centre diff lock not engageing

[rsrichie]

Any ideas peoples I have a 96.5 V8 Auto Disco and for some reason i can only select high and low range with the leaver, It will not move over to the left and will not illuminate the on dash indicator. I plan on looking at it this weekend but any sugestions as to the reason would be helpfull.:)

[Andrewpv01]

Might just be a build up of mud/crud on the linkage.
You might be able to spray it from underneath the vehicle and free it up. If not the easiest way I found was to remove the centre console and then the auto shifter. That way you can see what you need to get to easily.

Andrew

[QSDT]

Didn't mean to highjack this thread but do all Tdi's have centre diff locks and what do they do? This was edited after Bigjon. When you lock them what happens why is it different to not locking it are they 2 wheel drive when not locked?

[BigJon]

Yes they do. It locks the centre diff...:p

[QSDT]

Good one:D

[101RRS]

with lack of use or have never been used they can be tight - try engaging it when the car is moving every so slowly and I mean slowly and it might go in - but then it might not or the light might come on but as soon as you try to drove off you might have a big bunch of neutrals and a bang because it hasn't actually locked - practice make perfect

[George130]

My light is intermitent but it does engage. Are you certain its just the light not engaging? When looking at the lever you can't always tell.

[one_iota]

Didn't mean to highjack this thread but do all Tdi's have centre diff locks and what do they do? This was edited after Bigjon. When you lock them what happens why is it different to not locking it are they 2 wheel drive when not locked?

"Modern" Land Rovers are all wheel drives.

The centre differential allows the front and rear axles to rotate at different "speeds" as the car goes around corners...the distances travelled by each of the wheels is different

Without the CDL engaged the Series One Disco is an all wheel drive until one of the wheels looses traction and all the "drive" goes to the wheel that is spinning.

When you engage the centre differential lock the front axle and the rear axle are locked together so when one of the wheels starts spinning half of the drive goes to the spinning wheel and the other half goes the axle whose the wheels have traction...so you can continue to drive.

If the wheels on the front and rear axles loose traction and the wheels continue to spin you have a no wheel drive.

Check this out:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/four-wheel-drive.htm

[rsrichie]

My light is intermitent but it does engage. Are you certain its just the light not engaging? When looking at the lever you can't always tell.

I thought that might be the case also, but i have got absolutly no positive sideways movement of the diff lock leaver so i will have to take a good look at it on saturday.
Cheers everyone for your help much apreciated :)

[rar110]

I had the same problem on a LT95 box - could not move the gear stick side ways to engage the centre diff lock. It was as stated earlier just seized up from lack of use - mud and rust.

[Hombre]

Guys,

I'm experiencing the same issue on my 1989 RR. I can't move the centre diff lock lever sideways.
I wanted to firstly confirm that the lever actually moves sideways.
Secondly, when Andrewpv01 mentions a spray is he talking about WD40 ?

Thank you for answering, as I'll be spending my weekend like rsrichie, trying to get it going .... :-)

[rsrichie]

Glad to hear that i will not be the only one pulling my hair out this weekend.
lol

[BigJon]

Hombre - Maybe an 89 has a viscous coupling rather than a diff lock? I will check the book.

[CraigE]

I had the same with my 97 tdi Disco from new. They can be very tight. I had to actually thump mine really hard from the side to get it to go across for a long while. As said moving slowly forward and trying it can help. If not pull out the console and the tunnel top and see if anything could be stopping it. Apparently it is very common for these boxes to be tight if the centre lock is new or has not been used very much. It should go across from any position, but will only lock from the neutral position.

[BigJon]

CraigE - What do you mean when you say it will go across from any position, but will only lock from nuetral?

[timberwolf_302]

had the same problem on a LT95 box - could not move the gear stick side ways to engage the centre diff lock. It was as stated earlier just seized up from lack of use - mud and rust.

Are you referring to your Perentie? LT95s usually have a vacuum actuated CDL, which is engaged by a switch. Does the Perentie's LT95 have a mechanical linkage instead of a vacuum diaphragm?

[BigJon]

Just checked the book. '89 is the year that the Borg Warner transfer case with viscous coupling was introduced. Therefore, no centre diff lock. Pretty good reason why Hombre can't move his transfer case lever sideways.:cool:

[Hombre]

BigJon,

thanks for that. This would explain it... out of curiosity, which book did you get that from ?