Defender TD5 transmission failure

rob588cliff · Jan 3, 2021

Hi,
A friends 2006 TD5 has just had some kind of transmission failure whilst driving up hill on road, doing about 20mph. I've copied the text below he sent me, I appreciate it's hard to diagnose accurately over the net........but does anyone have any immediate thoughts ??

Complete loss of drive whilst in 3rd gear @20mph accelerating up hill.
No drive in high or low ratio, but when handbrake applied regained drive.
Drive also regained when diff lock engaged.
Appears to drive normally in high ratio with diff lock.

Any thoughts guys ?

Thanks

adrian hogg · Jan 3, 2021

possibly half shaft or rear diff failure

payydg · Jan 3, 2021

rob588cliff said:
Hi,
A friends 2006 TD5 has just had some kind of transmission failure whilst driving up hill on road, doing about 20mph. I've copied the text below he sent me, I appreciate it's hard to diagnose accurately over the net........but does anyone have any immediate thoughts ??

Complete loss of drive whilst in 3rd gear @20mph accelerating up hill.
No drive in high or low ratio, but when handbrake applied regained drive.
Drive also regained when diff lock engaged.
Appears to drive normally in high ratio with diff lock.

Any thoughts guys ?

Thanks

From what you've described it won't be a transmission issue it'll be something in one of the axels - putting on diff lock or the hand brake then diverts drive to the other hence it gaining drive again. He can have a look underneath (carefully) and see which prop is turning to narrow it down. Half shafts are common and an easy fix. Should be able to put it in diff lock and drive slowly to get themselves home.

Edit - it's a bit unclear what you mean about 3rd gear? I've taken that to mean it happened whilst in 3rd gear and now affects all gears

Scooby22 · Jan 3, 2021

One of the rear hub splines or a broken rear halfshaft, if there was no clunk noise when it happened most likely just a stripped hub spline, there may have been a bit of a grinding noise when spline slipped.

Rougharse Racing · Jan 3, 2021

As said above, second vote for a hub drive flange, the splines wear away where it mates with the half-shaft. You usually have to try hard to break a diff, eg caning the boll0xoff it off road. I don't think that Defender half-shafts snap like the old Series half-shafts did.

Cavey_P38 · Jan 4, 2021

concur with @Rougharse Racing and @Scooby22

I stripped a front hub on my 90 a few years ago and there was no bang or anything

Was trying to tow a trailer through a big section of mud at the time

Easy enough fix just need to work out which wheel

Defender TD5 transmission failure

rob588cliff

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adrian hogg

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payydg

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Scooby22

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Rougharse Racing

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Cavey_P38

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