I have been checking out the message boards for help with my Discovery I, and I have some ideas of what is wrong, but need some more help.

I was backing out of the garage about 6 months ago and when I put it in drive I heard a loud clanking noise and the disco would not move; when I put it in park I heard a grinding noise and what sounded like marbles spinning. I assumed that it was the transmission that went. So I parked it and tried to sell for parts, no takers. I am starting a new job next week and need a vehicle, so I decided to get it fixed. Now I had two people come by and check it out while it was at home, I thought they knew what they were talking about so I listened to them when they said that I needed a new transmission. So I had the transmission replaced with a used one. I did not install it myself.

When I picked it up it will only drive when the transfer case is in the locked position. If I unlock the transfer it doesn't move and I hear the same marble like noise when I put it in park. Does this sound like I may have replaced a good transmission in the first place?

The next issue that I have is while driving in the locked position I have some trouble turning the wheel to the left sometimes, and I noticed what looks like oil around the driver’s side tire, and I hear a whining noise. The power steering box is new and the fluid level is topped off.

Some people have said that it is the CV joint. If so was this the problem from the beginning?

I would appreciate whatever thoughts you may have.

Randy

 

I would stop locking/unlocking your CDL till you figure out your marbles/no drive issue. Have someone get in the truck while you look under the truck and watch. Have the helper attempt to drive forward. What happens? They should both spin and the truck should move forward. It sounds like you have a drivetrain issue. Either in the Transfer Case, driveshaft(s), or differential. You need to get under there and figure it out.

 

I did do that, the front drive shaft spins, rear does not move. When it's put in park i hear the noise then it stops spinning.

 

1.Where are you?

2. Yes you replaced a good tranny.

3.The more you try to drive it with the CDL locked, the more damage you will cause.

4. Download the RAVE from one of the free downloads in other's signature.

5. With CDL unlocked, the t/c is attempting to move both drive shafts. The one that is spinning may have a bad ujoint, the t/c could be damaged, or your front diff may be screwed up. All the power goes to the path of least resistance, that is why the rear is not moving.

6. When you lock the CDL, it is sending the power to the one that works, which from your description, sounds like the reare is the one doing all the work. However, more damage is occuring every foot you drive it.

7. You may be lucky and have minimal damage but I would not bet on it.

8. You may have damaged so many things that you have to consider the economic feasability of what to do next.

9. Since you already dumped a good bit of money so far, if you cannot do a lot yourself, the cost of having it done probably is more than a better one would cost you. I hate to sound so negative, but I do not want to say Oh, you can take care of it real cheap either.

Hope this was helpful in some way. If you can do a lot yourself, you may be OK. It will at least be very educational as you will be exposed to a tremendous challenge and may actually benefit from the experience.

 

I appreciate the honesty. I have not driven too far and will not again till i get the problem fixed. I am located in West Palm Beach, FL.

Someone else told me it sounds like a CV Joint, there is a good amount of grease and gunk on the drivers side front wheel. could this be the problem? is there a way to know for sure

This has definately been a learning experience. i am usually pretty handy, but i think i diagnosed something i knew very little about.

 

#5 of what Danny Boy said. Sounds like your front diff is toast.
Easy check: Loosen the fill plug on your front diff. Then pull the drain plug and drain the gear oil into a clean pan. See how many big chunks of metal come out. If none, refill with 2 quarts. But I'm betting you'll get a lot of chunkage.

 

You could try removing the front drive shaft completely, lock the CDl and you will have a rear wheel drive vehicle that may get you to work and back for a short while as it is.

Definitely drain both diffs and see what comes out. You can pull the cover off the bottom of the center diff and see how badly chewed up it may be.

 

By removing the front drive shaft, it will be safe to drive? Also, after removing it, the transfer case must be locked to move, but since there is no drive shaft it will be ok to drive on dry pavement.

Sorry if these are dumb questions, i'm just second guessing myself lately and need some feedback.

Thanks,

 

Removing the driveshaft does not mean it will be safe to drive. It depends what the problem is.
Did you drain the diff oil to inspect for chunks?

If you do remove the front driveshaft you will need to lock the TC to move the truck. You can drive this way on dry pavement with no ill side effects. Just be sure to unlock it when you put the front shaft back in.

Seriously though, before you go dropping driveshafts drain the diff oil. Check for chunks of.metal. Peek in through the drain and fill plugs and look for teeth missing on the gears. Your diff may be shot, but it you drain the metal chunks out you may be able to drop the front shaft and drive on it till you can repair/replace it.

 

I have someone replacing the CV joint tomorrow, if that doesn't fix the problem, i will remove the driveshaft and when i do that i will try and drain the diff. The plugs look like they are really rusted, not sure if i will even be able to remove them.