Anybody got any ideas on this problem?

I got a defender 90 2.5td 1988,LT77 gearbox.

I cannot select 1st or 2nd gears without a real wrestling match (if youre lucky) 3rd,4th,5th & reverse no probs,90% of time.

Would this be the clutch gone a bollok? or something more drastic?

If it is the clutch,any rough ideas on a price?

To be honest i love landys but have had it up to my back teeth with em,if this problem is serious ,it will be the last landy i own,bloody things.

Hope somebody can help me with this.

Ok, firstly, do not wrestle with the gears, you will cause more damage.

I would suspect your syncro rings are possibly knacked. Is your master cylinder up to speed, I had a similar issue a few weeks ago, turned out to be the push rod was not engaing on the the clutch pedal arm immediatly, so it ended up I was only getting 50% of the travel the push rod should have been getting.

Is there any play on the clutch pedal before it meets any resistance?

If so, take the cover off the clutch box, and move the nuts along the push rod, so as soon as the pedal is pushed it works.

Is the cylinder leaking? Is the slave leaking? Is there plenty fluid in the resevior.

If you are happy the clutch is up to speed, then I would suspect the box. Check its got enough oil in it. http://www.difflock.com/servicing/5speed-oilchange/5speed-oilchange.shtml see this page for details if required.

Then if all these things fail, its a gearbox issue. Is it the original box? Find someone who can do boxes and get them to sort it.

Hey up Matto. Where you been?

Clutch £60-£80. Gearbox £375-£400. £200ish labour to take the gearbox and transfer box out.

Plenty of places do recon boxes do an internet search for somewhere local.

It's easy enough to do it yourself, If your competent with spanners. you will need lifting gear to lower the boxes to the ground.

Hi.
Thanks for help chaps.
There doesnt seem to be any leaks,the fluid level was a touch low,needed about a cup full to bring it up to the mark,theres no slack in the pedal,but i tweaked the pedal adjuster screw in a bit.
It seems to select gears fine when not moving but with engine running,will give it a run in the morning before any traffic is around and see.
Will keep you posted,or should i say will ask for more help.
Great link on how to change gear oil,just wish weather was a bit warmer so i could do it.

Grunt,old pal.
I have been busy doin me other addiction,out with my shotguns shooting pigeons,to which my landy is a major tool,driving around fields.

Once again,many thanks,hope it is something simple and cheap,i dont want any stick off my mate with his mitsubishi pajero.cocky git.

most likely the 1st/2nd synchromesh - I had the same thing with a '93 RR 200tdi & LT77box with only 83k miles.

You can do it yourself Landrover stock the parts the synchro was about £150 3yrs ago. It took me about 48hrs in total time as a diy effort working on my drive to remove it and in my garage to overhaul it [I'm an engineer]. Apart from the normal spanners & hammers - you'll need bearing pullers, a transmission cradle type jack, dial test indicator, workshop manual and I would guess its easier with a helper.
In hindsight I would find a local mechanic/expert as although it is possible, the job is heavy work and then requires precision and cleanliness. And if you get it wrong you could have the box back in the vehicle before the fault is known

Well i went out for a drive this morning and every thing was fine,nice smooth gear changes,well as smooth as they get in a landy,so fingers crossed,but i suspect sods law will strike when im in heavy rush hour traffic .
That cup full of clutch fluid must of done the trick,i hope.

Yes, I think it sounds like your clutch was not properly disengaging, dragging a little and causing the problems you were having.

A cup is quite a lot of fluid to top up. If you experience any other problems, check this level again, and bleed the system, it may come back for a few gear changes then go again, this will be a air in the system problem.

Perhaps worth checking the pipes & replacing the master & slave seals - sealions are better but will run away with your beach ball.