Transmission Problem

I have a 1996 Discovery TDi which has devloped a transmission problem which I hope someone can diagnose.

Whilst doing a three point turn yesterday, I lost all drive. The gearbox is fine and selects all ratios as normal, but no drive is transmitted to the wheels. The only unusual noise is a slight (an intermittent) graunching when in fourth and fifth - the engine still revs freely however.

The only way to get any drive is to lock the diff - front and rear axles are both getting power with the diff locked, and the transmission winds up as you'd expect. Turning right is more difficult than left - at low speeds, the wheel sometimes wouldn't move more than half a turn at most, but otherwise as you would expect if you had to drive with the diff locked. Driving in a straight line is fine with no nasty noises etc.

There had been a little transmission noise the previous time I had used it, but only when turning at low speeds - I put this down to low oil in the front diff (looks like the seals have gone, as oil is leaking from the swivel-joint area). I haven't had a chance to have a good look underneath but nothing is obviously broken or damaged.

Is this a centre diff problem?

Thanks in advance.

Good luck getting a reply here mate. I posted a transmission problem question weeks ago and not even an acknowledgment. So perhaps the knowledge just isn't here. Where are you?


I had overheating problems on an auto transmission, fixed it myself with new tranny fluid, new filter, and new temperature sender, just to cover the various failure options, and only wanted to get under the car once, hence the gearbox service, and replacement of sender in one hit.

Is yours manual? If its not, and it is automatic, then check the transmission fluid level, as when it's low, you'll loose all drive until its topped up. Hope I'm on the right thread for you here. If it's low, it will take only .25 to .33 of a litre to get from the low mark to high mark, according to my info, so don't think it needs too much to top it up. If it's manual transmission then speak to your local landy dealer for advice. They'll usually give you a quick oppinion.

Hope this helps.
Chris.

Go over to Difflock.com - wealth of experience there.