What The??... CDL

[johnv]

Hi all

Just have come back from a successful fishing and 4wding trip.

As I was in soft sand I engaged my CDL. One the homeward leg. before I
hit the bitumen I disengaged CDL.

I was still on a hard dirt track then and my CDL light did not go off
immediately. I drove on for a few 100 meters and then saw it was off.

So I hit the bitumen, but on the way home my car felt tight and
sluggish. After about 100 km I pulled into a car park for a toilet stop.

When I reversed out and wen to take off, there was a large bang and the
rear of my car jumped. I thought I had been rear ended, it was that loud

But no, nothing of the sort. I looked underneath and could no see
anything in particular

I drove another 100 kms home and just a few hundred meters from home
detoured into a vacant block of sand. I engaged CDL and saw that I had
traction in all wheels.. I disengaged CDL and could see the light on the
dash was off. I drove the last few home, but when I pulled into the
drive I could hear the front tyre squeal on the smooth painted concrete.
something that it never has done before.

So I jacked the front wheel of the ground and, put the car in neutral
and sure enough I could not turn the wheel by hand. I got under the car
with a screw driver and forced the CDL right over and then sure enough I
could spin the wheel.

So I now know I can have the CDL engaged even though the dash light is
not on which is a bit of a worry. But what I really want to know is WHAT
THE was the big bang etc. when I took off from that car park??

Any ideas anyone??

[one_iota]

Hi johnv,

The noise sounds like transmission wind up being released. The hard track surface might not have allowed sufficient slip prior to disengaging. This stress has remained in the system even after the CDL was disengaged. The reversing in the car park was enough to release the wind up.

Has the CDL been used often? It could be that the actuator needs a spray of lubricant and some more use.

A trick when the light does not go out is to reverse for a short distance and the forwards until it does preferably on a slippery surface.

I look for slippery bits on a hard track and accelerate to spin the wheels to relieve the stress in the system.

I suspect that no harm has been done.

[johnv]

Thanks

I am hoping its was just windup releasing and nothing else.

Why should the CDL light be off when it has not released??

[LandyAndy]

Hi John
Even if the CDL is unlocked via the lever its unable to disengage if the transmission is already "wound up"
As Mahn sugests put it in reverse on a loose surface and give the throttle a blip,should do the job.Series Landys need the same treatment after being used in 4WD on hard surfaces.
Andrew

[walker]

The light is most likely off because the cable has released enough to trip the light switch but not enough to disenguage the CDL. This used to happen a bit with the D1 but I thought they had fixed it with the D2....unless it is a dodgy switch or CDL setup.

[George130]

My last trip out it took me a while to disengage the CDL. I was driving back and forth tryingto release the windup.
Also my CDL light will flicker and go out sometimes even when it is engaged.

[disco95]

I used to have a problem with my light being irregular. Then it just stayed on all the time, even when the CDL was disengaged. I solved this when I rebuilt my TC, I accidently broke one of the terminals and just left the wire off. Now no CDL light at all style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif
When I'm off road I know whether it's on or not, lack of forward motion is usually a good indication I've forgotten the stubby lever :wink:

[walker]

It's not so much knowing whether it is on or not that matter....but whether it has turned off again, otherwise you could be up for expensive repairs.

[stevo]

just one other thing check your transfer case oil after driving a 100km
there would have been a lot of heat build up the additives in oil tend to break down at high temps remove remove the level plug and smeel the oil
you'll know if it is stuffed.

I used to work on Isuzu 4x4 trucks fitted with snow ploughs the oil used to smell that bad you would just about be sick would over haul them after every winter then switched to synthetic oil no more overhauls the oil
could handle the higher temps and pressures

[johnv]

Thanks to all for their replies.

I did check the rear diff oil and it was clean, no metal. I will check/replace the transfer case oil. Should do that anyway as I am about to do a trip from Perth to Hobart and back. Got to visit the witch, (sorry I meant mother inlaw )

You comments have reassured me and made more sense of it all. Look like I may have escaped without doing any damage

If anyone has any more to add, All comments are appreciated

[disco95]

Don't worry John,everyone here always has more to add. Once we get going you can't shut us up :wink:

[timberwolf_302]

Has anyone here had trouble with the LT95 CDL (Vacuum Operated) staying engaged when the light is off?