Diff broke!

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neilly

neilly

Well-Known Member
Posts
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Location
Oxfordshireness
OK,
So Today I gave the old girl a mini service, engine oil and filters.

took it for a quick spin, parked up had a cuppa and then went to park it up and get the tools out of it. So started reversing and it felt like the handbrake had stuck on initially! then everything was good.

reversed it around and checked the concrete to check no sudded oil slick had appeared.

well sux to be me, there was a line of oil on the floor. Jumped out to see what was loose and when I walked around there was a nice pool of oil coming from the bottom of the rear diff.

Looks like a couple of dents have appeared in the casing and one of them has broken a small hole through it at the bottom.

does not make any strange noises when moved a few feet. but it is now parked up waiting for the inevitable strip down.

Rear diff with disk brakes , assuming the diff originally came off a 300tdi 90 or disco as the motor itself is a d reg.

any ideas on what I can expect when I get stripping it next week, going to start searching for how to strip and rebuild it.

Anybody got any advice, are there any differences i should know regarding the diffs , so i know exactly which one i have? Anyone got a good guide to stripping the axle and diff, ( found busters guide already )

Strange , but quite looking forward to it!

Cheers
 
Diffs can be a real pita, and as they are literally as cheap as chips I would just replace it.
 
neilly said:
OK,
So Today I gave the old girl a mini service, engine oil and filters.

took it for a quick spin, parked up had a cuppa and then went to park it up and get the tools out of it. So started reversing and it felt like the handbrake had stuck on initially! then everything was good.

reversed it around and checked the concrete to check no sudded oil slick had appeared.

well sux to be me, there was a line of oil on the floor. Jumped out to see what was loose and when I walked around there was a nice pool of oil coming from the bottom of the rear diff.

Looks like a couple of dents have appeared in the casing and one of them has broken a small hole through it at the bottom.

does not make any strange noises when moved a few feet. but it is now parked up waiting for the inevitable strip down.

Rear diff with disk brakes , assuming the diff originally came off a 300tdi 90 or disco as the motor itself is a d reg.

any ideas on what I can expect when I get stripping it next week, going to start searching for how to strip and rebuild it.

Anybody got any advice, are there any differences i should know regarding the diffs , so i know exactly which one i have? Anyone got a good guide to stripping the axle and diff, ( found busters guide already )

Strange , but quite looking forward to it!

Cheers
Click to expand...

Is your diff actually broken or just a hole in the diff pan on the axle?
 
Hi Discomania,

Well I kinda think the dents that have been pushed into it from the insdie may be a little inkling of something broke on the inside, LOL

But I like the thinking , the diff pan itself was very solid,

I am pretty sure something has let go, doen a few goes around the internals . punched a hole in the pan and then got mashed.

Cheers
 
Thanks JM, Appreciate the help.

Could you let me know which vehicles had these fitted?

24 spline 3.54 diff,

300tdi 90?
disco 1 300tdi?

any others ? will make my search to find a repplacement much easier.

Cheers
 
neilly said:
Thanks JM, Appreciate the help.

Could you let me know which vehicles had these fitted?

24 spline 3.54 diff,

300tdi 90?
disco 1 300tdi?

any others ? will make my search to find a repplacement much easier.

Cheers
Click to expand...

If there is one thing I have learnt from Land Rover's it is assume nothing is stock.

I personally would pull the diff first then order a replacement.

I just last week pulled a MINT diff. Sitting there now, crown wheel and pinion have barely a mark on them. Backlash is almost nonexistent. Can't remember if it was a 10 or 24 but... once you know what you need, if you are interested... it was for sale anyway.
 
Hi Discomania,

My thoughts exactly, going to be pulled first thing Friday, and then start the phone calls to see what I can find.

Cheers
 
Righty Ho,

Done some searches and I find a lot more 3 flange diffs than 4 bolt ones. What exactly is needed to swap them over, is it just the flange itself? I see that setting them is in the 300tdi workshop manual so will investigate that.
 
neilly said:
Righty Ho,

Done some searches and I find a lot more 3 flange diffs than 4 bolt ones. What exactly is needed to swap them over, is it just the flange itself? I see that setting them is in the 300tdi workshop manual so will investigate that.
Click to expand...

most 4 bolt flages will need a spacer fitting as well 3 bolt doesnt use one as is longer , there is no setting just swap and tighten up
 
well , well , well.

I found the problem...... 2 bolts from the crown wheel? had come loose and the bolt heads had hit as the diff turned and sheared them off, and a third was almost unscrewed enough to hit.

2 bolt heads and a washer in the bottom of the diff. one of these was very chewed up.

I think whoever built these up used the wrong bolts and washers.

and , blimey the diff is heavy when you have to offer it up when laid under the landy, LOL
 
here are the pretty pics I got
 

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It would be fixable I suppose, I managed to source one locally.

although the replacement turns smoother than the broke one, feels like bearings are not as smooth as they should be.

I would of thought they should be loctited in, but not sure of that. Just do not understand why someone would go to the hassle and have done what looks like a rebuild and not done it correctly.
 
Last edited:
We had the same problem years ago on an ENV diff fitted to a Series 2 Forward Control. The bits of metal we found when draining the oil were a bit disturbing so we took the mechanism out and found the bolts were coming out and grinding themselves away on the casing. It seems to be something crown wheel bolts do if you give them the chance. Yes, Loctite them!
 
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