Guys my post was meant in humour, there just happened to a bunch of posts right after mine correcting me, I am enough (barely) of an adult to take a correction of information in stride.

 

 

wife bought this on line 6mths ago. 2002 Disco 2 154000miles while driving it is making a consistant clacking-clicking noise from front end?

 

welcome and consider making a thread just for your issue. Very vague but stop driving it until you can confirm the front driveshaft is okay and the front diff and transfercase have fluid in them.

 

It's absolutely a PITA, but once you've addressed the issue you'll likely never have to fool with the cover again, so I'm not sure it's worth the effort to make a flat cover. If did want to do it, it shouldn't be complicated. You can fix the current issue either by removing the solenoid from the cover altogether and reinstalling the empty cover or by cutting the plunger off the solenoid and reinstalling the cover with the modified-solenoid. If you opt for removing the solenoid altogether, I'd think once you remove the solenoid from the cover you could either (a) modify the existing cover (I'm thinking dremel with a metal cutting wheel and some steel-stick or other metal "welding" product to get it back together after removing some of the height) or (b) just trace the dimensions and the location of the bolt holes onto some appropriate sheet metal and make a new one.

Another note . . . if you've got the center console removed, all the shifters out of your way, and have drilled out the rivets holding the metal base in place so that you have good access to the top of the transfer case, now would be a great time to add a CDL cable and shifter if that's something you want to do and you don't mind ponying up the cash for the parts. It's a worthwhile upgrade, and it sounds like you've already done most of the work.

 

Thanks for the help. I removed the solenoid and it was bad but the thing is still gummed up but a little better. When I get the CDL cable I will remove the arm assembly on the t case and clean it real well. Thats probably whats still gumming it up.

 

Found an 04 linkage and hooked up the CDL. It works but still won't shift between hi and lo. While I had it apart I removed the selector housing and it was functioning perfectly. Not gummed at all. The original interlock was removed and the updated one works perfect. Cleaned everything like crazy. Still it won't shift between hi and lo. Moves about a half inch but no more. Starting to worry it's something internal in the t case.

 

The T-case is pretty durable. . . It’s probably the one part of a Disco-II I have the most confidence in, but things can still go wrong. Replacing a t-case isn’t the worst job in the world, and there’s a LR workshop manual specifically for the LT230 if you think it’s necessary to rebuild something internally, but I don’t know if you’re there yet.

I’m a little unsure of your current setup. Did you delete the interlock solenoid from the top of the transfer case, or did you remove the original and replace it with another? If you replaced it, how do you know the new one is working properly in the truck … did you bench test it or test it when plugged into truck? Did you ever try shifting the T-case back into high with the interlock solenoid completely removed?

if you sourced a new high-low shifter and CDL cable from an ‘04, did you remove the interlock solenoid from the shifter assembly? I believe it was in ‘02 LR stopped putting the interlock solenoid on the top of the transfer case and started putting it in the shifter assembly. If you have a new shifter from an ‘04, which allows you to install and actuate the CDL cable, the interlock solenoid in the shifter assembly will prevent you from shifting as well - unless it has been removed. The pictures show a high-low shifter from an ‘04. That empty space in the shifter assembly housed an interlock solenoid before I removed it.

Others may feel differently, but, if you’re confident you know how/when to shift to-and-from high and low, I think the solenoids are more trouble than they’re worth. Ever since the first one went bad in my first Disco, I’ve removed all of them.

 

I removed the original solenoid on top of the t case and capped it off. Problem persisted. Removed the selector shaft housing because I figured it was gummed up and needed cleaning. It was perfectly fine. As was all linkage on the new assembly. The '04 linkage has the updated solenoid on the shifter which I tested and it works perfect. Figure I'll leave it in since its not hard to get to if/when it goes bad. Other than the shifter fork on the selector shaft being bent I cant think of what else to try. My next move will probably be to remove the access plate on the bottom of the tcase and see if anything looks damaged on the selector collar or dog gear. I am not trying to do a full rebuild and I know pulling the t case isnt that bad. I can get the one from the linkage donor pretty cheap I am sure. Cant be worse than trying to get to the bolts on the interlock solenoid anyway. Freakin PITA.

 

Got it. Sounds like you’ve identified the next most logical/practical steps, but it would have to be some epically bad luck for any of those things to have happened between a test drive and getting it home. Welcome to the world of Rovers!

I’ll be interested to hear what you find.