Forward gears all just stopped working! I'm stuck!

[broken08]

04 D2.
Was driving in very deep snow turning around in my driveway, started spinning tires going forward, then a not loud sound, but a clunk, as though someone shifted in to neutral with the wheels spinning, and I lost all forward gears. It's like it's in neutral. Except reverse works perfectly fine.
1234 and D are the same as N. And usually there's that tiny resistance when you're moving the lever to D, and that's gone too.
High and low and tcase lock change nothing.
No weird noises, no codes, just no forward.
Working theory is I slammed on high enough snow to make something external out of whack, but what?
Or did I finally burn out my trans?
Thanks for any ideas! I can't get under itb until the 3 feet of snow melts a bit! I had to use the winch to turn it around and reverse home.

 

[rovercanus]

Sounds like you snapped an axle or cv. Have you tried running it with diff lock engaged?

 

[broken08]

Sounds like you snapped an axle or cv. Have you tried running it with diff lock engaged?

I works fine in reverse, so that's not it. And yes. And I have locking diffs, tried those too

 

[boxster]

Not knowing what the mileage is, my first thought is burned up forward clutch pack in transmission. Check your transmission fluid level and see what color the fluid is should be red if it’s any other color it’s burned and it will have a distinct smell. You could try new fluid and filter see if makes a difference. Maybe take it to a independent rover shop have them do a trans oil pump pressure test and get there opinion.

 

[broken08]

Not knowing what the mileage is, my first thought is burned up forward clutch pack in transmission. Check your transmission fluid level and see what color the fluid is should be red if it’s any other color it’s burned and it will have a distinct smell. You could try new fluid and filter see if makes a difference. Maybe take it to a independent rover shop have them do a trans oil pump pressure test and get there opinion.

160k+miles.
But no codes? No other sounds?

 

[lunchbox]

I had the exact problem in my 1998 D1. I was out enjoying a snowy day and stopped to get gas and suddenly no forward gears. Clutch packs were shit, required a rebuild. I hope that’s not your problem. But sounds real similar

 

[Toran]

I had the same issue with my D2... check the trans fluid level. Also make sure your XYZ switch is working properly, if that goes than so does the shifting.

 

[Frobisher]

I had the exact problem in my 1998 D1. I was out enjoying a snowy day and stopped to get gas and suddenly no forward gears. Clutch packs were shit, required a rebuild. I hope that’s not your problem. But sounds real similar

I had a similar run as well. My 95 was not shifting from 3 to 4, changed the fluid and filter and still nothing. I drove it like that for a few months and then one day “bonk” and no forward gears. Reverse was good long enough to get up a hill to a parking lot then it was the flatbed of shame and a tranny delivery from Will Tillery.

Sorry to bring up the similarities. For a few hundred dollars, and a long weekend, though, you can be rolling again If it comes to that.

 

[boxster]

160k+miles.
But no codes? No other sounds?

160k+miles.
But no codes? No other sounds?

Do you know if the transmission fluid has ever been changed? Land Rover recommends changing at least every 30k miles.

 

[boxster]

Do you know if the transmission fluid has ever been changed? Land Rover recommends changing at least every 30k miles.

You could drain the fluid from the transmission. I believe there’s a drain plug and replace just what comes out in the catch pan. So if 5 quarts comes out replace with 5quarts. Don’t over fill.

 

[discostew]

Sounds like you snapped an axle or cv. Have you tried running it with diff lock engaged?

It has reverse.

 

[boxster]

You could drain the fluid from the transmission. I believe there’s a drain plug and replace just what comes out in the catch pan. So if 5 quarts comes out replace with 5quarts. Don’t over fill.

Removing the transmission pan is fairly simple. 6 retainer bolts. There’s a magnet in the pan that will probably be full of metal filings or chunks of metal which indicates internal transmission failure.

 

[StangGT5]

Removing the transmission pan is fairly simple. 6 retainer bolts. There’s a magnet in the pan that will probably be full of metal filings or chunks of metal which indicates internal transmission failure.

It's very easy in the D2/P38. I hate removing the y pipe in the earlier trucks.

If the XYZ switch failed I'd expect the gear indicator on the dash to flash. Weird you don't have any feeling of resistance in the lever...unless the cable was damaged?

Knock on wood, I think these ZFs are strong, especially the hp44. If you were sawing back and forth between forward and reverse, I've seen people in mud toast many a transmission that way.