By pjkbrit on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 02:17 pm: Edit

So last night I am trying to free up my 94 Disco diff lock which has never worked..low ratio is OK. The lever will not move left, totally frozen. So I spray everything up with PB Blaster which makes no difference, I try moving the lever, nothing....drive into work today and the diff lock light comes on....????? And then I fine the diff IS locked, the lever still will not budge, and now I cannot get it out of lock......HELP!!!!!
Pete

By p m on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 02:47 pm: Edit

you can rock it back and forth, to release the wind-up in the drivetrain. There isn't a whole lot of movement of that lever, about 1.5" or so.
If the diff lock light is on, there's a non-zero chance that the diff is actually locked - you'd know by the disco's behavior in tight turns. Better not to drive with it locked for too long.

The worst thing is "barely-locked," which means that if it unlocks on itself it may chew on the gear teeth's corners.

peter

By pjkbrit on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 02:55 pm: Edit

Oh it's locked alright....chirps the tires in a sharp turn...must drive it 10 miles home tonight...what a pain in the ass....dont really know how to undo it either??

By Ron on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 02:58 pm: Edit

Pete,

Pull the front driveshaft.

ROn

By pjkbrit on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:11 pm: Edit

Thanks Ron....and do what with it????will it let me unlock the diff lock...remember, the lever will not go left!!!!

By p m on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:12 pm: Edit

Ron,

is that a fix of a diff lock or fuel economy suggestion?

hehehe

peter

By Ron on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:15 pm: Edit

Pete,

Pulling the front shaft off completely will prevent damage from driving with the dif locked.

Ron

By Ron on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:16 pm: Edit

Ie to get you home so you can mess around with it in the comfort of your garage.

Ron

By pjkbrit on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:28 pm: Edit

Thanks Ron....you meant the comfort of my own driveway....the garage is full of Saab spares which I never need cos the 85 900T never breaks...it just laughs at me.....am not paranoid ...really!!!!!
Pete

By ron on Monday, October 15, 2001 - 03:41 pm: Edit

Pete,

thats the way I felt about my honda. It finally kinda needed a $50 part so I got rid of it. I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to kill it for four years. However, I think nothing of spending every weekend working on my rovers. I also knock on the wood trim of my RR every morning hoping it will start (has not let me down but I know it will ) The disco is the bane of my existance. I can't remember if it was ever in complete working order.

Yet somehow the rovers are superior in every way.

Ron

By Greg Davis on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 11:26 am: Edit

I have a DSII, but when I lock the diff, it takes awhile for the light to come on sometimes. Conversely, when I unlock it, sometimes the light remains on for a short time. On a DSII, a 10mm wrench will fit the flats of the diff lock stud on top of the t-case. Otherwise, keep moving the lever, and drive it for a mile or so. It may surprise you by having the light go out. I've driven mine with the diff locked with no ill results. As long as your axle diffs are not locked, you shouldn't have any problems, as the axles will rotate at different speeds through the corners.

By StephenF on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 03:20 pm: Edit

What??? Don't you know what transmission wind-up is? It's when the front and rear DRIVESHAFTS try to turn at different speeds when cornering - nothing to do with the axles. I'd say the transmission on your DSII has been under some pretty severe stress at times.

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 03:24 pm: Edit

My question is if the D2s didn't come with a CDL lever why do they have a light in the dash for it? Did they just slap the same instrument pannel in the new ones and hooked up all the wiring that should never even be used?

By sid on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 01:52 am: Edit

To avoid this "wind- up" you do what? How are the DSII's with this CDL kit?

By Greg Davis on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 11:39 am: Edit

I'm fully aware of what transmission wind-up is. But if you have open diffs (like I do), then the windup will be released by the axle diff. I would think that you would only encounter wind-up if your diffs are locked (all 3). I don't profess to know it all (or even alot). Maybe I'm missing the obvious. It's the inside wheels that are turning at different speeds when corning, not front to rear.

The light for the CDL is there for "evaluation" purposes when the techs work on it(?).

By Ron on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 11:41 am: Edit

then the windup will be released by the axle diff.


Sorry greg but this is wrong. Bad idea to drive dif locked on pavement. Really bad idea.

Ron

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 11:50 am: Edit

Nope you can still get wind-up with open diffs.. rear drive shaft and front drive shaft when center diff locked try to turn at the same speed.. Front axle and rear axle on the street or other non slipping surface are turning at different speeds.. This forces each drive shaft to turn at a different speed and that = wind-up.. Open diffs don't matter in this one.. Of course a locked axle diff would not only give you wind-up but, you would be killing your axle diffs as well. Does that sound about right? Driving in a straight line on the street with your center diff locked will give you wind-up as well.. You don't need to take a turn for the front and rear axle to spin at different speeds. Just a simple tire pressure difference is enough to change the axle rotation speeds from front to rear.

By Kyle on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 12:12 pm: Edit

Greag , running locked on asphault is bad , real bad. Tire presure differences front to back will wind it up and when you turn those front wheels are turning at a different rate then the rears , that will wind it up like a clock as well. Once its wound up tight its ussually a pain in the ass to get it unlocked again because of the strain that is on it.

Kyle

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 12:18 pm: Edit

Took me about a half an hour driving really slow forwards and backwards to get my trans case to unlock.. Hey, some times you got to learn the hard way... Or just lift the whole truck of the ground.. That should work to..

By StephenF on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 03:17 pm: Edit

Greg, if you are not convinced that the front wheels travel further than the rears when cornering, look at the wheel tracks. The average radius of the front tracks will always be greater than that of the rears.

By Mike D1 on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 03:54 pm: Edit

Pjkbrit,

IF YOU PUT YOUR TRUCK IN AND OUT OF DIFF LOCK ON A DIRT ROAD YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE GEARS HAVE MORE PRESSURE ON THE WHEN STOPPED ON BLACKTOP. DIRT WORKS FOR ME EVERY TIME.

GOOD LUCK

By Eric N (Grnrvr) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 04:24 pm: Edit

gravel road is good too.. Any where that the wheels can do some slipping.

By lynden on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 06:04 pm: Edit

Okay, I have a question about the diff lock... I use diff locked when hill climbing and I usually disengage it after hill when on flat land, only because I'm paranoid after reading some of the stuff here. Am I okay to leave it locked while on gravel, not that I'd do it for long periods of flat travel but do I need to engage and disengage on a constant basis???
Thanks,
Lynden

By Mike Rupp (Mike_Rupp) on Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - 06:44 pm: Edit

As long as you are on soft ground (mud, gravel, etc.) you should be ok if you leave it engaged. The soft ground will allow the tires to slip, thus relieving the stress.

By Greg Davis on Thursday, October 18, 2001 - 11:22 am: Edit

Points well made and taken. I appreciate all the insight. It was run that way for a short period, but no more. I'm a little thick sometimes, so things have to be spelled out for me at times. Thanks.