Differential Swap

Hello all,

I have a noisy differential which I am planning to replace.
Money is tight at the moment so I decided to go for a used unit and not a refurbished item. I shopped around, using parts 24/7 to get a few salvage companies ring me.
I went for the cheapest, being told it was off a low mileage 54 plate. Mine being 06 I was happy to be having another later model of assembly (casing 51441), or so I thought. Well it has turned up and it is a 47098, the pre 2002 model.

My question is, are the differentials interchangeable, i.e. will my later half-shafts fit the older unit ?

Phil.

well......
it isnt what you asked for, or paid for. Best to ask for the correct one to be sent .

Phil,

When you say your old diff was "noisy", what kind of noise was it making?

Agreed. Probably not 'low mileage' either...

newcyboots said:

Phil,

When you say your old diff was "noisy", what kind of noise was it making?

Click to expand...

It is a bearing noise. I first thought it was the wheel bearings so changed them a month ago, the noise has got worst since.
The rumble is still there when the car is jacked up and either wheel spun, so the half shafts are turning but the prop isn't. One diff mount is also knackered (left side). Although it's the newer unit is seems to have failed as described by the Landrover bulletin for the early diffs. It has done 120k miles.


If this replacement unit fits, I'm thinking of fitting it for now and trying to rebuild mine. Lots of questions regarding pinion pre-load and contact faces to follow......

all the diffs are the same LR only list one for the lot petrol diesel are the same

Well, now I'm scratching my head.

Fitted the second hand diff today and my rumble noise is still there, so it wasn't the diff.
Dropped the prop shaft off and that didn't make a difference either. If the noise was different to that before changing the diff then I'd question whether it is any good, but it is exactly the same.

I'm starting to worry that I may have damaged a wheel bearing when I changed them.

I can't think what else it could be. The drive shafts appear to be nice an tight, with no free play.
I'll try rotating the tyres tomorrow, but I believe the noise is there when the wheels are spun in free air.

Most fed up now.

swapped the tyres without it making a difference.

I think my next step is to change the hub bearing again. It was a Britpart bearing that was fitted, should I try a different make ?