Hello !

Hi all recently purchased 1985 swb series 3, is an ex coastguard and condition seems excellent in my limited experience opinion.... until last weekend when i stripped the pinion in rear diff completely . My fault as on removal of diff found no oil.... Have dropped diff at a workshop for pinion/crown replacement and hopefully they will be reasonable price as yet have been unable to get a deff figure on cost out of them. My worry at minute is how to get all the metal fillings out of rear axle before putting rebuilt diff back in? I have used a magnet and got all i can see out but still worried about little bits? will it matter? Also think diff pan may have pin hole/hair line crack as had a bit of oil running from middle of it after diff failure (not on seem but right in middle on back edge) Going to go and look at brakes now stay out of wifes way as she moaning as its broken already lol.

Would be cheaper to buy a second hand diff.
Ask on here in the parts wanted section some one might be able to help out.
Diff pan is available to weld in if it had no oil was probably leaking before the failure.example here.
LAND ROVER DEFENDER SERIES 2/3 REAR DIFF PAN REPAIR | eBay

Replace bearings on each hub and maybe flush it all with old gear oil first. Or just get a second hand axle.

having a diff rebuilt is damned expensive, 4.7s are not in anything like short supply and you should be able to find a secondhand one for peanuts or even a complete spare rear axle for under 50quid

repair the diff pan, there is possibly a problem with welding it though as it's ex-coastguard it may be rotten (saltwater hammers them), you could cut it off if it's rotten and weld a new one on or if it's still reasonably strong (but not weldable) you could use something like milliput to plug the crack (i've used it in alloy sumps) which can be found at plumbers shops

only you can assess what you need to do, i've just suggested a little wedge saving

Just weld up the crack. You could pop the stub axles off and rinse the casing out with petrol - you'll be able to see if any swarf has got as far as the wheel bearings in which case it's reasonably easy to strip the hubs and clean them out.

.....Oh yeah, do the welding first.

LAND ROVER DIFF FOR SERIES 1 2 & 3 OR RANGE ROVERS | eBay Is this the right diff? sorry i have no idea how do i check what ratio i have at minute? what does 10 or 24 spline mean? i on a steep learning curve... thanks a lot for all your replies and advice so far

what is 4.7s.....

The ratio of the differential ie input to output

10 or 24 is the number of splines on the halfshafts where they fit into the diff (same on the drive flange on the wheel hub)

the ebay diff is a 3.54:1 ratio that means the input (pinion) rotates 3.54 times to one rotation of the rear wheels when travelling in a straight line (or to one rotation of the crownwheel)

i very much doubt you want this diff

did your speedo read reasonably accurately before things got busted ?? if so you will have had a 4.7:1 diff and that is what you still want

4.7:1 rover diffs are all 10spline unless specially built and those would be advertised at a premium price

3.54:1 x 10spline diffs are usually required by folks that have put a tdi under the bonnet rather than ones running the original engine

24 spline diffs are of no use to Series owners unless they have very expensive halfshafts

one here
DIFFERENTIAL LAND ROVER SERIES 1, 2 OR 3 4.7:1 RATIO | eBay

i'd do your own searches rather than pay the price of the one linked above, with postage that works out at well over 100quid for just a diff

check your local landrover club out or put a wanted advert on a forum or two

Thanks everyone for your help,got my diff back from workshop today after being quoted between £300 to £400 !!! Total rip off as i seen i can get refurbished diff for around£200. Now i know what i looking for though i got my eye on a couple on ebay,seems the way to go.

That's a not bad price if they adjust it up and make it good as new - I got "refurbished" ones where I think refurbished mean they'd been taken out and cleaned off with petrol...

I really need to check mine for oil level!

Do check that the front and rear are the same ratio or you will be disappointed when you come to use it in 4wd!

D

dominicbeesley said:

That's a not bad price if they adjust it up and make it good as new - I got "refurbished" ones where I think refurbished mean they'd been taken out and cleaned off with petrol...

I really need to check mine for oil level!

Do check that the front and rear are the same ratio or you will be disappointed when you come to use it in 4wd!

D

Click to expand...

don't confuse the chap

you'll be surprised with what you can get away with, i've a 3.54 in the rear axle and a 4.7 in the front, on loose and slippery surfaces i can still use 4x4 without breaking things

People selling axles may also split off the diff for you for less money. I bought a good diff out of a lightweight axle for £20 for my series. I scrapped the old one!