Transmission faults -- So it begins...

[dugedug]

Did my first oil change since my warranty expired yesterday. Pretty simple, a little messy when I pulled the plug bolt and underestimated the force of the oil flow. Finished up, wiped everything down and took a power washer and sprayed down the engine bay to clean up some dirt/grime.

That's when the problems started. Re-checked my oil level, started it up and let it idle for a bit. Everything seemed fine so I shut it down and cleaned up all my tools. An hour or so later I had an errand to run so I take off and right away I notice a "Transmission Range Change Unavailable" fault. "Special Programs unavaliable" also diplayed when I tried to select a different traction setting and the Hi/Lo selecter was inoperable.

A few miles down the road at a stop light I go to take off and it's like i'm in Neutral. The Hi/Lo selector lights are now blinking. Info screen pops up an "HDC" fault and "Transmission" fault. I tried cycling power but it didn't help. So I call a tow company to get out of a major intersection in town. Nice.

I did some quick searching online and the following morning I took my battery out. It was down to 75% but at a relatively good voltage of 12.5 Vdc. I charged it fully hoping that would help but it didn't change anything. The parking brake automatically engages. If you take off the parking brake and go from "D" to "P" there is a concerning grinding noise, but i'm assuming that is the parking brake re-engaging. In all other gears the engine idles down a couple hunderd rpms but the tranny/transfer case doesn't engage.

I'm at a loss for whats wrong. I haven't had a single problem with the LR3 since we bought it. Could it still be a bad battery? Did I get oil or moisture on a sensor or relay? Or is my tranny/transfer case toast? The car has seen 95% highway with very little/light towing in 52500 miles.

I'm going to have to have a local/non-LR shop look at it since the closest dealer is a 2hr drive. I'm pretty sure LR is going to tell me tuff luck since i'm over warranty.

 

[umbertob]

took a power washer and sprayed down the engine bay to clean up some dirt/grime.

Power washing the engine bay, ouch. There's your problem right there. A bit of moisture on electrical connectors or electronic modules - and there are plenty of those in the engine bay, especially around the battery - can screw up these cars beyond belief, all types of unrelated and random error messages, faults, misfires... First, open the EJB right next to the battery and inspect it very carefully for traces of moisture. I'd leave it open to air dry overnight, or put a fan on it. If it's like the layout of the Sport, engine control module and transfer case module are located somewhere between battery and firewall, it's very easy to get the electronic connectors wet on those modules as well, with all sorts of unpredictable and seemingly unrelated faults, since all modules in this car are basically on a big network constantly talking to each other. I'd also pull and clean (and dry if necessary) the MAF sensor.

Hopefully the issues will clear up as the water dries out (try a hard reset in the morning, you never know) and nothing got fried - those modules are megabucks to replace. Keep us posted. And keep the power washer away from this engine bay.

 

[Houm_WA]

I was thinking the same thing....

...please let us know what you find out.

 

[panman]

transmission worries

Hi team, my brief history-95' disco1, 153k, 2 sunroofs, charcoal, fair condition, owner for about 3yrs. My biggest worry is the clanking sound when I place the shifter in reverse. I have to make sure I am at a complete stop before doing so. The sound has gottern progressivel louder or the sticking is more often. It is doomday for me or do I have hope here?
Secondly, sunroof in front does not open anymore, just a clicking sound and now the rear roof just slide open but will not shut close. Any suggestions for either problems would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[dugedug]

I was thinking the same thing....

...please let us know what you find out.

Just tried to start it again and no progress. Still all the same errors. I've pressure washed all my vehicles, including this one before and have never had an issue. I'm not running high-pressure, not much stronger than a garden hose.

I'll check around the battery tomorrow when I attempt to load it on a car dolly. I've checked all the fuses in the clove box and none are blown.

The hard reset you refer too, do you mean disconnecting the battery for 15 min?

 

[Trynian]

Disconnect the battery and connect the 2 battery leads together for 15 minutes. It should reset and a erase all faults.

If there are still faults then they are new ones and you probably need to see a certified Land Rover repair shop.

 

[umbertob]

Hi team, my brief history-95' disco1, 153k, 2 sunroofs, charcoal, fair condition, owner for about 3yrs. My biggest worry is the clanking sound when I place the shifter in reverse. I have to make sure I am at a complete stop before doing so. The sound has gottern progressivel louder or the sticking is more often. It is doomday for me or do I have hope here?
Secondly, sunroof in front does not open anymore, just a clicking sound and now the rear roof just slide open but will not shut close. Any suggestions for either problems would be appreciated. Thanks

Shouldn't this be moved to the Disco forum?

 

[zdas04]

My '05 couldn't tolerate even a heavy splash into the engine compartment. Whenever I went through a regular car wash I'd have the red "Oil" light on for an hour or so. I took it through an "Extreme Truck Wash" (1,000 gpm at 10,000 psig) once and the oil light stayed on for 24 hours. I'm anxious to see if the OP had the problem clear after waiting over night.

David

 

[dugedug]

Problem never cleared. More faults popped up over a couple of days. I got it back from LR yesterday.

After a day of troubleshooting they told me the same thing I had told them when it was dropped off. "It's like your transfer case is stuck between Hi and Lo." They ordered the Transfer case motor assy (p/n IGH50040 $307.05). That got the transfer case into gear but the faults were still present and you couldn't change Hi/Lo. Then they ordered the Integrated Transfer case module (p/n NNW512070 $229.39). This seemed to fix the problem. Somehow one failed and took out the other, what order is not known. I got the bad parts in hand and intend to open them up and take a look. I haven't found were the transfer module is located on the truck to see if it is in the engine bay and could have got soaked. The modules casing does not appear to be weatherproofed. LR said there is nothing wrong with power washing the engine bay and didn't cause these faults. Overall I got off fairly cheap and Robert at Ventura, CA LR is a stand-up guy.

Don't even get me started on the $260 cooling hose.

 

[mustbeaudi]

Thanks for the follow up, glad you're fixed and satisfied.