Thread: Total loss of drive....bugger!

Ok, getting ready for work, plus I'm going in there this morning. Just to clarify a few things.
When I lost drive in 6th at 100kph, it was silent, no noise whatsoever.

I then tried engaging C diff lock, no movement and still no noise.

When I spoke to mechanic working on it, not the service manager, they suspected output shaft failure, he wanted to know if i had the tool to remove the collar over the coupling. They then checked further, said shaft was fine and that my clutch had suffered total failure.

After putting In a new clutch and bolting everything back together, they then took my vehicle for a test drive, that's when the front diff supposedly started making "strange noises". That was the service managers words.

So Im in there today, firstly to view the cactus clutch, secondly to check out my front diff centre failure and take pictures, Thirdly and most important is one way or another I'm getting my vehicle out of there. Hopefully it can be moved with front prop off. But if the pins have gone in the centre, then steering would be affected. So may have to sort out a tow or trailer.

Thanks for the heads up in regards to Pickards, as I need to take my vehicle else where.

Never realised this would turn into such a drama.

What a day!!!

Went in this morning to inspect the diff, and check out the clutch they removed.

The clutch, which I asked to be put in the back of the Defender once removed, had been put in the bin by the apprentice yesterday, which had been conveniently picked up by the scrap truck early this morning.

The diff had let go, but after speaking to the mechanic, he told me he was turning out of the driveway onto the road when the front diff started to bind then went crunch.
They drained the oil, which had metal fragments contained within, the magnetic diff plugs had swarf all over them, and there was an indentation in the axle casing.

One of the pins had sheared in half, sending one of the sun gears into the crown wheel, taking some chunks of crown wheel in the process then I guess it put the dent in the casing. The photo's don't show the damage to the crown wheel.

I told them I was going to put it on my truck and take it elsewhere, and I was not paying the $560 they wanted to reassemble the front end.
Wheels, brakes, swivels, half shafts and center were all out. I asked why I wasn't called when they heard the noise, found fragments in the oil, and noticed the dent in the casing?
So In the end I paid for the clutch, master cylinder and labour, but not the strip down or rebuild of the front end. I basically paid the price quoted before the diff failed.

My work let me use my truck and trailer, I transport trucks and cars around Victoria. The front prop was left off as were the half shafts, I drove her on, with the center diff locked, strapped her down, and now she sits at Pickards Automotive in Abbotsford.
Whatever needs replacing will be done so with Ashcrofts.
The photo's were taken with my phone so not great. the second one shows the dent in the casing just above the fill plug, sorry the light wasn't great.
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The last two pictures just show what I do for a living, to pay for this little episode. I've never really stopped and taken photo's of my loads before.

That diff looks absolutely knackered. And what a strange set of coincidences you have experienced.
Personally I find it very difficult to buy the clutch failure story, I guess an annoying part of all that is you will never really know whether you were ripped off or not. Can't see what advantage they might have expected to gain from lying about it though, considering that they would have known that there was a genuine problem somewhere to be found so why fabricate one.
You won't regret the Ashcroft upgrade though.

I call bull**** on the clutch. Very convenient that it was thrown out.
But I've no solution on what you could do.
I guess we've all been there though.

The diff pictures make a convincing reason to fit a diff guard

damage was caused from the internals wasnt it - not an external impact.

Why is clutch failure so hard to believe?

My understanding of the situation is that the original problem was there was no drive, even with the cdl locked. This suggests the original problem must have been clutch/gearbox/transfer case, not front or rear diffs.

The problem was diagnosed as the clutch, which was replaced. After this the vehicle was driveable, as is clearly evidenced by the vehicle being driven onto the truck. Sort of suggests they fixed something.

A diff letting go on a test drive is not inconceivable, hell I once had one let go just backing out of the garage.

Cheers,
Jon