Transfer Box - changing from high to low.

[DCPU]

Obviously bottom one was the original

Thank you.

 

[Keith baker]

I collected my Trialmaster from Grange in Edinburgh this week and haven't stopped playing since, I just love it! However, today whilst familiarizing I found a problem which someone out there my be able to help with. I cannot get the transfer box lever to move from its "high" position to "low" position. I have followed the guidelines in the manual - engine running, main lever in "N" position, foot on the break, lift the transfer box collar and it will not move from the "high" position. Am I missing something? Any ideas?

Hi, My Fieldmaster is in to have the steps fitted but I was told there is a recall on the transfer box and mine will be replaced at the same time as fitting the steps.

 

[DCPU]

I'd be curious to know your transfer box serial numbers/dates, pre and post change...

 

[Dermot]

Hi, after reading the posts I decided to try and engage low range on my fieldmaster. I couldn't shift the lever even with a very firm hand. I had the car in neutral with the handbrake of and the car rolled a few centimetres forward and voila the shifter moved into low range. I repeated this and it seemed to work every time. The problem was when I transferred back from off road mode and then to high mode various warning lights come on the screen showing the central diff lock was still on. I turned the ignition of and after a few minutes it all reset itself. Not ideal but it is working.
Dermot

 

[TD5-90]

My vehicle has been sitting at the dealer for more than 6 weeks now for the exact problem of not being able to shift to low.

From what I was told they delivered ~25 vehicles, and 2 of them showed the problem. In the first case the xfer box was changed, in my case there's nothing but silence from Ineos side.

Dealer is at least as annoyed as I am since he'd informed Ineos about the case multiple times, but has not received an answer on how to proceed for weeks. What I hear is that even the tickets they opened in the system on that case disappeared

 

[DCPU]

You need to drive it to Italy...

 

[TD5-90]

Driving to Italy is always a good idea I believe

But in this case there's some progress without the help of our friends in the South: Today in the morning I got a call from the senior technician (is there an English equivalent to the German term "Meister"?) who informed me that the problem was solved !!

It obviously _never_ has been a mechanical problem, but simply 2 (electrical) connectors at the xfer case that give an indication whether the case is in HI or LO state were swapped (same connector type, not mistake-proof at assembly). So, some overly clever software sensed a mismatch between two signals (must be some rpm figure and the HI-LO sensor signal) and set the vehicle into limp mode after a few single meters of driving in LO.
In HI, so I understood, this was not a problem. Seems strange to me. Maybe the software still isn't clever enough to detect such a simple assembly error...

I'm really happy that there is a solution! But that it is found immediately right after my (honestly!!) _very_ first phonecall yesterday where I showed that I'm slightly getting pi**ed off now leaves some taste behind. More than 6 weeks of nothing, and then problem solved within less than half a day, without the help of Mother INEOS...

Anyway. They did the obligatory test drive in LO to verify that the xfer case won't lock up. Passed. As I heard today, there must exist a list of VINs where the xfer cases will be swapped at the first routine service, but my VIN is, so I hear, not on that list.

So, plan is to issue payment tomorrow, all documents for registration are already at the dealer (have been for weeks...), and everything will be PURE PLEASURE in about 2 weeks

 

[NoAge Hunter]

l imagine it will get easier with use and time.

Thats the way it happend with mine. The first time going from high to low…..well I thought I would destroy the entire thing. Now it is always going on and out very smoothly.

 

[TD5-90]

Hello Tony,
I know the problem too. There are situations where the gearbox shifts well. From high to low in lock low, in lock high and back in high.
But just today I had the same problem again with the lever not wanting to go down. I then went forward a few centimetres in D, then shifted back into N and went back into low with heavy pressure. From my point of view this is not satisfactory. When I look at my Land Rovers, shifting into low is much better. But that is also because they have manual gearboxes and I can engage 1st gear to let the reduction engage.

It's also my thought that there is a principal difference between mech & auto transmissions:

If you put an auto gearbox into N, isn't there, inevitably, some residual torque / drag torque present at its output and the input of the xfer case? At least (much) more than with a mech gearbox. Simply due to the wet clutches in the auto box?

Using "P" instead of "N" would remove the torque, but then in case of "facing teeth" between shift sleeve & gear engagement would be difficult/impossible because of missing play.

Seems to be something that's (well) known: https://www.jeep-community.de/threads/vtg-richtig-schalten-wie.2079/