I am new to the discovery 2 never had a rover but always wanted one. I have a 03 disco 2 hiw does the 4 wheel drive work. Is it always locked. And my abs light is on.

 

It is a full time 4x4, power is sent to both the front and rear axles at the same time via a center differential.
The transfer case shifter must be in either hi or lo or the truck will not move under its own power.
Shift the transfer case shifter into neutral and even with the transmission in park the truck will roll away.

 

your truck is always in 4wheel high unless you shift it into 4 wheel low. you abs could be anyone of a couple dozen things, is just the abs light on?

 

As for the ABS light being on, until you fix the ABS issue, your traction control, Hill Decent and ABS will not work.
How many miles on the truck?
You might want to look at my major service list posted at the top of this section and do it all, especially the front drive shaft rebuild or replacement before it fails and takes the tranny with it.

 

Sorry not abs light but brake light. So it has a differental in between if my back tires spin will all my power go to the back tire

 

And millage is about 125,000. So for we love it. It has a oil leak and water leak. And i am getting a code that the cats are bad.

 

You never got your question " hiw does the 4 wheel drive work ," all too common on too many forums, so let me give it a try. If anyone finds that I am wrong on any point, I am sure they will let me know: Land Rover uses a traditional 4 wheel drive system, a center differential having both low and high ranges, with Discovery series I, and some series II having a locking center differential, along with an automatic transmission (a manual transmission was made for some markets). Further, you have traditional front and rear differentials, giving three differentials in all. The center differential gives power to the front/rear differentials, while allowing for differing wheel turning rates, front to rear, preventing center differential "wind up" which can damage front drive train if done to extreme (which can happen if you center differential is shifted to lock up mode, and you are driving on pavement or surfaces not allowing much tire slipping as "wind up" takes place). Now, since you don't have locking front/rear differentials, if you get in situation where one tire in front slips; turns freely, and/or same thing happens in rear, Rover's Electronic traction control takes over, pulsing the brake pads on that spinning wheel(s), throwing power to the other wheel on that axle, giving forward motion again. If center differential is not shifted to locked position, only one wheel, front or rear, could spin free, making you stuck, if it wasn't for the Electronic Traction Control feature. On the other hand, if the center differential IS shifted to locked position, if one wheel, front or rear spins free, the other axle with no spinning wheel, would pull you through. Theoretically, with center differential lock, and electronic traction control, the only way you could get stuck is if you got high centered, so all wheels were not on solid ground to give traction. Do I have all this correct?

 

What happens if traction control fails? Does it just spin one tire or still ine in the front and one in the back?

 

Please elevate your level of concern about the water leak. The trucks are very prone to overheat if not maintained. The heat gauge on the dash points at 50% from about 130-240F. You won't realize you are overheating until the motor is toasted. Use a scanner or Ultra Gauge ($70 code reader/scanner/data display with alarm points) to know what is happening. The RAVE is the factory shop and owner manual set, download link below.

The brake light comes on for activation of the hand brake (used for parking, not much in an emergency stop situation); and also if brake fluid is low. Check the container under the hood. If you suspect brake fluid switch you can unplu to see if light clears.

 

If traction control fails you will spin the one tire with the least amount of traction, it is usually the driver front side seeing the most action. But heed buzz or which tire is spinning will not be the greatest concern.