Got bad advice, need good advice. D2 prop shaft.

[discoIIdan]

Hi everyone.
I recently bought a Disco series II 99 model. and a guy i work with that also owns one told me to change the front drive shaft uni's if they dont have grease nipples because they can self distruct with little warning etc..........

Now my problem begins with not being told everything i needed to know. Im not stranger to mechanical work and changing uni's. but i have never come across the double cardan joint before. I bought the new uni's with the grease nipples to put in. but didnt know about the centre ball assembly, so i have to get that now as well. I know i can lock the diff's in the transfer case so i can still drive my disco on the rear axle until i re-assemble and re-install the front drive shaft. But how long can i drive my car like that? or will it cause damage to drive it like that at all? it will only be street use until the repair is completed.

Any help is appreciated

[Pierre]

Check out "The Good Oil" - it is your friend. Lots of universal information...

Pete

[discoIIdan]

Thanks pete, but ive looked everywhere but cant find anything about driving my disco in 2x4 mode with the front prop shaft out and transfer case diff locked. im not sure if the front diff will get damaged by being pushed and not driven if you follow what i mean. and im trying to source the center ball, a part number in an image i found of the bearing said SCV-82B, but cant find anything else on the actual centre ball and bearing

[101RRS]

Do you actually have a cdl in your model noting it was only the later versions of the D2 had a fully operational cdl.

Having the driveshaft removed will not damage anything - just be a but more cautious and easy in your driving style.

Garry

[discoIIdan]

Thanks Garry. I located the nut on the top front of the transfer case and turned it the 1/4 turn anti clockwise. the diff lock light is on the dash. but i dont actually have a diff lock lever or anything like that mounted in the cab. so until i actually drive it, i can only assume the centre diff lock is engaged.

[Ferret]

Driving with CDL locked and without a front drive shaft will cause no damage so don't worry about that aspect. However, you may notice it no longer handles like it used to, so just take it easy.

[p38arover]

Now my problem begins with not being told everything i needed to know. Im not stranger to mechanical work and changing uni's. but i have never come across the double cardan joint before. I bought the new uni's with the grease nipples to put in. but didnt know about the centre ball assembly, so i have to get that now as well.

Have you seen this: www.discovery2.co.uk / Workshop :- front and Rear propshaft (http://www.discovery2.co.uk/propshafts.html)

[Pierre]

And give Hardy Spicer a call or check out their cattledog. I think I recall seeing the guts of the double cardan joint in there somewhere - others might give a better guide. Certainly the bits are available from HS. Try Dandenong, Victoria and chat with their tech guy.

And the handling will change but no damage ought occur.

HTH

Pete

[discoIIdan]

I gave the phone a beating on saturday, no one had the centre ball in stock. best i could do was my local bearing shop will have one by wednesday. Oh and i did notice a couple of more dash lights come up. The traction control, which i can understand because the centre diff is locked. But the ABS light has come on too. Im not sure if that has any connection to me locking the centre diff, or if its just come on for no reason. If they dont go off when i get it all back together will i have to take the car to landrover to reset the lights?

[Hamish71]

NO, YOU GO TO THE DIAGNOSTICS CHANNEL, AND DO A HOLLER FOR SOMEONE LOCAL TO YOU WITH A NANOCOM TO COME AND DO IT FOR FREE:) Sorry about caps...but im not rewriting it:)

[Psimpson7]

Unless you can cut up, weld and rebalance the prop I don't think you can do this at home to my knoweldge.

The ball / socket is afaik actually part of the DC housing which is welded onto the shaft.

Ring Jeep Konnection in melbourne and buy an entire new Tom woods shaft.

Here is some info I went through when our already rebuilt greasable shaft failed

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/122339-double-cardan-shaft-upgrade.html

[discoIIdan]

Unless you can cut up, weld and rebalance the prop I don't think you can do this at home to my knoweldge.

The ball / socket is afaik actually part of the DC housing which is welded onto the shaft.

Ring Jeep Konnection in melbourne and buy an entire new Tom woods shaft.

Here is some info I went through when our already rebuilt greasable shaft failed

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/122339-double-cardan-shaft-upgrade.html

The centre ball socket part# SCV-82B is a removable part and replacable i have found, so theres no need for cutting, welding etc. If i can do the relcament of the uni's and centre ball myself (which i can), id rather do that than spend $500 or more on a replacment shaft. Ive done enough research now to know how to do it and the right way of doing it. But thanks for the advice.

[Psimpson7]

Interesting, will be good to see how you get on. I still have ours sat in the garage.

I was told by the propshaft guy at Gibbs that it wasn't replaceable.

[discoIIdan]

The URL that p38arover (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38arover.html) mentioned. That has a pretty well detailed explanation of rebuilding the double cardan joint, the centre ball i was refering to is pictured down towards the bottom. So if your drive shaft is the same or similar, i dont see why you cant have a go at doing the repair yourself. Cant hurt if you have already replaced it and its just sitting in your shed

[strangy]

............. Oh and i did notice a couple of more dash lights come up. The traction control, which i can understand because the centre diff is locked. But the ABS light has come on too. Im not sure if that has any connection to me locking the centre diff, or if its just come on for no reason. If they dont go off when i get it all back together will i have to take the car to landrover to reset the lights?

These lights will go away when the CDL is disengaged. If you ever fit the CDL actuator later there is a wire to the ECU which can be disconnected to stop this from happening.(good oil)

Cheers

[discoIIdan]

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice. I re-assembled and re-fitted the driveshaft yesterday, disengaged the cdl. All the dash lights did go out, and the drive shaft runs nicely, no noises or vibrations. I think i was lucky i did the job when i did. The grease in the uni cups had gone totally hard and 1 cap had signs it was about to let go. Once again, thanks everyone

[dl1busa0]

just did the rebuild today ,,,,,,.....what a day shaft out unis out lunch,....unis in shaft in tie rod done test drive all good ,,,......did i say what a job

[ramblingboy42]

dam, I'm hoping or perhaps wishing I'd read this thread first. My mobile mech (friend) took my front shaft out and had the whole shaft overhauled. double cardan joint was u/s . He enquired at new replacement ....$1400 gasp!......and had the existing one done for $700. Parts for these shafts are becoming very difficult to obtain I'm told. He tells me the hiluxes are almost identical (surprise! surprise!) so he must change a few of them too. and boy can he tell some some stories about the toyota 4wds. could be another thread......

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

dam, I'm hoping or perhaps wishing I'd read this thread first. My mobile mech (friend) took my front shaft out and had the whole shaft overhauled. double cardan joint was u/s . He enquired at new replacement ....$1400 gasp!......and had the existing one done for $700. Parts for these shafts are becoming very difficult to obtain I'm told. He tells me the hiluxes are almost identical (surprise! surprise!) so he must change a few of them too. and boy can he tell some some stories about the toyota 4wds. could be another thread......

$700 to get one rebuilt?
Makes this kit DYI pretty good value. $185 posted
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY series 2 Double Cardan rebuild kit | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LAND-ROVER-DISCOVERY-series-2-Double-Cardan-rebuild-kit-/250872045398?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a69239f56)