Locking Differential

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Nick2506

New Member
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13
I have read that on some Disco 2 that the manual locking lever for the central diff was not fitted by land rover, they thought it not necessary with the traction control system.
Could someone explain this to me please and also explain how without a lock drive is sent to both axels at any one time?
Many thanks.

Nick.
 
with center diff 4wd ,all drive can be lost with 1 wheel spinning ,locking center diff means drive has to go to both axles ,but you can loose drive if any front wheel and rear wheel spin at same time ,traction control works by stopping any or all spinning wheel by apllying brake to them ,thus ensuring other wheels have to drive ,in theory better ,and used in tractors since the 80s where it works well ,even to the point of having actual forward speed thrown in and % of wheel slip selectable for the reason that if left with 4 wheels with positive drive and going to tuff it could dig 4 holes and ground itself
 
The traction controll is good on the D2, Landrover also thought this which is why they left out the lever assembly.

The downside of this traction controll system is that a wheel has to start spinning for it to kick in, and in some circumstances, this can cause a loss in momentum leading to the vehicle becoming bogged down.

I have found that a D2 with the centre diff lock engaged AND traction controll with have the edge over a D2 with just the traction controll.

Landrover were tightwads not to put the lever in.

Del.
 
Gents
Thank you for you replies. Please forgive my ignorance but i am struggling to get my head around this. Are you saying that the Disco 2 cannot send drive to both axles simultaneously when the locking lever is absent? If that is correct what were Land Rover thinking?
I am asking because my old Freelander is getting passed it and i need to change it. I need a 4x4 as i do some Forestry work in Scotland and need something that can negotiate Forest tracks in the Snow.
How able is the Disco 2 offroad in the Snow without the Locking Diff?
My Freelander is suprisingly good but it can drive both axles.
Many thanks.
Nick.
 
Gents
Thank you for you replies. Please forgive my ignorance but i am struggling to get my head around this. Are you saying that the Disco 2 cannot send drive to both axles simultaneously when the locking lever is absent? If that is correct what were Land Rover thinking?
I am asking because my old Freelander is getting passed it and i need to change it. I need a 4x4 as i do some Forestry work in Scotland and need something that can negotiate Forest tracks in the Snow.
How able is the Disco 2 offroad in the Snow without the Locking Diff?
My Freelander is suprisingly good but it can drive both axles.
Many thanks.
Nick.

Drive is sent to both front and rear all the time..if a wheel looses traction then the traction control cuts in and applies the brake to that wheel allowing the other wheels to carry on rotating..no need for a locking diff in this situation..that's as I understand it anyway...all electrickery and not mechanical.
 
As soon as a wheel starts to spin, as JM said, the TC applies the brake to it sending drive to the other wheel on that axle. If both front wheels spin it will brake them both thus sending drive to the rear axle.
If both front wheels are spinning and one of the rear,s starts to spin the the TC will also apply the brake to that wheel, sending drive to the remaining wheel.

The TC does not but the spinning wheels brake " hard on ", but just enough to send drive to the other wheel.

Each wheel has a sensor on it, ( the ABS sensor ), and these monitor the wheel speed and send information back to the SLABS ecu which then applies the brakes accordingly.

If all wheels are spinning,..................." you,re stuck ".

Having the centre diff locked helps your forward movement by limiting the " wheel spin " needed to activate the TC.

Del.
 
Really appreciate your efforts to explain things gents. I can understand the traction control as my Freelander has it. I am just a little suprised that Land Rover made a vehicle that could not drive both axles at the same time. I will make sure if i look to getting a Disco that its an 04 plate.Am i correct in thinking they re introduced the locking diff in this year?
Thanks again.
Nick.
 
they do and it does,lr system offers equall 4wd on road at all times unlike others that are 2wd on road ,center difflock if wanted can be fitted to any disco 2
 
I am just a little suprised that Land Rover made a vehicle that could not drive both axles at the same time.

They can.

Check out my video of a jacked up Disco 2 TD5. The drivers wheel is scraping off the ground hence why its spinning slower than all the rest.

All the rest are fully clear of the ground.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJR3ldU3pLQ]Jacked up land rover - YouTube[/ame]
 
a diff in the axle will send all of its power to one wheel if that wheel can spin freely (loss of grip) the other wheel on that axle will be come staionary. this is on the front and rear axle. The center diff is exactly the same as that, except instead of wheels its front and rear prop shafts.

Traction control stops the spinning of the wheel so that power is sent to the wheel thats not (one generally with grip) which allows the car to carry on.

a center difflock lever (what your missing) means that the front and rear prop rotate at the same speed, but one wheel on each axle can still spin freely if grip is lost. this is again what traction control over comes.

Through that theory TC is far superior.
In practise the wheel has to loose grip before it works which, as said earlier, can result in momentum being lost.

hope that helped
 
Buying an 04 D2 will NOT guarantee the centre diff lock function.

It was re-introduced on 04 models as an option, and was only fitted from the factory on certain top spec models.

From around 01/02, ( certainly the first facelift models ), Landrover didnt even fit the diff lock internal mechanism to the transfer box.

On models before this date all you need is the gear lever and cable to activate the CDL, ( easier said than done ! ). Unfortunately, in my case, I had to completely replace my transfer box with one with the diff lock internals in it.

As I,ve already said, I think its a better off road vehicle as a result.

Del.
 
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