So i had one of my mates (a mechanic for audi) replace my clutch around 2000 miles ago, everything seemed to go fine and that was that.

Took it for a test drive once he'd finished and it seemed quicker (i hadnt been able to put my foot down for a month before due to clutch slipping) so i thought i must've been imagining it. Anyway i got stuck with a heavy trailer on a very steep hill recently so went to select low range only to realise it was in Neutral and would not, no matter how hard i tried go into any position, it was always tough but would always go in.

So to cut a long story shorter only the front wheels are driving, took it in a field to double check this tonight and my suspicions have been proved right.

To be honest it drives pretty well in front wheel drive, much quicker etc but i want to know if this is going to be doing damage or already done damage and if so what can i do to sort it? Is it something my mates done wrong or is it probably not linked to the clutch being replaced.

Many Thanks, Mat.

Probably a coincidence. Sounds like what you've got is a problem with the transfer box and/or difflock mechanism rather than something to do with the clutch. If the lever won't go into low and there's only drive coming out of the front, it may be time to do some dismantling to see what the problem is. I wonder if it's a problem with the central diff? Don't forget, if the central diff is working and you're testing the car on a slippery surface (like your field) it might well appear that the front wheels are driving and the back ones aren't simply because of the action of the diff. You might learn more by jacking the car up and rotating the propshafts to see if the rear one is indeed totally independent of the front.

Think you may need to do a bit of reading up about how difflock and high/low ratio work. If you have a rear propshaft fitted then you have four wheel drive (you cant select two wheel drive only). Also you need to change high/low when stationary, select first gear and slowly let the clutch out while pushing the lever and it should click into gear

Firstly thanks for the replies, to clarify is it impossible for only the front wheels to be driving (the prop shaft is still there)? Unfortunately ive tried letting the clutch out in first slowly and it was still not for budging, i'd be bending the stick if i pushed harder. I'll have a proper go with the car jacked up this weekend then. Many Thanks

Would my vehicle not drive if the transfer box was in neutral? I can move it fully left to right but then not forward or back in either position... The diff lock light comes on when on the left but i figured that was just a switch/sensor. I am very much a novice, are there any other simple ways of "freeing up" the box?

Under normal circumstances you wouldn't ever get only front wheel drive. If you're driving on a slippery surface like a field and get the front wheels to spin and not the rear, usually this is just due to the action of the central diff.

Conceivably, if there were a fault such as splines jumping or a broken shaft in the central diff you could get drive to one propshaft and not the other. That's why I say get the wheels off the ground (and with the car safely supported) crawl underneath and see what happens when you try to turn the propshafts. If they're completely independent of one another you've got problems. Usually, if the gearbox is in gear, if you turn one the other will try to turn in the opposite direction, because of the central diff. Or, with gearbox in neutral it will be possible to turn them both in the same direction.

There's also the possibility (which has happened to me) that the gear shift mechanism gets stiff because it isn't used very much. In which case a little gentle dismantling and lubrication can work wonders.

Thanks for your help. I'll get it off the ground asap!