1997 Range Rover 4wd Problem?! Help!! plz

[xxbistrumxx]

Hello, im new to the site. I just bought a 1997 Range Rover with the 4.0 i believe?, It is in great shape, it has 140k miles on it. ITS MY FIRST RANGE ROVER! I bought it cheap because it needed a flywheel. I installed the flywheel it runs and sounds great! The only problem is it seems to be stuck in 4wd low, I was trying to get it into 4wd high but i wasnt sure if i was doing it right. And I read how to engage 4wd low and disengage 4wd low on this forum and I was definatly doing it wrong. okay so this is what happens. I start the truck, it idles around 2000rpms for some reason but when you put it in gear it drops to about 1000rpms, im not sure if this is a seperate issue from the 4wd being stuck in low but thats how it idles and is definatly not supposed to idle like that. Also when you step on the gas in park it will only rev to about 3000rpms then it sputters and the tachometer gets funny and falls then comes back up, almost like its being governed? The truck does have bad gas in it because it has been sitting for awhile, im not sure if its from the bad gas or if its something else. Any ways you start the truck and it says the message "do not go over 35mph or 45mph" what ever it is. (i start the truck in 4wd high side on the H shifter). The whole time the 4wd low side is illuminated in the amber glow, im not sure if its always supposed to be like that or if its only when the 4wd low is engaged. So the truck drives great in 4wd low, however i cant seem to get the 4wd low disengaged. I was just trying all different ways, but i read that in order to disengage the 4wd low you are supposed to slide the shifter from the 4wd low side to the 4wd high side to neutral then wait for it to disengage and then select the gear. I was not doing that at all i was just sliding it from one side to another and selecting different gears, not allowing it to sit in neutral like i had read. Would this cause it to not go into 4wd high and stay in 4wd low? I do have a SES light on and i plan on scanning it and finding the code but i want to get it out of 4wd low first. Please any help would be much appreciated. If someone could just tell me what im doing wrong or if you have any ideas what the solutions are to any of these problems, i would be very greatfull. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

[lrscott]

Sliding it back and fourth and changing gears would definitely cause it to stay in the previous range. You need to wait for it to switch from high to low range. The sputtering may be caused by the crank shaft position sensor, or something like that. Scanning it for the code will give you a more accurate diagnosis. You can manual put it in to HI range by disconnecting the electric motor on the transfer case, and use a screw driver to put it in either high or lo range. I know it is possible to do that, I just haven't done it myself. Does it beep and act like its going to put it in HI range, if the vehicle is in neutral and you've selected HI, you should see the HI side blink while the engine cluster beeps. Eventually it will stop and indicate you are in HI range. do you see any other lights on?

[kmagnuss]

lrscott is right about manually shifting it into high range.

The high idle is not normal, and is separate. It could be vacuum line(s), maf meter, or others. That's most likely why it won't rev above 3k also. Not to mention, the plugs and wires have a good chance of being for squat also, since the owner obviously gave up on fixing the rig as things went down.

The 35mph max warning is from the EAS system.

I hope you got a good deal, are good with a wrench, and great with the search function.

Add your location to your profile. It will help us help you, as there are different specs for different parts of the world.

[xxbistrumxx]

Yes thanks for the replys, I bought the truck for $200.00. Its super clean inside and out and the engine purrs like a kitten. I am very mechanicly inclined and the onlything wrong with the truck is it wont come out of 4wd low (That may not be a problem because the whole time i was disengaging it wrong not waiting until it engaged high gear in neutral). And the high idle. Also the truck looks like it is sitting low. But i will try disengaging it the correct way and if that doesnt work then, i will probalby just part it out. Think ill get my 200.00 back if i part it out it has brand new rims and tires on it! thanks for the replys I appreciate the input.

[lrscott]

Honestly, if its not in bad condition, you should be able to get at least 2k if not 3k out of it. It would be worth repairing it and selling it vs. parting it out. It is sitting low because the air suspension is malfunctioning. It can usually be resurected, but if all else fails you can convert it to coils.

[xxbistrumxx]

Yes, hello so i tried getting it out of 4wd low. No luck...Am I doing something wrong? Also the battery is dead im not sure if that could be a reason its not disengaging. Also should i be starting the truck with the shifter on the 4wd low side? Because when i start the truck its on the 4wd high side. I also found out that the trucks suspension has brand new air bags and its missing the front airbag plastic spacer on the passenger side......I when I start the truck it starts right up It says bonnet open for some reason idk what the bonnet is. There is a service engine light on, and an image with the truck and an arrow pointing in the middle, It says do not exceed 35 mph, i let it sit in neutral on the high side and there seemed to be no activity, it still said do not exceed 35 mph. When I shut the truck off it beeps and says gear case malfunction, then it says transfer neutral, it says airbag malfunction and it says rear light bulb failure and i believe that was it. So how do I go about putting it in 4wd high manualy? Also can some one tell me exactly how to disengage from 4wd low, when i start it should it be on the low side and then move it over to the high side? Also there are a lot of buttons on the dash is there anything that should be set diffent? Im going to have the truck tomorrow at my house to tinker around with it. The interior of the truck is in mint condition like brand new. Everything works great! The truck has no body damage, so worst case I will just part it out. but i would love to drive this car as an everday it is very nice and is very comfortable. Thanks for the replys and advice keep em comming.

