman. Go for it Simon!!

[simon285]

Hi

Irvin

was your clonking like it was a slack/loose drivetrain? and the new transfer box sorted it out ok?

many thanks

[StrangeRover]

Seems that this particular 'clonk' was indeed transmission related.
By far the most common cause of this type of noise with the classic RR is not the drive-train at all but the upper A frame balljoint mounted on top of the back axle. Check here first before spending mega-bucks on gearboxes, transfer boxes and the like.
While the joint is quite cheap, removing the old one ranks as one of the worst jobs you will ever perform. Don't expect the old one to fall out! If you are paying by the hour to have it replaced you should consider replacing the forging too. It may be cheaper. If you have a self-leveller fitted chances are that the ball joints on that need replacing at the same time! Hope this helps someone.