So my D2 has been going into limp mode more often lately, as a result I changes my battery, flushed my tranny of its 2 month old fluid, put a new filter in as well as changed all the gaskets. Car seemed to be doing fine after this. Recently this last week I took it on a long drive to Moab Utah, the car did great all the way to Moab from northern Idaho. never went into limp mode and never shifted hard. when in Moab it had a very hard shift one morning and went into limp mode immediately afterwards. On the long drive home (in limp mode M & S flashing) the car had an extraordinarily hard shift as it tried to shift while in limp mode...? subsequently the car's drive line disengaged from the transmission somehow.. just my initial diagnoses, the car would not move forward or backward in any gear and when moved from P on the gearshift into any of the positions on the gear selector the car makes a very disconcerting metallic grinding noise like a piece of the transmission is disconnected from the drive system... i have heard that going into limp can often be caused by low power flow from the battery, ie bad grounding or possible loose connection to the terminals, or the XYZ switch being loose or faulty. however i think my problem has unfortunately gotten to the next level since the car's tranny won't engage and move the vehicle in any gear...

any help or advice is greatly appreciated as I am stranded in salt lake city until i can figure this issue out.

 

Questions with questions sorry!
First --The grinding noise is the parking pawl inside the transmission trying to engage when you select park "P". That is normal and it tells me you have lost drive from the input of the Transfer case back to the axles.

Question?
Are the two propeller shafts connected?
The front prop has a propensity to detach itself if neglected. Slither under the truck and physically inspect both of them at the transfer case..If they are connected get an assistant to select a gear and see if any of the propellor shafts are turning?

T/V

 

T/V: the prop shafts aren't turning although I am having a hard time telling if they are connected (likely not since they aren't moving right) and the noise I was describing is coming from the transmission and is likely the parking Paul however It only makes this noise when in a gear not when in P.

 

OK
If I get your drift----You can select a gear but if you move to park you then get a grinding noise! If this is correct then the running gear inside the transmission is spinning according to the selection in a free wheeling sense and by then selecting "park" position the parking pawl is rattling over the square segments of the output shaft making the grinding racket. Remember the transfer case and drive line keeps this shaft stationary until it takes up the drive..

If the prop shafts are connected and they will not turn when you select a gear then you have a major failure either somewhere in the output of the transmission shaft or inside the transfer case.

For grins and giggles you could remove the drain plug from the t/case with drain tray and see if there is any oil in there. Since it is a magnetic plug you might even see big chunks of metal on it.
T/V

 

Well the opposite really if I start the vehicle without shifting from park then it doesn't make this noise. It starts when I shift from park to reverse, neutral, drive,1,2,3 and continues less enthusiastically when I shift back to park.

It does look like the main gasket of the t case was leaking for some time unattended however there was no fresh oil leaking out. I'll crack the t case in the morning and see what I find.

Until then any other input is invaluable and greatly appreciated!!

 

OK with that clarification, if you apply the parking brake firmly and select a gear you should be able to identify the general area of the noise emission--transmission main case or transfer case.

Either sounds expensive
T/V

 

Transmission is the source of the noise without a doubt. And yea sounds expensive is right man! I'm ballparking like 2000 with labor and parts to get it Rollin again.

Thanks for the info!

 

Yes that is about 13 hour job to R' n R and not the sort of thing to do on the roadside; but I have tackled bigger tasks as a field service tech on big trucks in the ME in a previous life.

A good take out would be anywhere from 750 to $1000 and seeing you are from Northern Idaho you are not exactly near home either.

I have beaten a path up to Sandpoint quite few times in our D2 as my missus come from there. I think I have done it about 8 times in five years and there are no LR service points in the Northern Tier. On I /90 the closest are Denver, Salt Lake, and Seattle.

Our local dealer has often said I should open an LR service shop on I/90. It would be an oasis I suppose!
Best of luck
T/V

 

Transmission pump went out of all things. Looks like a new tranny is in the immediate future.