Gearboxes
Manual
When introduced the P6 was only available with a four speed manual transmission.
Early gearboxes have a roller bearing on the selector shaft which
makes gear selection difficult
The manual gearbox fitted to 3500S' is essentially a beefed up 2000
gearbox with an oil pump driven by the output shaft.
The gearbox is one of the weak points of the 3500S as most of the
cars have been driven hard it is not uncommon for first gear teeth to
be stripped.
The 2000 gearboxes tend to last well and the most common faults are noisy gears due to bearing failiure and clutch drag going into reverse.
Don't be put off by a difficulty to engage reverse, this is quite common and is generally caused by mal-adjustment of the clutch operating lever.
In 1966 the Rover 2000 was available with a Borg Warner 35 gearbox. This is the most underpowered of all the P6 range. Normal checks for operation and condition should be made. ie, Check the condition of fluid, it should be a translucent cherry red. If it is pink suspect water contamination, if it is brown either the clutch plates or brake band are disintergrating. If it smells of rotten eggs the fluid has boiled either through overworking the gearbox or allowing the fluid level to fall. In either case a full rebuild will be required at a cost of around £400. Other things to be wary of are the flexi drive plate ( to which the torque converter is bolted ) snapping. This is usually caused by thumpy gearchanges which make the crank thrust washer fall out and allowing too much backlash in the drivetrain. If this occurs you should replace the thrust washer as well as the drive plate. The later 2200 Auto also uses the same gearbox.
Originally the 3500 was only available in automatic form, it shares the same gearbox as the 2000 but with differences to the input and output shafts and the output extension housing. The same checks should be made as for the 2000/2200. The BW 35 gearbox has quite a thumpy gearchange due to the clutch pistons having very little travel between being on and off.
After 1973 Rover fitted the Borg Warner 65 gearbox this has a much smoother change and is generally thought to be more robust. Again the same checks should be made.
Need Help check out our AutoBox fault finder chart.