Loud bang, dead rover - transmission?

[NickDawson]

Well I knew things were feeling too good lately with the truck...
We went to pull out from the curb this morning (in the snow, in 4wd high) and BANG then no more movement.

I thought it was the axle based on what I had read in previous threads. I cycled through every gear, including low range, and got nothing.

Something is making a disconcerting whhhrrrr sound that I tried to document on video. The high pitch you hear at first is 3rd high. The lower pitch is reverse high

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickdawson/4200629750/

Its not a great day to get on my back under the truck, without a warm dry place to work things are going to have to sit until the thaw. When I do get a chance, what trouble shooting measures to you guys suggest? Is it a look inside the tranny or clutch or...?


Im trying to keep my cool but expecting this is not going to have a pleasant outcome... Im weighing spending the money on a transmission or a plane ticket to find the seller (although in fairness, I was warned about importing a truck from the UK...and it could be the result of something I have done)...but I still want to take my aggression out on him (kidding, of course)

[navydevildoc]

Well, the clutch seems to be working just fine, as the sound stops when you put the clutch in, yes?

Try some other quick tests:

Leave the transfer case in High, but put the transmission in neutral and let out the clutch. Any noise?

Next, put the transmission in any gear, but first is probably best, but put the transfer case in neutral with the red knob. Let out the clutch. Noise?

This might narrow it down to either the tranny or transfer case.

[navydevildoc]

I should have added that the fact that the sound is changing pitch when you change gears means that the problem is more on the "rear" side of the transmission, or in the transfer case.

The fact that the sound is much higher is due to the output side of the box spinning faster for the higher gear.

[greasyhandsagain]

O Brother The video..the AUDIO...horrible to watch/hear.

I feel your pain. An unresolved mechanical problem with the Rover, and weather conspiring against you...been there done that.

Cant offer you any help/advice other than that the first horrible sound is not unlike the nasty noise I had when I put in clutch number 1, which was returned as 'defective'. maybe opening up the inspection plate under the shifter can show you something?

BTW despite the horror of the noise, Im tempted to use it as a ring tone on my phone.

Cheer up it will all get sorted out sooner or later. You may best to get someone down to look at it who "knows" rovers.

[Apis Mellifera]

Try OD on and off too. I'd remove the inspection covers to see how far the power is getting. Maybe go fishing down the holes with a magnet.

With the engine off, try lifting different combinations of wheels off the ground and TC gear selections, and then spinning the lifted wheel. You can probably pinpoint the location of the broken bits that way, but it may be a moot point, as I believe you need a new TC.

[Apis Mellifera]

After listening to it again (cringing all the way), it sounds to me like the Hi/Lo range selector is between gears.

Here's a picture of my TC. The green arrow is pointing to the sliding Hi/Lo gear. The OD is on the far left.


If you have no movement regardless of gear lever positions, the problem has to be in this section of the TC. Either the output shaft of the gearbox broke, the OD broke, or the arrowed gear area broke. There are other less-likely causes, but I'd look at the pictured area first.

[NickDawson]

Thanks for the input everyone!
My first though was that the OD had popped out, which it is kown to do from time to time. I could live without the OD which would be a more palatable solution than a new transfer case.

I'll see what kind of inspection I can do once it thaws and drys out around here.

Apis - with your later theory that the transfer case is between gears - wouldn't that be the best case? I worked the red knob back and fourth a lot (again thinking it had just popped out of gear).

[greasyhandsagain]

dont totally rely on the position of the transfer lever, if you have snow/ice wedged into the sliding pins you may be blocked. Get a hair dryer in there and defrost the pins/linkage at the base of the lever,.

Once long ago I was convinced Id sheard a halfshaft, even pulled the diff...when all it was was the damn transfer lever wasnt engaging high.

good luck Remember saying a silent prayer to Maurice Wilkes DOES work!

May the Alumiforce be with you!

[Apis Mellifera]

I guess that depends on how it got between gears and why it won't shift. If you look at the arrowed gear, just above that (in the pic) is a smooth area. In that smooth area to the left is a "thing" in that groove. That "thing" is the shift fork. When you work the lever, that fork, riding in the groove, slides the arrowed gear back and forth, engaging high and low range. It's possible that the fork broke, allowing it to jump out of high range. It's also possible that the teeth on the smallest straight cut gear pictured (missing every other tooth) have broken. I'm speculating on the between gears idea based completely on the sound. It's hard to say what actually happened. For what it's worth, I took this picture because in my TC, the arrowed gear was quite wobbly. I don't know if that's normal, but that's what I found. I also don't know if the gear gets really wobbly and how they break.

It would be pretty simple to remove the middle seat and access panel to pull those inspection covers.

Something else you can try is to set the parking brake and try to roll it. If the axles are busted, it will still roll.

[brucejohn]

Bummer Nick. Praying for you and Rover.