Holden 173 in a series 3Â…. Gearbox issues?

**sames1972** · 27th May 2025, 04:58 PM

Hi all, long time member, first time poster! Just bought a 1974 series 3 109, fitted with a golden 173 red engineÂ….first one IÂ’ve bought since moving to Oz from UK 15 years ago.
My question is that normally to engage 4wd in hi range, the red lever needs to be forward and the yellow knob needs to be depressedÂ….. this should stay down ??? Correct??
However, in my case, this is not happening Â…. The yellow lever depresses, but does not stay down! Is there something a miss or is the 4wd lever not compatible with Holden engines/gearboxes. Any help welcome!😊

**V8Ian** · 27th May 2025, 05:30 PM

JD will be along soon.

**gromit** · 27th May 2025, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by sames1972

Is there something a miss or is the 4wd lever not compatible with Holden engines/gearboxes. Any help welcome!😊

Nothing to do with the Holden Engine.
A quick Google search comes up with some answers....

yellow knob wont stay down!
Yellow nob doesn't stay down in High | Land Rover UK Forums
A post here that JD answered in 2012
IIA Transfer Case Problem

Best of luck,

Colin

**JDNSW** · 27th May 2025, 07:59 PM

I don't think I have anything to add to that explanation. A possible addition is that the spring that lifts the yellow knob may not be the correct length or not seating properly in the socket in the plate on the transmission tunnel, but I have never seen that as an issue.

As I said all those years ago, by far the most probable cause is the selector shafts sticking due to rust on the bit sticking out the front of the transfer case extension. Anything else will almost certainly cause a permanent fault.

**sames1972** · 28th May 2025, 08:19 AM

Thank you for your advice!…. I’ll take a look at it straight away!

**sames1972** · 28th May 2025, 09:43 AM

So I’ve undone the yellow knob and taken the spring off…. There was a washer at the bottom of the spring and a nut holding the spring down under the yellow knob.
The linkage looks clear and not gunked up. However, the lever just “flops” up and down and doesn’t seem to be connected to anything inside the drive case….. any ideas?

**JDNSW** · 28th May 2025, 12:52 PM

As above, the shaft that it "pins" is probably stuck due to rust or just gunk on the bit of it sticking out the front of the box. There are other possibilities, relatively unlikely. Check that the plunger that goes into the box is actually there and moving up and down. Then check the shaft can be moved . This should require you to remove the dust cap, which may be missing. If the shaft can be moved freely (it should be constrained by internal springs, but you should still be able to move it). The shaft should move when the Red lever is moved its full travel

If it can be moved but has no 'spring' resistance it indicates a broken spring internally or possibly one of the pivot bolts linking the three shafts and the relay lever is broken or fallen out. Investigating this requires the extension housing to be removed, which can be done without removing the gearbox or transfer case. This does require removing the seat box and floor.

But my guess is still that the shaft is rusty and stuck.

**sames1972** · 28th May 2025, 02:02 PM

Thank you for your concise suggestion John! Don’t know if I’m skilled enough to check that out myself, but it makes sense that it seems like that is the issue. When I asked the previous owner, he said he had never used 4wd!!😊

**whitehillbilly64** · 28th May 2025, 06:53 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JX_kbv2dW0

At 9.40 mins explains what John is talking about but watch from the start as it explains what the internal parts do.
The 'Tophat' steel cover maybe full of mud, and the shafts under it seized. A common problem.

whitehillbilly

**JDNSW** · 28th May 2025, 07:33 PM

I have to admit that I had been driving and maintaining and repairing Series Landrovers for about twenty years before I really understood how the shifting mechanism for four wheel drive works.

I think the key points are that the dog that engages four wheel drive (in both 4wdH and 4wdL) is always engaged (and disengaged) by a spring, so that it is not necessary to keep pressure on a lever until the dog lines up or the load is off, and that the spring pressure is always brought about by movement of the red lever, which has plenty of leverage.

In the case of 4wdH, the spring pressure is stored by another spring, set by the yellow knob's spring pushing a latch into the middle shaft's hole when the red lever is moved back, so that when the lever is moved forward it compresses the disengagement spring and stores pressure in the engagement spring, to be released when the yellow knob is depressed. Moving the red lever back compresses the engagement spring, so that the dog will engage as soon as the teeth line up.

If the middle shaft is stuck, as is the most likely situation in this case, it is possible that the transfer case is stuck in 4wd, but more likely it is stuck in 2wd, depending on the position it is frozen in. Since the usual reason for the shaft sticking is that it has not been moved for a long time, and using in 2wd for years is more likely, so this is the usual situation. 4wd is probably working in low range (this won't be the case if the internal pivot bolt is broken or missing).

(I hope the above is understandable, and that I have managed a correct description. The 2/2a workshop manual at least has good pictures.)

Also, note that the above description does not apply to early 80" Series 1, which have full time four wheel drive, and a free wheel on the front prop shaft output, which is locked either by pulling up on a ring on the floor, or for a short period, by the yellow knob when it this appeared.

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