Help! Going on Hols Monday and an awful vibration has started!

Hi all,

Help! We are supposed to be going camping on Monday and the landy (110 300tdi) has just started grumbling. She has developed (over the last 24hrs) a vibration and grumbling. It's getting worse and sounds pretty bad now - coming from the front (gearbox/clutch area (eek). Dipping the clutch will kill it.

I have just tested everything for warmth, having done a short (10 mile) journey. Rear UJ's fine and cold - I did the transmission end one 2 years ago. The front ones feel warm, but not hot. The is quite a lot of warmth where the shaft goes into the front diff casing. Both front hubs feel cool, so I am guessing not bearings.

One thing I did notice is that there is play in the front drive shaft (i.e. your can turn it back and forth, making the gearbox rattle), but none in the rear drive shaft. Is that normal?

Funnily enough I did a service today and greased the rear UJ's and I looked at the front ones and thought, hmm do I do that shaft everytime? Presumably I could remove the front shaft, go for a drive to eliminate it?

How far could I go on one drive shaft... Suffolk to Cornwall... ?

All and any help very much appreciated.

James

Update: there is definitely quite a bit of play in the transmission end UJ of the front propshaft - so hopefully that's the problem. However, there is also quite a bit of play in the actual transmission plate that it connects to. By this I don't mean that the bolts are loose, but that the whole thing (that goes inside the transmission) up and down a touch, is this normal?

Take the prop off you may be able to tighten the nut up if its loose.

+1 for pulling the prop and checking the 30mm nyloc nut is tight.

Looks a bit like this.



Bearings don't take long should they need done too.

UJ can be swapped out with a couple of hammers and a couple of sockets.

If you want, non genuine prop can be had very cheap on eBlag, it'll suffice a year of two and give you a chance to swap out the UJs for genuine on your original prop.

By fluke of chance I think I might just have two UJs. When I did the rear the UJs supplied were too small (I have the uprated one it seems). Anyway I think he told me to hold on to them in case I need them at the front (otherwise why would I still have them?!?)

Bugger, I've not got a 46mm socket.

Not owned a Defender, but from S3 109 days I know just how much noise & vibration can be produced by a naff UJ, mine sounded like the entire transmission was coming apart

James2 said:

Bugger, I've not got a 46mm socket.

Click to expand...

Why do you need a 46mm socket?

Cheers

Won't I need one to tighten the M30 nylock mentioned above?

No you need a 30mm socket

Ahhhh, miss read 30mm A/F as M30.

Anyone know if that needs to be a deep socket, or will a standard one be ok?

Standard one will fit

Bugger! Looks like the front one is uprated too - the UJs I have are to small.

Stupidly I didn't put it in to diff lock before I started and now cannot get it in. Is there a knack to doing this no I don't have motion or is it not possible?

James

James2 said:

Won't I need one to tighten the M30 nylock mentioned above?

Click to expand...

its not an m30 nyloc,its socket size

Put it in diff lock & keep turning it should lock up.

Fiddled with it for ages, but couldn't get it to go in. Usually it needs a bit of movement to jump in, so I guess that's the problem?

If the handbrake is on (and working!) you will get no movement when trying to turn the rear propshaft as it works on the rear propshaft unless your rear prop u/js are very worn.
You may need the engine running to engage difflock or at least a wheel jacked off the ground so you can turn the wheel by hand thus turning the transfer box & letting things line up to engage.
You said that you can move the output flange up & down which would lead me to believe that either the nut is loose or the bearing has had it. Either way, that's not engage difflock & drive to Cornwall territory.

Panic not, my can I dive to Cornwall on one propshaft was tongue in cheek!

I am struggling to tighten nut as the car moved back, but tomorrow I will have someone who can have their foot on the brake. It looked pretty tight and new actually.

So no play in it?
Do the ujs feel worn then?