Disco 1 LOUD CLICKING NOISE POSSIBLY FROM LT230

Hello and good evening everybody!
I am reaching out as I have just fitted my recently refurbished LT230 and R380 on to my Disco 1. Having taken it for a spin around the block i noticed a loud clicking noise coming from what seems to be the transfer box. The noise could only be heard under two circumstances. The first being when having the car in gear, foot off the accelerator and letting it coast along. If i apply power the noise goes away. The second case would be when changing gear and depressing the clutch but also letting off the accelerator. When the car is in neutral and idling no noise can be heard. The front and rear prop shafts are brand new. Could it be the dog clutch / ring (the black one) that engages the diff lock ? I mean, is there a chance it could produce that sort of noise if installed the wrong way around ? I cant think of anything in the gearbox that could cause that noise only when coasting along in gear. Let me know if you can think of something, or have experienced that sort of thing.
Kindest Regards

I reckon remove one prop and lock diff then test drive, do same with other prop.
This to 100 percent eliminate the props, new or not.

Could be the @ngle of the prop sh@ft, not the first time ive seen the knuckles hitting on new props.

lynall said:

I reckon remove one prop and lock diff then test drive, do same with other prop.
This to 100 percent eliminate the props, new or not.

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Okay, will do that and report back.

kevstar said:

Could be the @ngle of the prop sh@ft, not the first time ive seen the knuckles hitting on new props.

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Since both you guys suggest that i will go ahead with it and update. However why would it only occur when coasting with gear in and accelerator not depressed ?

APOSTOLOS said:

Since both you guys suggest that i will go ahead with it and update. However why would it only occur when coasting with gear in and accelerator not depressed ?

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Engine and box moving around on the rubber mounts during acceleration.

Another thing that will make propshaft issues more likely is a lifted vehicle. Do you have standard suspension?

Turboman said:

Engine and box moving around on the rubber mounts during acceleration.

Another thing that will make propshaft issues more likely is a lifted vehicle. Do you have standard suspension?

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Yep its completely stock. Nothing added, nothing taken away. One of the engine mounts is indeed past its prime however both gearbox / transfer box mounts are fine. I will also try switching the transfer box in neutral and going through all the gears on the R380 to see the results.
Thanks !!!

APOSTOLOS said:

Yep its completely stock. Nothing added, nothing taken away. One of the engine mounts is indeed past its prime however both gearbox / transfer box mounts are fine. I will also try switching the transfer box in neutral and going through all the gears on the R380 to see the results.
Thanks !!!

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Got some testing done and came back with results. So i switched the LT230 into neutral went through all the gears clutch out, gave gas and then let off as if i were decelerating. NO NOISE. Then i installed the front prop, locked the diff and went for a drive. Noise suddenly appeared with gear in while decelerating. If i don't engage any gear it won't produce the noise while coasting along. Went back home, left the front prop on but also lifted the front wheels off the ground with a jack and jack stands. Got the diff locked, gear in, gave gas, let it off but NO NOISE. What the hell is going on ? The only things that changed which i can think of, are the angle of the front prop due to the lifted front axle and the absence of the Disco's weight / drag from contacting the road. Any ideas ? I will do the same test but with the rear prop only installed. Take it for a drive but also do it with the Discos rear axle lifted off the ground.
Cheers

You don't have the wt of the vehicle trying to push the car and so reversing everything's normal way of taking up the slack.
If you supported it on the axles it wont change angles enough.

If you get similar results with the rear prop then its common to both I.E not an axle. Or both.

Were the refurbs done by a reputable source?

"ticking" Can mean many things to some and nothing to others. you sure its not something just tapping somewhere on overrun after putting it back together?

J

That is definitely the UJ on the front propshaft on it's way out - more than likely on the front diff side of things

Cheap and easy fix

Will do the necessary intro in the introduce yourself section shortly

Op says prop shafts are brand new

marjon said:

You don't have the wt of the vehicle trying to push the car and so reversing everything's normal way of taking up the slack.
If you supported it on the axles it wont change angles enough.

If you get similar results with the rear prop then its common to both I.E not an axle. Or both.

Were the refurbs done by a reputable source?

