Disco gear problem

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone will be able to help me!

I have a '53 reg Discovery, just over 100,000 miles. I am having a problem with the gears which the garage have never heard of.

It is fine when just doing short trips, heavy going into gear when it's cold but definitely driveable. I drive 40 miles round the M25 to work each day, once it's sat in 5th for that time it gets stuck. I can usually get it out of gear, but then it won't go back in - if I wait a minute it goes into a gear (usually 3rd) then I can get it moving, a few minutes later it is driving normally again. It's had the gearbox flushed out and refilled with the correct oil (approx four weeks ago)

It seems to have something to do with the low ratio gearbox - I park on a hill, which 4 weeks ago was very wet so was using LR to get off, now it's very icy so I've been using low ratio to get off the hill and out onto the main road. Between these two LR uses, it has been fine. Dad had a similar problem last year when he took it to Scotland, but didn't use low ratio at all...

any help or suggestions VERY gratefully received.

Thank you.

Release bearings?

Can you explain? I'm no car expert

Read this...it could be bearings/fork..

Does your clutch move freely?

Release Bearing

Thank you! The clutch moves freely, it does occasionally "whirr" for a few seconds just after it's started (ie first gear change of the day), it's done this ever since it was new thought.

Probably the nylon Cup which sits at the bottom of the gearstick selector and holds the metal ball which the bottom of the gearstick moves in.Not an uncommon fault,strip down and regrease but u may have to remove center console to do job.

Thanks for your advice Jon, but would that not make the problem happen all the time? I'm showing my ignorance here, but I just don't know!

What happens is that on a longish run on a motorway,heat from the gearbox causes the nylon cup on the bottom of the gearlever to bind and make it difficult to move.Once it cools down normal movement returns.Are these your symptoms?.R380 boxes are fairly notchey when cold.

Yes, spot on....as long as cooling down happens very quickly? ie once it does it's locking thing, literally a minute later it's driving totally normally.