Diff box selector sticking

Mo younesi · Dec 19, 2018

Greeting all. I have a quick question which I hope those of you folks who have had a go at opening the Diff box selector will be able to answer easily. I am talking about the shorter gear stick next to the main gear stick.
Having read about the typical problem on the selector box, the most common one seems to be jamming of the steel shaft against the aluminium bushing and typically a dismantling, cleaning and putting everything back together will fix the issue.
I fear that I will have to do this over the Christmas period but am not 100% sure the above is the problem.
My selector goes left to right and back easily (without engaging any diff) which tells me the shaft is moving in and out of the bushing, so can't be jammed, but it does not go forward or backward, which makes me guess something to do with the linkage may need either adjusting. I can't engage in any of Diff, High or low.
I appreciate any advice please.

Rougharse Racing · Dec 19, 2018

Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe that the problem you describe is that the centre diff in the transfer box, isn't locking up when you move the short gear lever over to the left.
How do you know that it isn't locking ? You can't rely on the dash light as these can be defective, either the switch on the transfer box or the bulb may have blown.
Secondly, the locking collar inside the transfer box is spring loaded, so the diff won't lock until the splines on the front and rear output shafts line up. You can't force the diff to lock.
If you want to check if the centre diff is locked jack up just one wheel, and try to set off, if the raised wheel just spins then the diff hasn't locked, if the car starts to move the diff is locked.
If the wheel spins don't be tempted to rev the nuts off it, because if the diff suddenly locks up you will look a bit daft.

tottot · Dec 19, 2018

As above,diff lock will only go in or out when it wants to.The light only comes on when the diff is locked. If this happens as you move the gear lever it'a just luck the splines on the shaft were in the right place.

jamesmartin · Dec 19, 2018

Mo younesi said:
Greeting all. I have a quick question which I hope those of you folks who have had a go at opening the Diff box selector will be able to answer easily. I am talking about the shorter gear stick next to the main gear stick.
Having read about the typical problem on the selector box, the most common one seems to be jamming of the steel shaft against the aluminium bushing and typically a dismantling, cleaning and putting everything back together will fix the issue.
I fear that I will have to do this over the Christmas period but am not 100% sure the above is the problem.
My selector goes left to right and back easily (without engaging any diff) which tells me the shaft is moving in and out of the bushing, so can't be jammed, but it does not go forward or backward, which makes me guess something to do with the linkage may need either adjusting. I can't engage in any of Diff, High or low.
I appreciate any advice please.

if it moves sideways its not the common issue where the steel shaft seizes into the ali housing on the lhs of the lever assembly it could be the rhs ,or at the t/box, if switchg is wound in too far diff lock wont operate or if switch is broken you wouldnt know by a warning light it was selected, jack 1 front wheel up if it can be turned by hand diff lock isnt selected if it cant it is gear box needs to be in neutral,diff lock selection can be adjusted by screwing in or out the eye bolt diff lock lever is pivoted on

Mo younesi · Dec 20, 2018

Cheers James, much appreciated.

Mo younesi · Dec 20, 2018

Thank you for your reply. I am almost sure that diff is not locked as when the diff is locking you can feel the characteristics of the drive changes significantly, so to be honest I don't usually relay on the Diff light being on or not.but to be sure I will put one of the wheel on the jack to see if it spins freely or not.
Apart from the Diff position to the left, once I move the gear stick to the right, I can't go from neutral to high or low, so what JamesMartin said makes sense to me that the switch wounding must have got out of position. A bit puzzled as to why this could possibly happen, surely it can't get loosen as the result of vibration or cold weather effect.

raywin · Dec 20, 2018

When I bought my defender the diff lock and high low selecter did not work correctly, I tried to get oil on the linkage but no joy. I took out the centre cover over the gear box and stripped the linkage which was seized up, I had to replace the little link which is like a bit of bent fencing wire (but costs £30) and greased it all and it worked fine.
When you get it sorted operate it a few times every now and again to keep it from seizing up.

