Land Rover Repair: 98 Disco shifting jams, ignition locked, land rover discovery, liquid gasket

Question
John,
I have a 1998 Land Rover Discovery LE (gasoline).

The automatic transmission shifter recently started jamming. This problem started small and got worse. I have parked the vehicle for now. I had also had problems removing the ignition key from the switch, in case the two may be related.

I'd appreciate your sharing any knowledge you might have about this problem and its repair.

Thanks,
Terry

Answer
Hi Terry,

could be the park inhibitor switch - the only thing I'm aware of that involves the ignition key and shifter.

Most times, when you have difficulty shifting an automatic, it has to be transfer gearbox or transmission related.  Do you know if your TG hydraulic oil is at the right level?  How old is it?  I replace mine every 2 years.  If it's not the TG then you are looking at a transmission problem beyond my abilities.

A couple of years ago, I replaced the gasket around my TG - big mistake.  I did not do a good job using a liquid gasket product that I had never used before.  Tiny leaks developped that I did not notice until too late.

One morning, as I started out on my routine drive, I began to have trouble shifting gears (5 speed manual).  It seemed like the shifter was frozen.  I managed to limp back home in 2nd gear.  I crawled underneath and saw the mess that had spray back from the Transfer Gearbox - a problem that must have been there for at least 2 months.  I checked the fluid level of the TG and found it empty.  I replaced the lost fluid, started the engine and was able to drive and shift all gears as normal.  Lesson learned:  don't let leaks catch you off gaurd.

Perhaps this can help you out too.  Best of luck,

JohnMc