Even though I'm not mechanically inclined, I DO know what 5 quarts of red fluid would look like and there's no way I missed that. I walk towards and past the truck every day. So I'm going to pass on the adventure you mentioned and try out the troubleshooting items that were passed along to me earlier. Thanks for the detailed instructions though - the images were great.

I'll update this thread as soon as I have more information.

Thanks again, All!

 

I wouldn't rule out leaking transmission fluid completely, until verified. Several quarts slowing dripping out over 5 months onto asphalt that would soak it up might not be very noticeable.

 

Well, here's the status:

1) Placed truck in both Drive and then Reverse with foot on regular brake. Did not engage the e-brake. A check under the truck showed nothing (drive shafts) spinning;

2) No lights on dash or audible alarms. Transfer gear is in High; however, unable to move transfer gear at all. I don't have any experience with the transfer gear, so I tried moving it multiple ways:It probably sounds odd, but it feels like there is a brake on. Just for the heck of it, we put the truck in neutral (truck was running) and tried rocking it to see what would happen and were unable to budge it even a little.

I will keep the thought of the transmission fluid in mind. I wish there was an easier way to check it, though.

Thanks all for your feedback. Any further suggestions?

 

Send me your tele number and let me walk you thru a few things to check.

 

when the rover sat for 5 months was the parking brake on? Maybe it's stuck? I dunno, just a thought. If it is stuck maybe tapping it with a hammer would free it up.

 

I'm the new guy here, so this is a bit of a guess, but since it sat so long, maybe your brakes have seized?

If you parked the truck with the parking brake on, the pads could have rusted to the rotors, or if there was water leaking into the parking brake cable/mechanism, it won't allow it to release.

Possibly the pads have just rusted to the rotors too. I had a car sitting for just a couple weeks, and when I went to take off, it was a bit difficult at first, with a loud "pop" as the rusted rotors and pads broke free from each other.

Are you revving it a little or a lot when you take off? Maybe it'll take a bit more pressure than normal to break the brakes free.

Just a couple thoughts.

 

Disc brakes on a Rover won't seize because they are not used as an e-brake, there is a separate e-brake drum that is used for that so would have been no brake pressure to cause a problem.

 

If the e-brake was engaged, there is the possibility that it has seized. The fact that the t-case will not shift seems indicative of a problem to me.

 

The e-brake was not engaged at any time during the 5 months it sat.

 

GOOD NEWS!!!

My boyfriend managed to find the Owner's manual and identified the proper way to engage the transfer gear (foot on brake, press and hold the button on the e-brake). He got the truck into Low/reverse, gunned the accelerator, and the truck jumped backwards. He said it took a minute, but she went. After that, he was able to put the transfer gear back into High, and drive the truck for about 2 miles. He said the brakes felt a bit spongy, but it drove (and stopped), which means I can now take it to my neighborhood mechanic who performs all the typical maintenance on it (no dealer, thank God) and give it a good once-over.

I want to thank everybody who took the time to help me out with this. I wish I'd have known about this site sooner. It's a God-send; especially to the mechanically challenged like myself.

Thanks again!