Reconditioned Land Rover Gearbox

4 Land Rover models, two contrasting usage patterns: what this means for the gearbox

A Defender tows, climbs and spins its wheels on loaded off-road terrain. A Freelander or a Range Rover Evoque is driven mainly on the road, sometimes in town, with short journeys and car-park ramp manoeuvres. A Discovery combines long motorway runs with towing. These different uses place very different demands on the gearbox: synchromesh wear, fork fatigue, play at the axle output — the symptoms and the parts affected vary from one vehicle to the next. The eight references on this page cover Defender, Freelander, Range Rover Evoque and Discovery, all diesel, from 2007 to 2019.

Seven engine codes across four engines: the critical identification point

The engines featured in this section — 2.2 TD4, 2.5 Td5, 2.0 TD4 and 2.4 TD4 — span seven distinct engine codes: 224DT, DW12BTED4, 15P, 204DT, 204DTD, 204DTA and 244DT. The same engine capacity, such as the 2.0 TD4, can correspond to different codes depending on the generation and market, and may therefore require a gearbox that is mechanically incompatible with another unit of the same displacement. The Freelander 2 in 2.2 TD4 (224DT or DW12BTED4 depending on model year) and the Range Rover Evoque in 2.0 TD4 (204DT, 204DTD or 204DTA) are a perfect illustration of this pitfall: identical engine capacity does not guarantee interchangeability. Checking the engine code on the vehicle before placing any order is the only way to avoid a mismatched fitment.

5- and 6-speed manuals: two families, specific applications

The gearboxes listed here are exclusively manual, split between 5-speed and 6-speed. The Defender, designed for intensive use with a transfer case and power take-off, takes a 5-speed gearbox on Td5 versions (codes 15P, 244DT); the move to the more recent TD4 engines is accompanied by a 6-speed gearbox. The Freelander and the Evoque are covered in 6-speed. These gearboxes are available on an exchange basis or as a rebuild of the customer's own unit, depending on the reference — the two options do not apply to the same vehicles within this catalogue, so availability should be checked by reference.