Land Rover Repair: Disco doesnt transfer, case problem, john robison

Question
98 Disco owner for 6 months.  Love it, but have never been able to get the transfer case to shift.  Followed manual as far as putting gear in nuetral, applying emergengy break- still nothing.  Used some pressure on the shift knob but didn't want to break anything since it drives fine as it is.  Would like to have ability though.. (When wife is not with me) to make the Rover feel at home off the pavement. Any suggestions?  Thanks for all you do!  Sometimes having a superior piece of machinery leaves you nobody around to talk to about it!

Answer
Every now and then this happens for an internal transfer case problem, but the rest of the time we find the linkage bound with rust from lack of lubrication and no use.  And it can be a hassle - it can take several hours to work things free.

One other problem on certain Discoveries . . . some have an electrical solenoid that prevents shifting with the key off, to keep thieves from shifting the case to neutral. If yours is stuck you may choose replacement or removal.  That's in the center console.

good luck with it
John Robison
http://robisonservice.blogspot.com