Thread: center diff lock

I just put my transfer case back into my 1988 on the weekend. I broke the mechanism that engages the CDL. If you want to manually lock it you can. You will find the lever at the front drivers side of the transfer case. To lock the diff it needs to move toward the passenger side of the car, to unlock towards the drivers side. (at unlocked the lever is more or less pointing towards the front of the car)

Mine is an LT230 though not a Borg Warner 225

For exploded diagrams i find the below website useful. Lots of it is in Russian but there is enough English to navigate your way through it.

Range Rover Classic 1986-1991 / Cooling & Heating / Cooling System / Cooling Unit, Fan Cowl & Expansion Tank-Diesel 2400cc

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Dougal

There's always the backup plan of converting the boge to an externally fed pneumatic leveller.

Stock rangies do lean, but they still stick and can seriously surprise with their cornering grip.

Reminds me of the Renault 16.... used to roll like a drunken sailor - enthusiasticlly departing the driveway was enough to scrape the door mirrors...

But they hung on around the bendy bits...

Originally Posted by superquag

Reminds me of the Renault 16.... used to roll like a drunken sailor - enthusiasticlly departing the driveway was enough to scrape the door mirrors...

But they hung on around the bendy bits...

My mother had one of them for years ..... It's pretty tame compared to the 2cv she has now though

The range rover bodyroll is different. It sort of seems to roll around the rear axle. scares the **** out of you first time you drive it

seeya,
Shane L.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

The range rover bodyroll is different. It sort of seems to roll around the rear axle. scares the **** out of you first time you drive it

seeya,
Shane L.

They do the rear axle flop when the corner weights are vastly different.
My 85 did it badly.
First I bodged it by packing the back right spring (fitted a 30mm spacer under the spring seat) and this bought ti back to sitting level and got rid of the rear axle flop.
It now sat firmly on the road and leaned predictably. Mostly.

Later on I found the radius arm brackets on the front axle weren't even, one radius arm would sit higher than the other, this forced the front axle to hang down to one side (the left) and also placed more weight on the front left and rear right wheels.
Hence the 30mm spacer I had to put under the back right spring.

It was when I replaced the whole front axle with a disco item (with radius arm brackets welded on evenly) that I was able to remove the rear 30mm spacer and it all sat level.
The handling now was far better than it ever had been. No flop at all, just predictable body roll.

Have a look and see if this is your problem. Jacking up the front and rear of the vehicle in the centre and letting the axles hang can show it up.

Originally Posted by Dougal

They do the rear axle flop when the corner weights are vastly different.
My 85 did it badly.
First I bodged it by packing the back right spring (fitted a 30mm spacer under the spring seat) and this bought ti back to sitting level and got rid of the rear axle flop.
It now sat firmly on the road and leaned predictably. Mostly.

Later on I found the radius arm brackets on the front axle weren't even, one radius arm would sit higher than the other, this forced the front axle to hang down to one side (the left) and also placed more weight on the front left and rear right wheels.
Hence the 30mm spacer I had to put under the back right spring.

It was when I replaced the whole front axle with a disco item (with radius arm brackets welded on evenly) that I was able to remove the rear 30mm spacer and it all sat level.
The handling now was far better than it ever had been. No flop at all, just predictable body roll.

Have a look and see if this is your problem. Jacking up the front and rear of the vehicle in the centre and letting the axles hang can show it up.

That's interesting, mine is quite rough to ride in 'cos it has aftermarket springs in it, but nowhere near the bodyroll.. The only unmessed with Rangie that I've driven is the one that flops all over the shop around the rear axle. It sure does ride nicely though.

Here's another idea too. If you have a working boge .... but your rear springs are flattened and stuffed. This would lead to if flopping all over the place as it would pivot at the rear load limiter, over onto the squished old rear springs that can't hold the cars weight up any longer.

seeya,
Shane L.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

That's interesting, mine is quite rough to ride in 'cos it has aftermarket springs in it, but nowhere near the bodyroll.. The only unmessed with Rangie that I've driven is the one that flops all over the shop around the rear axle. It sure does ride nicely though.

Here's another idea too. If you have a working boge .... but your rear springs are flattened and stuffed. This would lead to if flopping all over the place as it would pivot at the rear load limiter, over onto the squished old rear springs that can't hold the cars weight up any longer.

seeya,
Shane L.

I used to think that. But mine flopped with heavy springs and doesn't flop with the 180lb/in since I got the level sorted. I don't have any 130 lb/in springs to try.

Even sitting on the boge, it's stable and predictable if the springs are carrying equal load side/side. The flopping in mine wasn't actually side/side, it was diagonal. Pivoting on the front left and right rear corners.

I picked up another old Citroen CX parts car with a working stereo in it earlier this week.... So all being normal, I started fitting the stereo to the range rover and got side tracked .... I was trying to sort out the wiring and thought "the diff lock light is always on ............ Surely it MUST be a standard plunger type switch like a reversing light switch "... hmmmm I wonder what happen if you screwed it in and bottom it out (which would force the light to stay on ).... hmmm... So I found a diagram of the tranfer box and exploded diagram of the diff lock (which didn't really help me see how the detent bearings and light switch worked). So I figured there is only one way to find out... whip the switch out and if it works and if it's stuffed.

So I lifted the front corner, crawled under and managed to remove the diff lock swtich .............. As I crawled out I grabbed hold of the front wheel to drag the creeper out and it wouldn't turn ....................... Bugger me the diff lock had dropped in the second I'd removed the switch So there's another thing to check for if your center diff lock doesn't work .... make sure the sender switch isn't screwed in and bottomed out

Now to refit the switch so it works correctly ................ oh yeah and finish putting the stereo in Gee's I'm hopeless at getting side tracked.

seeya,
Shane L.

Good to hear its sorted. So my long drawn out stories on detent ball bearings was of no use then