"ticking" Can mean many things to some and nothing to others. you sure its not something just tapping somewhere on overrun after putting it back together?

J

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Hey there,
Many thanks for the response ! Its greatly appreciated. I understand regarding the change of angle not being sufficient to cause any major issue. Also its not the axles that's for sure, so we are good on this side. The refurbs were completed by myself using OEM and Genuine parts apart from some heavy duty stuff from Ashcrofts. Shimming and everything were done very carefully and double checked so it can't be that. Yep i am 100% sure nothing is touching, as i thought of that and have been under the car a couple of times just to check that. One quick question. With the car up to speed, IN GEAR (any gear) but with the clutch depressed so the drive is coming from the already spinning wheels through the transfer, to the gearbox, not through the engine, would the gearboxes mainshaft be spinning ? Its directly connected to the input gear of the LT230 which should be spinning if the wheels are spinning with the shafts on. That would help a lot if we can answer that.

The way i am thinking all this is :

With the clutch up but engine running the gearbox is spinning apart from the mainshaft as no synchro hubs are engaged. Engaging any gear will cause the mainshaft to spin as the synchro hub will engage on the splines and after lifting the clutch forward motion will occur. So what i am trying to understand is, if i am in gear (1st or 2nd, 3rd doesn't really matter) with the car already up to a certain speed, lets say 30 kph and depress the clutch and lift the accelerator from what i understand the drive will now be following the route below :

WHEELS --> AXLES ---> PROPSHAFTS ----> TRANSFER BOX ----> GEARBOX

So if the drive is following this route that will mean the LT230s input gear will be spinning and in turn the mainshaft will be spinning. If there was no gear engaged in the R380 but still doing the same, meaning car up to speed, lift foot from the accelerator pedal, depress the clutch, disengage the gear in the R380 and then let the car coast along would that still mean the LT230s input gear will be spinning and in turn the R380s mainshaft ? That's what's troubling me, because i think it would mean that either the input gear has a faulty spline or the mainshaft has a faulty spline.

I think….

If you are in gear yes all the shafts will be turning, it’s only disconnected at the clutch.

Out of gear the Lt box would still be turning its shafts as when driving.

As you have new props we would normally discount them, but did you grease them and are they phased correctly?

J

marjon said:

I think….

If you are in gear yes all the shafts will be turning, it’s only disconnected at the clutch.

Out of gear the Lt box would still be turning its shafts as when driving.

As you have new props we would normally discount them, but did you grease them and are they phased correctly?

J

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Thanks so very much for coming through immediately with helpful answers. Okay got it. Yes the props were a concern of mine. They are phased properly and greased as needed. Bloody hell that's a proper mind puzzle. I was also thinking about the centre diffs dog clutch (the black thing) which could have been installed the wrong way around and grinding on the teeth of the shaft.
Kindest Regards

Can’t help anymore as not been inside the LT box(yet) could your suspicions be checked with the tb sump off?

Maybe do a search on here to find some good pics, sure I have seen some.

J

marjon said:

Can’t help anymore as not been inside the LT box(yet) could your suspicions be checked with the tb sump off?

Maybe do a search on here to find some good pics, sure I have seen some.

J

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That's what i was planning to do. I also read about the diff lock light switch being a possible cause as i might have screwed it in way too much causing the diff lock dog clutch to not fully engage- disengage. We shall see. However having a look at the dog clutch could be a pain as i will have to remove the side plate which is very close to the gearbox when everything is installed on the car. The bottom plate i can easily remove and have a good look at the rest of the Transfer Box.
Kindest Regards

Good luck, do let us know what you find.

J

LT230 removed, opened up, everything is perfectly fine. I fired up the car and revved it in gear, i think i got a very faint version of the sound i am having an issue with. R380 gets removed tomorrow for inspection. Lets see.
Cheers

Did you replace clutch arm thrust bearing and the crank spigot bush when they were out before?

J

marjon said:

Did you replace clutch arm thrust bearing and the crank spigot bush when they were out before?

J

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All of them are new apart from the bush in the crankshaft. The clutch arm is a heavy duty one from Canada, the bearing is genuine.