94 110 clunk from rear every gear change

[freorocks75]

so i have a 94 defender 110 (they call it a troopy here) not sure if that makes it a 200 or 300, not in that deep yet;)

so every time i change gear i get an almighty clunk from the back end, diff, drive shaft etc???

met a fellow owner down the beach who had a all singing dancing newish 130 ute and he said his does the same....

do i worry about this or just wire in some louder speakers to drown it out, like i did with all the rattles in my series 2 when i was 17!:p

also looking for solutions (cheaper than chips) to safety screen the back windows, the sliding ones and the back doors, so i can leave them open. have seen some screen doors bolted to the side of some of the crusier troopies, seeing as mine is white and tidy and fairly standard i don't want to cover it old ****.
she looks like a UN landi

[rick130]

Hell, clunks can come from, and in no particular order;

a) the axle/drive flanges fret and flog out with greased rear wheel bearings.
Converting to oil lubed hubs, (the preferred fix) or regular removal and re-greasing of the axles splines fixes that problem.

b) 'A' frame ball joint worn out.

c) 'A' frame to chassis bushes or pivot bolt worn out.

d) Flogged out mainshaft spline on the input gear in the t/case.
Earlier versions didn't have a cross-drilled input gear and suffered from a lack of lube along the splines.
IIRC this can be accessed from the rear inspection plate on the t/case.

e) Salisbury rear diffs have a fair bit of backlash and can clunk if you're a little sharp with the clutch.

[AdsLandies]

Shouldn't clunk that bad so I wouldn't just ignore it. I'd start by checking the bushings first. The 'A' frame ball joint is a common culprit and fairly easy to replace. Also trailing arm bushes too. Check what Rick130 has suggested and you'll probably find the problem.

[Didge]

I agree with rick130. If you're getting it from letting out the clutch it could be what rick130 says or you're too quick on the clutch. If it's any of a,b, and c above you'll probably also notice it on the overrun when you're flying along and take your foot off the accelerator. The A frame rick refers to ties the top of the rear diff to the chassis rails to stop it rotating. There is a ball joint up there and its around $60 plus install costs. Easy to do if you can get the old one out. Cheapest option is to buy a ball joint separator thing (forgot what it's called) and do it yourself. You'll still need to use a persuader (hammer) and a bit of grunt.
Easy to check your axle/ drive flanges - take the rubber caps off the axle ends and with the hand brake on, try to rotate the wheel. If you see any excessive movement between the splines of the axle and the drive flange (thing with 5 bolts in it) then you'll need to replace the flanges and the axles. Around $150 for standard LR ones + install costs. Again an easy job if you've seen it done. I've got lots of photos that would help you do it yourself.

[mools]

All the above but also check the bolts holding the rear drive shaft to both the park brake drum and rear diff, these can work loose and will give you a clunk.

Ian.

[Benz]

my 130 (Salisbury diff) has a clunk as does a friends 110 (rover diff) and we have found with time we have learned to drive our defenders in a way as not to cause the clunk.

I'm not saying don't look for the cause but just remember it's sometimes just a defender thing.

One thing we have noted is when our partners drive our fenders they clunk away with almost every gear change....:mad:

[JDNSW]

Add to the above - apart from driving style, the main cause of a clunk on changing gears is a dragging hand brake.

Also note that any free play in the front axle drive train or axle location system is available to help the clunk, as well as free play in the centre diff (due to wear in the thrust washers).

Generally speaking, however, all these points of lost motion will not cause a clunk except when the handbrake is dragging or when the gear change is particularly inept.

John

[mick88]

Check the "U" bolts on the springs too!


Cheers, Mick.

[rick130]

Check the "U" bolts on the springs too!


Cheers, Mick.

