Thread: Aarrgghh! Help.....please!!!!

Strange......

I asked him (over the phone) to engage 4WD (yellow lever) by depressing it. It still didn't have any drive. I then asked him to engage both front hubs and try again. Presto! Drive.

Now - given that whilst in 2WD and no front hubs engaged it didn't move.... and now in 4WD (yellow) and hubs engaged it DOES move - what are we likely talking? He says that the shafts look OK - so maybe a rear diff?

Cheers
Chris

1. Transfer case jumped into neutral.
2. can he drive with the front hubs engaged?
3. can he drive in low range?
4. has he looked under the car for anything obvious?

5. pull the o/drive lever back (off), go to low range, and see if it drives.
if it does, then go to high range and try again, it should. If it does, engage the overdrive and try again, if it works, then either the o'drive or the t/case had jumped into neutral.

if it doesn't, engage the front hubs and select 4wd - if it drives, then go back to 2WD, if it doesn't drive, then you've probably snapped an axle.

remove the rear hubs (6 bolts - the wheels stay in place, no need to jack the car) and remove the broken axle, drive home on front wheel drive (4WD).

I hope this helps, and I hope that the t/case or o/drive has just jumped into neutral. Good Luck

The clunk wasn't it slipping out of high range into neutral by any chance - my old series car used to do that occassionally as did my disco from time to time.

Not a likely cause but it is so easy to check just in case it is it - just move the lever in an out of high/low range a couple of times.

Clunks otherwise could be bang in the rear diff - try to to drive in 4wd = axle busted?.

Bangs in the gearbox will still normally result is some ability to proceed.

You mentioned an O/D - I assume there might be some sort of false neutral like the H/L range - but if gears damaged I would have though some sort of movement might still possible but then I am not familiar with them. Try engageing the drive train while the car is moving (in gears are stripped and moving gears to some part that still has teeth - try changing the O/D to another position.

Just read that the handbrake not hoilding - I assume it worked before so that points to a busted axle, drive shaft or diff - engage 4wd and see if the handbrake then holds.

Some options to consider.

Gazzz

Sorry, I posted while you posted the above.

Okay, so has he pulled the axles out?

Are the both intact and complete?

Are the drive flanges (axle to hub thing with the six bolts and the hub cap) stripped?

When he drives in front wheel drive, does the rear diff grind?

If it's the diff, remove the axles and the tailshaft (to minimise further damage) and drive home on the front diff.

Make sure he checks the uni joints too.

Michael & Garry - thanks so much for responding!!!

Murray made it home OK (18km).

There were no noises coming from the rear diff at all, even when driving on the front axle. I suggested that he remove the rear shaft but he didn't have the right tools on him to do the job. Lesson #1 Murray

After speaking with JDNSW (thanks so much John!!!!) we agreed that it's most likely one of the rear shafts too. I'll go up there mid week to see which one is broken and flush the diff oil to see if there are (or were) any small shards left behind. Hopefully it will have broken on the outer end right at the end of the spline at the thinner section (Rover diff, not Salisbury). Is this grabbable easily to slide th eshaft out without going in through the diff?

Cheers - and thanks for the help again!!!!!!!
Chris

If the shaft is broken near the outer end it can usually be pulled out with a magnet or longnose pliers. If it is a bit sticky take the other shaft out (there is a fifty fifty chance you already have it out) and you can get a rod about 1/4" thick past the cross shaft in the diff to push it out from the other side. If the break is at the inner end, remove the diff to make sure you have all the bits - it is not much work, but beware it is quite heavy - a concrete floor and a floor jack make it easier. You don't have to jack it up for any of this. Don't forget to refill the diff with oil, and while you have the drive flanges off, have a look at the bearings - should be oily, just perceptible free play and bearing nuts properly locked.
Good practice to replace the drive flange gasket (you'll probably wreck it anyway) and felt seal on the shaft, plus of course the split pin on the shaft nut. You can buy the gaskets or make them from paper.

Whenever I have them off I usually clean up the drive flange and give them a quick coat of paint.
John

I hope you and others have had better experiences with me with busted rear axles.

All of mine busted at the diff end in the splines and all were not clean breaks. There was a slight twist of the axles before they actually broke. This meant that the bit of spline left in the rear diff a tight fit in the the diff - after removing the axle out from the hub end I was not able to remove the small remaining piece which meant removing the diff which in turn meant removing the driveshaft and the other axles - it just added to the hassle but the little piece of axle did take some bashing to get out - it was in tight. The main hassle was that on my series 3 the diff and axle hubs didn't leak before the incident but did aways later - just an annoyance though.

Hopefully you have either broken the axles away from the diffs or it was a clean break and the little bit can be pulled out with a strong magnet or something similar and there will be no need to drop the diff.

Good luck

Gazzz

Thanks fellas... I really appreciate your responses.

Looks like Wednesday I'm going up.

Cheers - and thanks yet again
Chris