[Had to apply handbrake to get car to move ( RRC 1992 )]

SYMPTOMS  - Loss of drive - engine revving fine - had to apply handbrake to get car to move ( yes I know it sounds nuts but it happened )

 

Was driving before Christmas, when suddenly the Range Rover Classic 1992 started to slow down. Pressing the accelerator harder made no difference to the speed,  the  engine just revved  and the speedo went up to 70 mph.

I pulled over into some roadworks whilst I still had movement and blocked these though it did not hold up a busy A road  which is what I was concerned with. 

I look under car expecting to find a driveshaft off  but no such luck.  I got back in and started up, and again tried D  for Drive.  Pushed pedal, engine revved, absoletely no movement of car  and  speedo went up to  80mph.

Heard one wheel spinning, so applied handbrake, whereupon the car started moving.  Handbrake off - it stopped.

 

So I drove back home  with the handbrake on and the car driving fine.   After two miles, I felt it slowing as the handbrake was dragging now.  I removed handbrake, and car pulled unfettered back home.

Over Christmas I parked up a  very gentle grassy slope which was wet. I could barely move the car up the slope the next day as the front right wheel  was the only one spinning as evidenced by burns on the grass. I had to reverse back to  tarmac to have a good run,  in order  to get up the slope to the garage I have ( other cars are on the tarmac  driveway up to it )

I have never had to apply the handbrake to  get drive before. Does anyone have any idea why this should have happened from the symptoms I gave?

Could it be the ABS activating ? And reducing drive to  the wheels in all cases?  If so, why does applying the handbrake make the car move?

 

Thanks for any views and advice

 E