Psst, Mick !
They've been fitting coil springs to these things since about '83... ;)

[jimr1]

Hi , It sounds like you'v got a 2 door hard top with side windows , there are mesh guards available to cover you windows . When you say does it make it a 200 or 300 ? . They are types of engine ,the 200 tdi was superceeded by the 300 tdi , not sure of year 200 was phased out . As for backlash , as Rick has said there can be many reasons . Could you get someone with some Land Rover knowlage (disco range rover) they use similar set up to give you a hand , see if you can track down your backlash problems . Then you can start to think about what way you want fix them up ..cheeers jim.:)...

[Lafia]

I've got a '97 130 with the same sounding clunk. Based on rick130's and Didge's comments just had a crawl under it and given the A frame a good heave and it seems the ball joint has some play in it, so hopefully that is the culprit in my case. I've been putting up with it by ensuring I drive as smoothly through the gears as possible, but when easing off at low speed the over run surges and sounds unpleasantly clunky. Much worse of course when the wife or kids drive it!
Thanks for the info guys.
Cheers

[harro]

Hell, clunks can come from, and in no particular order;

a) the axle/drive flanges fret and flog out with greased rear wheel bearings.
Converting to oil lubed hubs, (the preferred fix) or regular removal and re-greasing of the axles splines fixes that problem.

b) 'A' frame ball joint worn out.

c) 'A' frame to chassis bushes or pivot bolt worn out.

d) Flogged out mainshaft spline on the input gear in the t/case.
Earlier versions didn't have a cross-drilled input gear and suffered from a lack of lube along the splines.
IIRC this can be accessed from the rear inspection plate on the t/case.

e) Salisbury rear diffs have a fair bit of backlash and can clunk if you're a little sharp with the clutch.

As usual Rick is totally on the money with the Defender dreaded driveline clunk.

Equally as important is the original source of the clunk and the need to nip this in the bud.

The axle to drive flange spline contact is virtually flogging out from day one and while constant greasing of this contact point can put the damage off
it will still eventually flog out especially if you tow or 'work' the vehicle.

Of all the modification you can do to the Defender the conversion to oil lubed hubs combined with uprated axles and drive flanges to the rear cannot be overstated.

If this wear point is eliminated or at least managed from new all the other points in the driveline that eventually contribute to the 'clunk' (as listed by Rick) will have a much longer service life.

While a modified driving style can work around the clunk IMO you shouldn't have to.
My current Defender had this done from new (2002 Xtreme 110) and is still reasonably tight.

I replaced the a frame ball joint a few months ago because the grease rubber had perished but the joint was still serviceable.

Cheers,
Paul.

[freorocks75]

wow thanks so much folks for all you diagnoses... will get out there and start buggering about with it!

[Benz]

hmm maybe I'm just lazy with mine?

I hardly ever hear the clunk anymore though

[MLD]

as everyone has pointed out there is a multitude of sources of the clunk. Convince a friend to get on his haunches to inspect under the truck while you do the following exercise:

On level ground with handbrake off, release the clutch until it takes up and release it straight away. Don't move off the mark. Like you are rocking the truck. Repeat that 3 to 4 times in succession while your friend inspects each corner of the truck. Focus on the radius arm bushes, trailing arm bushes, prop shaft front and rear, axles flanges ie everything that has been identified. Excess tolerance or the clunk should reveal itself. The A frame may be difficult on this exercise. A thick screw driver under the A frame and a lift to see if there is play will give you an idea of wear.

If you have a few miles on the clock then the LT230 is know to have plenty of play with the CDL open. Your local LR mechanic will be able to put you straight if it is something to worry about. Assuming he is honest and not trying to sell you a rebuild.

If the flanges are flogged out, spend the money and buy maxi-drive or the Ashcroft equivalent. Money well spent in my books. And convert to oil lubricated like Rick130 said.

MLD

[gconran]

Again - lots of ideas mentioned here.

I used to drive a 2000 110 and when I drove it all good - as soon as the missus got in she would always comment on the clunk. Seemed to only be on the gear changes, I guess over time with driving it you get used to how to work the clutch and it doesn't happen.

Do you get the clunk every time or only occasionally?