Lost all drive and park !

Hi guys been lurking for a while ,my friend has a classic rr 1989 , it was a v8 petrol now has a 300tdi with auto box ,new years day it stranded us on a lane ,we changed from low to high as normal and 10 seconds later it just stopped moving , it has no gears at all and when you select park (whilst running) horrible graunching noise (bit tinny) sound is heard .

So we had a nose at it today , there is a thick adapter plate fitted between the box and the engine so im asuming its the petrol gearbox , small insp plate under the torque converter removed and you can see the parts are turning (using crank pully) torque converter looks brand new ! . the oil is loverly and red/pink and correct level .
The speedo needle does not move in any gear when revved ,is there a common problem related to this ,that any of you kind folks could shed some light on , would be most appreciated as were at a loss
the lane were were on was a bit boggy but flat and not a strain at all ,i cannot find an insp cover on the transfer box to check that like the one on my disco . ( sorry if in the wrong section ,im a noob)

OOps forgot to mention when the rr is switched off and select park ,this does not stop the rr rolling away ,it just pushes with ease in park

obviously transfer box not engaged, motor/electronics

Druim said:

obviously transfer box not engaged, motor/electronics

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i didnt realize it could be electronic on an old 1989 car hmm , where would i have to look to start with ? from the top under the center console ? or transfer box removal ? thx for the reply

Not an expert on this, but you may have busted the primary chain in the transfer box. It can give those symptoms.

West Slope Rover said:

Not an expert on this, but you may have busted the primary chain in the transfer box. It can give those symptoms.

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There was a small clunck as it stopped drive ,it was only 5-10 mph and very low revs ,i think its safe to say the transfer box needs to come out and be checked over

if it borg warner t/box several things can happen ,chain ,epicyclic( which gives hi/lo) unit, rear output shaft often all drive is lost when this goes if v/c has been seized and bust diff or shaft etc in front axle hasnt been noticed, or it just in neutral , if theres no restriction of gear box by wheels park will rattle as you engage it as theres no drag on box to stop it turning

jamesmartin said:

if it borg warner t/box several things can happen ,chain ,epicyclic( which gives hi/lo) unit, rear output shaft often all drive is lost when this goes if v/c has been seized and bust diff or shaft etc in front axle hasnt been noticed, or it just in neutral , if theres no restriction of gear box by wheels park will rattle as you engage it as theres no drag on box to stop it turning

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Ah im understanding it a bit better now ,thankyou james ,is this chain a service part or diy fixable on a bench ,or is it a case of just swapping it with a replacement unit ? we are both capable with cars and have a small equiped workshop ,we like to fix and reuse whenever possible

Festerer said:

Ah im understanding it a bit better now ,thankyou james ,is this chain a service part or diy fixable on a bench ,or is it a case of just swapping it with a replacement unit ? we are both capable with cars and have a small equiped workshop ,we like to fix and reuse whenever possible

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box is very well designed and not difficult t repair ,we used to build them in 20 minutes with all parts clean and ready to go ,check cause before removing it rear shaft just comes off with rear out put housing with box in situ ,you should be able to see linkage with console removed its not unkown for linkage to snap or seize, by rotating an output flange you should fel whether its chain or not

Im assuming if the rear out put spins freely after removing the rear prob ,that would be an indication the chain was broken ?

mine did the same thing a few months ago...i thought it was the chain...but after removeing the transfer case and takeing it apart...it was a striped spline that goes to the drive shaft ..the chain is pretty bad ass ...dont think it will break....i replaced my transfer case with another...used one....wasnt the easyest of replacements...but not the hardest eather...if you do replace yours...and you viscous coupler is still good rermove it and keep it...it is in the front drive shaft houseing....on my replacement unit it is locked up...good luck

you might all be wrong..

all depends on what transferbox you got..

if you got lt230..non bw then its the output extension shaft of gearbox and input gear of transferbox ####ed..
easy fix, can be done insitu..id transferbox and ring ashcroft for parts..(take rear inspection plate off, pull out gear, unbolt output shaft extension..replace done, )

once done drop oil in transferbox..ALSO buy from ashcrofts oil splash plate to stop happening again..

zen said:

you might all be wrong..

all depends on what transferbox you got..

if you got lt230..non bw then its the output extension shaft of gearbox and input gear of transferbox ####ed..
easy fix, can be done insitu..id transferbox and ring ashcroft for parts..(take rear inspection plate off, pull out gear, unbolt output shaft extension..replace done, )

once done drop oil in transferbox..ALSO buy from ashcrofts oil splash plate to stop happening again..

Click to expand...

the parts are sourceable any where including oil feed plate

wow i guess your right it does depend on the type you have...i would have been talking about a bw..

Hi there again folks ! Happy to report back ,having spent a few days stripping the transfer box out ,messing around with it and replacing it its now rolling again , the chain inside hadnt broke it was a spline that had stripped .(as suggested above ,thank you)
The car was a v8 and converted to 300 tdi by a PO , using an adapter plate thus keeping the old 1989 BW box ,the vc on the front seemed to be good (clamped in a vice and used a bar to test the movement ) .
A local breakers had a complete transfer box identical to the one we needed on the shelf for £80 so we bought it and fitted . Happy days

Thanks all for the advice no doubt saved us ££ and hours of head scratching

Now whats the biggest tyres i can fit ....................... :boom: haha