Transmission - faults when selecting gears

[Homestar]

One for the brains trust please - My Sons Disco 3 has bought up a transmission fault saying something like 'limited gears' - apologies I'm getting this info from phone calls and text messages. Apparently was doing a bit of a clunk when selecting reverse but only when on a hill then the other day at the shops - again on a hill, it bought this fault up and it wouldn't let him select any gear - he had to pull the console up and release it to move it into gear. It drove fine after that but now it's at his house he isn't in a rush to move it again until we know a bit more.

I have ordered a full service kit and sump for the trans - given it has the plastic pan on it I'm not sure if it has ever been serviced (I'm assuming not) so not sure what condition it is in overall but we'll find out in a couple of weeks when I do it. It also has some random suspension faults and the battery does go flat quicker than you'd expect if left for a few days. I do have a new battery to go in it as well and one thing I read suggested the trans issue could also be battery related.

So, any thoughts for me to consider? Would it be ok to drive it approx 30KM to get it to my work so I can put it on the hoist (again) :)

TIA

[loanrangie]

Hard to say Gav, clunking when its under load like on a slope is normal but the error message can relate to many non transmission related issues.
Its not a common practice to swap to the metal sump pan unless you are aware of the benefits so it doesn't mean it hasn't been done previously, there will be a date molded in the plastic.
I would be checking the fluid level first.

[veebs]

Mine 'clunked' when selecting reverse the other day. Gearbox Fault, and limited gears available.

The fault code was P0915-01 (20). Something about a gearshift position. Googling revealed it as being anything from needing an adjustment to the gear selector, to a failing Mechatronic unit requiring replacement.

It happened once, and hasn't again since, so i'm hoping it was either an anomoly, or very early days to needing a gearbox refurbishment

[~Rich~]

How many kms on the D3?

[Homestar]

How many kms on the D3?

256KKM

[~Rich~]

So I'd say it's definitely needing a rebuild. By that mileage it should of been serviced 3 or 4 times to ensure long service life. Not the sealed for life promoted by LR! (Warranty Life)

[Homestar]

I'm guessing it will need some work at some stage - we serviced it last week and it hadn't been serviced previously. It drives well now and it remains to be seen what longevity it gets but will be worth doing should it ever need it. It isn't his daily driver so it isn't going to rack up huge KM or anything. In reality it will likely do 30KKM over the next 10 years. In his words 'it only needs to last long enough until I can afford a new Defender' [biggrin]

Also of note that the vehicle is so straight and clean - not just the body and interior but underneath as well - there's hardly a mark under it and it's all in fantastic condition. No dings, gouges, scratches or anything - My guess is that it has never been off road. Given its condition inside, out and under it is well worth doing the trans should it ever need it.

We also did the transfer case and diff oils at the same time. So that's all fluids end to end. It went on a good run over the weekend and performed faultlessly so he's starting to get a little more confidence back. A big part of this was the battery replacement I think as it doesn't thrown a fault code every time you start it now. [smilebigeye]