Thread: Safe Application of CDL

Originally Posted by mirrors

I have a 2001 Disco TD5 without the factory CDL but it is fitted with an after market one. When cruising along at 100Ks on bitumen I accidently knocked the CDL and it activated.

Had a hard time getting it to disengage.

Thought that that is something I shouldn't do again so thought I would modify the controller so that you could only turn it on under certain conditions.

Unfortunately my hand book and the manual I have don't say anything about the conditions suitable for applying it as it is not supposed to have it.

Does the handbooks for the earlier and later Discos that have the CDL make recommendations as to the conditions underwhich the CDL can be applied, ie speed, transmission gear selected (I have an auto) or transfer range?

From memory it says in the manual not to engage the CDL on hard surfaces and only to engage on a slippery surface or words to that affect, as for disengaging i've done it on the fly in fact i once did it at around 60 or 70kph, never made a sound, i have also engaged while moving at 10 or 20ks as well, i think that engaging and disengaging low range is more critical and that should only be done around 8ks max and by double shuffle of the clutch, going from high to low going up a hill without stopping is a real skill.

Baz.

(For a manual-never tried it in an auto)

High to low, as slow as possible or stopped even better.

Low to high on the fly is OK, I regularly do it at 40ks, when I run out of steam and need the top box.

CDL should only be engaged on roads where the wheels can slip so as not to wind up the transmission, eg, dirt, but not hard compact stuff, except for a corragateds road, sand, mud, rocks etc.

CDL in or out any speed as long as the wheels are not spinning, you must engage it before you get wheel spin, if you are late to engage it before you have spinning wheels take the power off then engage it. It does`nt matter where the wheels are pointed.

If the CDL does not want to disengage the transmission is probably wound up and the pre-load is acting on the CDL not letting it release, so as mentioned before try forward-reverse, or even just drive into the rough stuff to take a bit off one of the wheels, drive over a table drain or similar, or in an extreme case of it not releasing use your high lift or similar and jack one wheel off the ground, and that will release it, but do not continue driving on a tar road as there maybe expensive bill awaiting you.