Driveline Woes

The 1/2" square drive plug behind the handbrake drum is the filler/level plug.

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Originally Posted by Horace18

Thanks all for your responses/assistance.

I've had a closer look today. With it parked on the ground, the centre diff locked and the handbrake on (in neutral), I cannot turn the rear driveshaft (as expected). I can turn the front driveshaft about 45 degrees before it stops, so that doesn't sound too bad considering what has been posted above.

I have also found a leak in one of my rear tyres, so it has less pressure than the other, which wouldn't be helping.

I removed the broken piece of axle/cv whatever it's called after the incident. I have axle/cv/shaft or whatever from the diff right up to the wheel bearing, but that's it, that's where it snapped off, inside the splined hub thing bolted outboard of the wheel. It looks to me that that is where the wheel gets it's drive, so it is currently free-wheeling, with the axle still spinning inside the bearing, driven by the driveshaft. I'm wondering whether I should remove the front driveshaft.

From what has happened, it would appear the front left is not driven as the power follows the path of least resistance, which is the broken axle. So I'm guessing that this is still okay to drive with the CDL locked.

I went to check the transfer case fluid to see if there is any solids in it, is the level hole the 1/2" square drive plug at the rear of the case, facing the handbrake drum? Not sure, there is also a large bolt above this that doesn't appear to be holding anything on, so it might be a fill hole or something as well. Which is it?

Thanks again

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From that description, it is clear that you broke the stub shaft on the cv. Shop around and try to get a genuine early county cv to replace it.

What you have done should be ok for the short term.

The plug with 1/2" square drive is the level plug.

The large nut above and to the right of the level plug is on the intermediate shaft. It is used to pre-load the taper roller bearings for the intermediate gears.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Horace18

...With it parked on the ground, the centre diff locked and the handbrake on (in neutral), I cannot turn the rear driveshaft (as expected). I can turn the front driveshaft about 45 degrees before it stops, so that doesn't sound too bad considering what has been posted above...

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I have just pulled the LT230 out of my rangie - preparing to adapt it to an Isuzu gearbox.

My LT230 is in good condition. With the centre diff locked I get approximately 45 degrees slack rotation between the front and rear output flanges.

So the backlash you have is normal, and not to be concerned about. That is not to say there is nothing wrong, as you said in another post that it was getting noisier, which is not a good sign.

Have part stripped my LT230 to do some mods.

The pic below shows the normal, large amount of backlash between the front output shaft and the difflock dog clutch.

To this backlash, add the backlash between the centre diff and the same dog clutch, plus the backlash between the side gears and planet gears in the centre diff.

Now because of the 2:1 ratio between the side gears and the planet gears, the rotation between the front and rear output flanges, due to the total backlash, is multiplied by 2.

This is why we see nearly 45* backlash.