Diff lock driving me insane....

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Mr S1

Mr S1

Well-Known Member
Posts
3,364
Location
Surrey / Sussex borders
Hi guys, wonder if you can help.

For some reason, I can't seem to get the diff lock so that the gearbox in everyday driving to work 'normally'. The diff is 'right and back' but getting it into gear is a nightmare, ie. it either won't go or if it does all I get is the gearbox playing a tune. I just want to get the diff into neutral (?) so I can use the bl00dy gearbox ! New to Landy's so please excuse my ignorance if I'm being thick.

Anyone able to help ?

Thanks.
 
So are you having problems selecting 1/2/3/4/5 with the main gearstick or are you having problems selecting difflock?

The diff doesn't go into neutral (well it does but you won't drive anywhere) it's either locked or unlocked. You want it high range unlocked for normal road driving. Which is back and right.

where is reverse? Is it next to first or 5th?
 
If the gearbox works correctly, then it's possible that the difflock linkage is stuck .. It's a known issue with Discoveries, but whichever vehicle it is you basically take the top of the gearchange unit off and look at the movement. A pin should slide in and out and rotate, quite often the in and out doesn't work, so remove the outer linkages, remove the whole top (four bolts ISTR) and basically work it out how to release the unit. When you've got the things out a good clean, polish and lots of grease on re-assembly should fix it.
 
Can get the diff lock into neutral (where it won't move) and can get it right and back. The problem is then trying to select gears with the main gearstick.

Paul - thanks mate. as usual with defender ownership it;s another problem that I can't fix and that's going to cost me even more money. Becoming exceptionally disillusioned with Land Rover ownership, I think it's time we parted company.
 
By 'difflock' do you mean the short lever that selects high and low in the transfer case, as well as difflock?
It's a lot easier to see what's going on if you get the transmission tunnel off. After having had the transfer box and centre diff housing off mine, I had a similar problem and solved it by adjusting the linkage so that the high and low ratios selected positively and you could feel the selector in the transfer case latching into place. There's a sort of splined arrangement on the driver's side that moves the linkage and it is possible to loosen it and move it round by a spline or two to get the full range of movement you need to get the transfer box into gear. It may just be that things have got very congested with road dirt and rust and you're not getting the full range of movement.
 
It will go into gear eventually, but it fights all the way. It was all good until the difflock lever was moved, now it wont play ball.

Brown - yes, the short lever, sorry chap if I'm confusing the issue.
 
Mr S1 said:
It will go into gear eventually, but it fights all the way. It was all good until the difflock lever was moved, now it wont play ball.
Click to expand...

How was it moved and why? If you mean it was in Hi gear and you just moved the lever to check it all worked then it's very likely that it's never been moved and needs taking apart, when first apart, spray the insides with WD or GT85 or similar and see if it frees up. As @Brown says, you really need the tunnel off at least, so you can see the top of the changer unit. Once the tunnel's off it's fairly straightforward what to do.
 
Once the tunnel's off, if you can unhitch the linkage at the gearbox end and check that the gearbox bit can be moved so as to select high and low. At each end of the movement you should be able to feel it latching into place. Somewhere inside there's a little ball on a spring that goes into a groove and holds it. When it is latched into place you should get some drive through the transfer box (unless there's some gear teeth or splines stripped). If that's all OK, then it's a linkage problem.

When I was adjusting mine I reached a point where it would work fine with the transmission tunnel off but kept jumping out of gear with the tunnel on. The foam rubber piece that plugs the hole in the transmission tunnel where the levers go through was pushing the lever forward just hard enough to pop it out of gear. So you might want to check there's nothing fouling the mechanism too.
 
I just fixed my gearbox tunnel down this afternoon and so could have taken a better picture than this.
Linkages_zpsrx7uthdv.jpg

These are the linkages being referred to. If not used they seize up and often just need lubricating. If dry, the mechanical disadvantage is surprising and they refuse to move. Taking the tunnel of isn't too bad. You can awkwardly reach some points if you just take the rubber gator off from around the gear sticks. Just getting to some might make the difference to get you going. Best to do all obviously.
 
Mr S1 said:
I knocked it when inside, so as you do with a normal car I put into neutral and then put the levee back where it was was.

And then the fun started.
Click to expand...
levr does 2 functions neither are related if you knock lever over you dont need to put it into neutral to pull it over again,lever can be pushed over to difflock when on the move or stood irrespective of where lever is in respect to hi/lo, if you pull it out of hi or lo you might need some judicial use of clutch to realign the gears to pull back in fully ,if it wont linkage may need adjusting or worn plastic bushes replaced in the linkage pins
 
Huge thanks gents ;) booked into the local specialist next Wednesday, he didn't seem to bat an eyelid when I told him what the issue was so hopefully it'll be something as simple as a bit of grease !
 
OK...after taking aforementioned heap to a specialist today it may well be the clutch slave cylinder. It was 'interesting' driving it there....and when I got there and they tired to drive it they realised what I meant ! Anyway, that's what they 'think' it could well be, so I await they verdict next week. Relatively easy fix by all accounts, so hopefully my wallet won;t be too bruised, but I did ask about some other bits whilst I was there as well so see what they say !
 
It's back....both slave cylinders replaced, problem sorted.

Indicators have packed up now, not sure if flasher unit or the actual stalk is shot (a lot of play so suspect it's that) - a job for the weekend !
 
OK, next instalment !

Goes back in today to have the roof lifted to replace the seals which are both shot. Can't sort the indicators either, so that's an electrical issue somewhere so getting that sorted as well.

The joys of Land Rover ownership so I'm told....!!!!
 
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