Hello I'm Jennifer.
Is there anyone one out there who can shed any light on this?
My dad has a disco (300 TDI 96/97 REG). The clutch seems ok but it wont go in to gears right its really stiff and wont go in reverse at all.Do you think it could be the selector or do think it may need gear box oil?

Its a Landy.. it always needs gearbox oil!

Is there a patch of oil under where its normally parked? when was it last topped up with gearbox oil?

check oil and like most discoveries the bias plate goes £4 ish
is gearbox like stir it to find gears? if bias plate has broken it will make gear selection harder unless you get the exact position
will it go into reverse with engine off?
where are you, often we can suggest someone to look at it for you

My first reaction is 'Clutch', even though you say it 'seems' OK.
Clutches wear out a lot more readily than gear-boxes, (in fact they are DESIGNED to wear, three plates held in contact by friction, one of the plates is made of soft 'friction' material, between two solid metal ones, so THAT one wears rather than the metal & is more easily replaced!) and when boxes wear out they go 'sloppy' tending to drop into gear a lot more easily or, if very worn, falling out again, even MORE easily. Stiff selection, could be lack of lube, but much more likely the clutch.
People have a habbit of 'riding' the clutch, particularly at traffic lights and stuff, rather than using the hand-brake, and many dont even realise they are doing it!
And driving the car every day, they never notice how the 'bite-point' of the clutch is getting closer and closer to full pedal travel.
Anyway, first point of call is to check the clutch fluid, make sure that the clutch is actually getting full travel from the pedal.
Then the gear-box oil, to be sure it is lubed.
But more than that needs some mechanical archeology, and if your dad isn't a confident DIY mechanic, will need booking into a garage for diagnostics, or some-one off here whose more mechanically minded to have a 'poke'.

Hi Guy an Gals its me again! Thanks for all the advice.Will take a look at hese but if it comes to it how much is it for an R380 gear box and do you know where there are any?

sounds like a clutch fork issue to me.

ratty said:

sounds like a clutch fork issue to me.

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Yep it's forked

Tervueren said:

Yep it's forked

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Holey fork

id say clutch fork aswell, they punch through on the pivot point and its quite a common problem. im afraid it meens seperating the engine and box which meens you may aswell change the clutch while your at it. think heavy duty fork is around 12quid? or near as.

clutch fork...or clutch forked? or both?

jennifer said:

Hi Guy an Gals its me again! Thanks for all the advice.Will take a look at hese but if it comes to it how much is it for an R380 gear box and do you know where there are any?

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Have a look here:- Ashcroft Transmissions

The R380 is about £500, exchange, plus fitting, which I'd estimate to be probably as much, on top, depending who does it.

BUT, still far more likely to be the clutch, and as suggested, if it has 'suddenly' started getting stiff, as opposed to progressively getting harder, (accompanied by a change in the 'take-up' point of the clutch), either the clutch release bearing has broken up, or the clutch release fork has 'given out' in some way. Possibly pivot wear thinning the metal enough to break or the fork bending or twisting due to fatigue.

Either way, it needs the bell-housing opening to investigate, which means lifting the engine forewards in the engine bay to seperate box & engine and get access to the mechanism's in there.

IF the Clutch checks out good, then the whole box can be dropped out and a replacement put back.

or it can be stripped down to see if the fault can be found and easily rectified inside..

It probably can, but if you are paying a mechanic, a £500 box is cheaper than them spending a day 'fiddling' in the hope!