PLay on front drive shaft and knocking noise ?

Whilst trying to track down a knocking sound on my disco 1 300 tdi auto from the front somewhere (after a hour of driving in the snow and hitting a couple of pot holes) I noticed that the front drive shaft I can rotate about a 1cm one way or the other. The rear drive shaft doesnt move a mm.

Is this normal ? The car was parked engine off in park with handbrake on

anyone out there able to give their drive shafts a wiggle for me and let me know ?

also any idea when i take my foot off the accelerator i can hear like a knocking sound as if somethign is catching as it rotates from the front ?

that sounds unpleasantly like centre diff/transfer box problem.....someone please tell me Im wrong!

have you checked the ujays on the the front prop? my front prop does turn about the same as yours without the rear prop moving but i dont have any problems with it.mines a manual box but i dont think that should make any difference. good luck

That amount of movement is not abnormal.
Your rear prop won't move if the handbrake is on! Chock the wheels, let the handbrake off then try it.

Could still be the front prop UJs though - get a bar through the yokes and see if there's any play in them.

the handbrake locks the rear propshaft... that's how it works!

Treworgey 90 said:

That amount of movement is not abnormal.
Your rear prop won't move if the handbrake is on! Chock the wheels, let the handbrake off then try it.

Could still be the front prop UJs though - get a bar through the yokes and see if there's any play in them.

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mine was the same at low speed if its not greased regulary where the prop slides in on its self it will seize up (not enough axle drop on the roads get off road more ) was told it put to much pressure on uj causing undue wear oooooooo i thought just tell me its fu***d i said which he did 70 notes later im a happy as a pig in poop and back out

Hi. Just joined forum after episodes of lurking over last year or so. (got the dreaded lurking cured now).

Thought I'd share my experience of what happens when you're not quick fixing knocking noises!
Just got back in from fitting new front prop and sump to auto box. I realise now that the knocking and play in transmission was due to a failing u/j on rr of front prop (on a Disco 2 there is no grease nipple on rear uj - thnx, great idea). Lucky I was coasting on slip road rather than doing 70 on mway when it cried freedom. It did however try to take others down with it hence new auto sump pan, and attempted to destroy everything in its path.
Anyway, twas a good opportunity whilst on the ramps to see that the fuel reg was peeing freely.....

Looking forward to spending many hours on this forum screaming for help!

'Land Rover' - must be like marriage, for better, for worse....

:doh:

izm440 said:

on a Disco 2 there is no grease nipple on rear uj - thnx, great idea
:doh:

Click to expand...

There's a clearance problem. There is a plug. You need to remove the plug, fit a nipple, grease, remove nipple and refit plug. I think it's detailed in the manual.

thnx Postmaster.
Will check out, once my medication kicks in.

im new to the forum world and with thanks to you guys i now have a good idea what that god awful noise is coming from the drive shafts over the past week. Disco booked into garage tomorrow hopefully problem solved with out too much expence! Thanks againg guys.