Hay all

I've finally let my old P38 go and took off some of the shiney bits to sell. Lad came down and picked up the sidesteps in his very clean P38 he'd just brought! Car was clean, only fault was where the original owner hadn't used the hilldecent option (shifting the gear lever to the left for hill decent etc) he was starting to have issues with the transfer box.

Started me wondering, I've owned this 2004 for a year now and haven't touched these 2 switches by the gear selecter. To be fair I don't even have a clue what to do with them!

Is it an idea to use them every now and then? (Like aircon) to keep everything useable incase something seizes up and bites me in the arse. Or shall I just forget that they exsist?

Cheers
Tel Accept, some days your the pigeon, some days your the statue!

Yes its advisable to use them on a monthly basis but............. If you haven’t used them in a long while then they could move half way between high & low and stick your transfer box in N leaving you high & dry with no drive!

The high/low motors are problematic and i think, its because they don’t get used very often!

And to your future secondary issue, air con should really be on all the time to keep the seals lubricated so the gas doesn't seep out.

There are posts and various views on this of course. Some of the views are wrong

I drop it into low range every month or so, just to keep things moving.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Doh!!
Cheers guys. So aircon to be left on from now on.

Torn what to do with these switches now! If to take a chance and start using them or leave well alone. It was a new Landrover genuine box when I got it so hopefully a year down the line shouldn't be too seized yet?

Next stupid question. But what's the procedure to use them once a month? Is it literally sit in park and flick the switches. As say I don't really know what they are or if/how I'd ever use them  Accept, some days your the pigeon, some days your the statue!

"And to your future secondary issue, air con should really be on all the time to keep the seals lubricated so the gas doesn't seep out."

That's not strictly correct these days with the synthetic seals now used.
Used to be the case in the days of rubber seals.

Boydonegood wrote:

But what's the procedure to use them once a month? Is it literally sit in park and flick the switches. As say I don't really know what they are or if/how I'd ever use them

From the owners handbook:
"With the vehicle stationary and the engine running, apply the foot brake and then move the automatic gearbox selector to the ‘N’ (neutral) position before moving the transfer gear switch fully rearwards. When the switch is released, it returns to the default position."

Operate the switch again to return to High range.

Pretty much "literally sit in neutral and flick the switches"  John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue - SOLD
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT-Sold

Problem is that even though you got a new gearbox, they probably won't have changed either the transfer box or the shift motor - nor tested them

If you are really concerned, might be worth removing the shift motor and bench testing, some useful powerfuluk videos on how to do this floating around.  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

The hill descent will work in high or low, so you can try that without worry. It uses the abs system to keep the car stable and below a set speed when descending. You leave the foot brake well alone during these slippery declines, unless you want to stop when back on level ground of course....... Touching the brake stops the hdc.

It should be in the manual and there are loads of videos online.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

Ah cheers guys!

May be a Bank holiday Monday project!

Thanks all!!

Tel Accept, some days your the pigeon, some days your the statue!

nicedayforit wrote:

"And to your future secondary issue, air con should really be on all the time to keep the seals lubricated so the gas doesn't seep out."

That's not strictly correct these days with the synthetic seals now used.
Used to be the case in the days of rubber seals.

Boydonegood wrote:

Doh!!
. As say I don't really know what they are or if/how I'd ever use them

Use mine when towing, regularly. The bit that fails is the electrical contact ring in the shift motor, peeps were trying to source the part a while back as the shift motors are silly money.

They changed to a magna steyr box on the face lifts afaik, which seem to be fairly robust though slightly prone to leaks. Mine did on the ff, and is starting to on the D4. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

What? Air con on all the time so gas doesn't escape? Are these luxury cars actually rubbish or what, my 94 toyota Celica air con hasn't been recharged since I bought it in 2007 and although I rarely use it it still goes as cold as your freezer when you need it. Dan

2002 Zambezi Silver

Men And Motors RR Quote - It's like having wheels fitted to your living room!

I'm told by our AC man that refrigerant has changed dramatically over the past 10yrs meaning it is now far less polluting & poisonous when it escapes but, the downside to it is, it has a shorter lifespan especially if not used regularly...

Another PLUS for using AC all the time is it keeps your internal ECU's dry/er from condensation...

There's a reason why AUTO puts the AC on... As that's what the manufacturer designed the system/car to do!

mjdronfield wrote:

The hill descent will work in high or low, so you can try that without worry. It uses the abs system to keep the car stable and below a set speed when descending. You leave the foot brake well alone during these slippery declines, unless you want to stop when back on level ground of course....... Touching the brake stops the hdc.

It should be in the manual and there are loads of videos online.