Diff lock help really needed please.

Hi guy this is my first post so please be gentle with me lol.

i have a 98 300tdi and the transfer lever goes into high and low as smooth as silk, i tried to put it into diff lock to get up a snow bank and it wont budge i read the forum striped it down and it apperes its in diff lock already (hard over to the left), a bit confused i jacked it up and the wheels move individualy so its not engaged so im stumped, what do you recommend i do, changing the transfrer box is a bit out of my budget and expertise,

Thanks in advance guys

sounds like dif lock linkage seized plenty of threads on persuading it

when you jacked it up did you jack up both wheels on an axle? difflock is not ae lockers it locks the centre diff only.. If you jacked up one axle the opposite wheel would indeed turn backwards even if locked. Difflock locks the front and rear propshafts together only.
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i jacked it up this morning onto axel stands all 4 wheels off the ground, into first gear the wheels all turn but at slow speeds you can stop any one wheel with a hand and other keeps turning, all wheel move individualy from each other

Check the linkage into the transferbox???

sniffmydiff said:

i jacked it up this morning onto axel stands all 4 wheels off the ground, into first gear the wheels all turn but at slow speeds you can stop any one wheel with a hand and other keeps turning, all wheel move individualy from each other

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The idea is to only have one wheel off the ground. If not the system is open and wont tell you anything.

Jack one wheel up (Any/ the easiest!) check the other 3 are on the ground and not able to turn by hand.

Then try turn the jacked wheel one revolution either way, if it turn the diff isn't locked.

Try to lock it by moving the diff lock to the pasanger side, (No need to change anything with high or low! I.e. dont move it to neutural or low keep it in high just push the lever to the passanger side to activate the diff lock linkage)

Try then to turn the jacked wheel one revlolution either way. If it worked it will take up the transmition slack (as can be felt when putting the hand brake on when stoped) then stop! That shows it is locked.

Also is it manual or auto? I took the dash out of my auto and it isnt as hard or daunting as it seems when you read the haynes or other threads. It took me less than half a day. Only to find there is a good chance the problem is internal to the TX Box so would have to take it out to fix, unless it already is fixed! (Not tested it since as I have not had a trolly jack to hand!)