[Mirage]

First of all, all you need to do is switch the lever in the H gate over to the high side in N position, if working it should be in 4 high in a matter of seconds with some beeping( 2 small gearing lights on and vanish when done). But due to the fact you still haven't been able to get it out of 4 Low, i suspect something is severely wrong. Even if the guy said it has new air bags, you just have said it's riding low, and you have a EAS fault i come to suspect you really have air suspension issues and he lied to you. Unless you have alot of extra $$$ to blow, or you are good in the mechanical area i would say this car is a lost cause. But if you did only pay 200 bucks for it, i say sell it since you could still probably get a couple grand for it pending the actual condition on the RR.

BONNET = FRONT ENGINE HOOD btw, it's the british term for it, no clue why LR America didn't bother changing the term for NA users.

[xxbistrumxx]

Im not ready to call it a lost cause yet, i havent really looked into that much only spent about 10 min in it pushing buttons. My question is should i start the truck with the shifter on the 4wd low side, because it is in 4wd low and then put it in neutral and slide it to the high side and hold it in neutral? Also would the battery being dead cause these problems, maybe not enough power? The airbags are new i seen them myself nobody told me anything i am working on this myself, i bought it andd it needed a flywheel. I put the flywheel in and it started right up but it is in 4wd low. I am going to tinker with it tomorrow and hope I find the culprit. Thanks

[TheoR]

Dead or low battery will certainly cause this, as the HI/Low conversion is done by a electric motor. Also, if you've had low battery chances are you were in a transmission default mode, which would be 1st or 3rd gear.

[lrscott]

"do not exceed 35mph" is caused by your air suspension, and so is the little car with the arrow light. If you want to convert to coils, it is not that hard and the kit is about $300 if i remember correctly.

If the rover is turned off in the Lo position, it should also be turned on in that position. Start it on the lo side in park. Wait a couple seconds for it to figure things out and stop beeping about the air suspension and other crap. Then put the shifter in neutral, and then slide it over to the Hi side of the H gate, and leave it in neutral for at least 10 seconds (it should take less time for it to shift into HI). You should hear beeping, for about 4 seconds. The vehicle should also be stationary during this process. If the electric motor is working, the beeping will stop and it will eventually shift over to the HI side. If you do not hear any beeps, and there is not any sort of error message displaying, you might have a broken H gate switch. If you hear beeps and nothing is happening, the electric motor is probably just stuck. If that is the case locate the electric motor and disconnect it, and then manual put it in HI range. Here is the service manual: http://green-oval.com/joomla/index.php? ... &Itemid=29 . You want disc number 2.

You might also try disconnecting the battery for a bit, and then reconnecting it to let some things reset a bit.

[kmagnuss]

I'm sure jaguarS4 will be happy to know you just bumped him.

[xxbistrumxx]

^^ whats that mean? I am going to buy a new battery today, im going to tinker around with if all goes well i will have a nice running and driving range rover. So the do not exceed 35 is for the suspension? If the truck is in high would the low side still be illuminated? How would i be able to tell it was in high range. I thought because it says do not exceed 35 mph i was stuck in low. If this is because the trucks air suspension is faulty then It could be working, im going to look at it and tinker with it today it should be at my house any minute, i will upload some pics so you can see how nice it is. Also where can i find the kit to do the air suspension and does anybody have any write ups about it? If i can get the suspension and 4wd figured out all ill have to do is fix the idle, which doesnt sound to bad. Would autozone be able to scan it for codes for me? thanks

[kmagnuss]

wow

How to fix your RR

[NorCal RR]

Slow: 35 mph max
This message can have two meanings, either a critical warning or warning. Critical warnings are followed by 3 beeps. A warning will just show up on the screen. If in this case, the message followed by 3 beeps is a critical warning from a air suspension fault. If the 3 beeps aren't there, its a warning to indicate that the suspension is in High mode and it doesn't want you going over 35mph. Neither has anything to do with Hi or Low range on the transmission.
Do you have an owner's manual? If not, you can download one by searching for a link. While you are at it, download the Workshop manual.
I suggest you slow down, get a good battery installed, and go from there. You are going to get a whole bunch of message after pulling the battery, "Window not set", etc. The owners manual will get you past most of these along with Kmags recomendation. Despite what many say, a Range Rover will give you quite a bit of information about what ails it, you just need to learn to speak proper Land Rover.

[Rewmer]

BONNET = FRONT ENGINE HOOD btw, it's the british term for it, no clue why LR America didn't bother changing the term for NA users

Because it wouldnt be right !

Just want to echo what Norcal said. Start off with a good battery. Get the engine codes read, and get that running as it should, then move onto the EAS. Read up about how it works, make sure you are making air and.........SLOW DOWN.