Mo younesi · Dec 20, 2018

This is really good advice Ray. Thank you. I think but the sound of it, this is the problem I have. Not sure how good or bad the access will be to the linkage. Naturally I will need to take the Tunnel cover off, but am hoping by taking the driver seat and the cover under it out of the way, hopefully I would have decent access to take the linkage off. Cheers for that.

raywin · Dec 20, 2018

Mo younesi said:
This is really good advice Ray. Thank you. I think but the sound of it, this is the problem I have. Not sure how good or bad the access will be to the linkage. Naturally I will need to take the Tunnel cover off, but am hoping by taking the driver seat and the cover under it out of the way, hopefully I would have decent access to take the linkage off. Cheers for that.

Sorry to tell you the access is terrible you can just see the linkage laying underneath and I hoped WD40 and pushing the lever viggorusly would do the trick but no luck.
Taking the centre cover out is a pain, the Philips head screws rust up to hell and needed a chisel to move some of them, I had to take the mounting screws out of the fuse box on the bulkhead to allow the cover to come out.
Go on eBay and get some stainless screws and large washers, plus some of the plastic inserts which the screws screw into, it's not expensive, makes
replacement easy and saves your sanity if you need to take it out again.
Take care when you try to free off the little "U" shaped linkage I broke mine and had quite a shock at the replacement cost.
If you can live with it a bit longer then wait for better weather, it won't hurt anything.

raywin · Dec 20, 2018

Managed to pinch this picture off the web.
The link I mentioned is not the one in the circle, it's in the centre at the bottom of the picture

Mo younesi · Dec 20, 2018

Many thanks again Ray for great advice and heads up. The Landy drives okay just now so you are right there is no urgency to do it just now, plus all the tools are bloody freezing to touch if you are working in the open, so might fiddle about with taking the Tunnel off but leave fixing the "C" connector to a bit warmer days.

Mo younesi · Dec 23, 2018

Just to conclude this post for the time being:
I was concerned that if we get bad weather or heavy snow in Jan/Feb then I will potentially need to have low gears or diff lock available, so eventhough it is not the best of times now to work on the Landy in the open air, though to have a go at it. So ahead of the game bought the couple of the gaskets for the diff box leveler even a circlipe opening tool. Took the gear knobs off and the rubber cover around the gear sticks also the rubber mat that covers the tunnel. I stopped short of taking the tunnel off as not only a couple of bolts around it seemed a bit rusty but also realized the bolts have a nut that could only be accessed from under the landy and laying on the wet ground under it a cold morning did not apeal to me. I decided not to go any further and leave it to a better warmer day, however while I had the rubber covers off and could see just about the end of levers attached to the diff box selector, to put some WD40 on the levers and try the selectors with the hope that I might just loosen it. Sprayed loads of WD40 just at the end of levers which I had access to and let the WD40 just run down the levers and tried the selector a number of times and guess what?
It came loose and got lucky so then sprayed more WD40 and tried the selector a dozen time and everything is working just fine. So put all coverings and gear knobs back on. I know that WD40 as a lubrication doesn't last for long an will evaporate in a couple of weeks time so will come back to this at near future and will clean and properly grease everything but happy just now for the time being.
Thank you again to all the folks who kindly replied and went though this little journey with me. Here are a coupe of pictures. Cheers.

Flossie · Dec 23, 2018

There shouldn't be nuts unless it's been bodged. Fyi Should be screws going into nylon inserts.

Mo younesi · Dec 23, 2018

Thanks For that Flossie. This is the first time ever that I have opened this part of the Landy. I was displeased to see so much dirt and mock as seen on the photos, so cleaned everything before putting the covering back. Also as could be seen in the photo it has a number of bolts and nut ( and screws in a couple of places), so looks like it has been opened before me!
I am planning to come back to this area of the Landy in near future so will be replacing all the bolts and nuts to stainless steel. Don't think could add the original designed plastic inset as the plate under the Landy which used to hold them must have been changed at some point.
Cheers.

Flossie · Dec 23, 2018

The transmission cover looks to be cut or modified where it meets the seatbox. It's possible to find all sorts of mods on landies tbh, no biggy really.

Flossie · Dec 23, 2018

jamesmartin · Dec 23, 2018

his looks fairly std for a 300

tottot · Dec 23, 2018

Get a can of spray grease,many uses on a landy.

raywin · Dec 23, 2018

tottot said:
Get a can of spray grease,many uses on a landy.

That's right, may pay you to try and get some thicker oil on all the pivot pins now it's moving, don't forget to work it regularly both the high low and the diff lock keeps it free, (usualy)

Diff box selector sticking

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