I test drove a '99 seriesII over the weekend that would not shift into 4 low. I didn't try very hard since it wasn't my vehicle and didnt want to break the lever..but the guy selling it tried like hell and no luck. anybody have a suggestion on what the problem might be besides a linkage problem?

 

I couldn't get mine to shift either until I followed the "beginner" instructions in the owners manual...which I believe was to stop the vehicle. Put the transmission into neutral. Apply the parking brake, apply the foot brake and then attempt to shift.

I can't really speak to any potential x-case problems that may cause that. I'd suspect that most urban-warriors leave the Rovers in high all of the time and have no need for low so it doesn't see much action, in which case the linkage and whatnot becomes gunked up.

 

Make sure the selling dealer gets this fixed first, prior to your buying it.

 

I'm not certain I had my foot on the brake, but since I did have it in neutral I most likely did. I've owned several 4x4s and have test drove several discos, never had a problem shifting the others.

Mike, I'm really trying to avoid used car lots. This disco is owned private party. I'm still considering buying it, but he would have to come WAY off the price. He's asking $5K now and I would probably pay $3K. I think $3k would make it worth the risk of having to replace t-case.

 

$5000 is an OK price for a 99 D2, except for the shift problem, that needs to be looked at to cover your tracks.

 

http://home.twcny.rr.com/eeibooks/ro...codifflock.htm
Book mark this site, and when you get your Disco you will know what to do.
When you negotiate your price use the not going into 4-low to get him to come down in price.
Then fix it when you get home.

 

yeah that was my plan, get him to lower the price and fix it myself but he doesnt want to lower the price enough..so I doubt I'll be getting this one.

 

Then just give him your phone number and tell him to call you in 6 months when he still hasnt sold the trk because of gas prices and IF you havent bought one in the mean time you might be willing to talk.
He will rethink your offer.

 

The DII's don't have diff lock (not from the factory anyway). I think you're talking about shifting into 4 low.

I have the same problem, which was traced down to a faulty solenoid that's suppossed to pull out a "safety pin" so that you don't accidentally shift into 4 hi/low while the car is in gear. I believe it's a pretty common problem, but access to the solenoid is pretty difficult.

There are threads that discuss pulling the thing out, but it's pretty involved. Dealer, for your reference, would charge you about $1,400 for the job (they wanted to drop the transfer case). Some people have gotten to it from above.

I just decided to leave mine alone (for now).

 

were you stopped or moving, they can be extremly hard to move if its not lined up and the car is stationary