Center difflock not engaging

[Josh_GQ]

Hey, i tried searching but i think i suck at that. anyway my mates 83 range rover center diff lock does'nt engage anymore, just wondering if there is any common problems with them or things to check.
not sure on model no. or any thing but it is 4speed manual if that helps

thanks
Josh

[ISUZUROVER]

It is fairly common for the rubber diaphragm to fall apart, which stops it working.

[BIg StEvE]

Hmm i reacently got my range rover and im not sure wether my diff lock works. Should i hear a noise or feel a clunk when i lift the knob? SUCH A NOOB QUESTION I KNOW!

Probably doesnt work either.

cheers

steve

[Suspension Stuff]

While we are on this topic. Another centre diff lock noob question. I have an 89 Rangie with ZF auto. I only have 2 positions. High range and Low Range. Does the centre diff lock automatically go on in low range.
Thanks.

[Loanrangie]

While we are on this topic. Another centre diff lock noob question. I have an 89 Rangie with ZF auto. I only have 2 positions. High range and Low Range. Does the centre diff lock automatically go on in low range.
Thanks.

there is no difflock as your model has a viscous coupling that supposedly locks up when slippage starts.

Steve, you should hear a vacumn noise as it engages.

[Philip A]

LT95 4 speed difflock is engaged when the light comes on. The light is actuated by the difflock engaging, not by the switch.
Regards Philip A

[Bush65]

LT95 4 speed difflock is engaged when the light comes on. The light is actuated by the difflock engaging, not by the switch.
Regards Philip A

Unlike the LT230, where the light switch can prevent the difflock engaging.

[Ralf the RR]

Here's a test for the Centre Diff Lock.

Jack up a front wheel.
Start the engine.
The jacked wheel should spin freely.
Engage the Centre Diff Lock.
The wheel should not spin (don't force it, as it will drive off the jack).

[bushie defender98]

Hey, i tried searching but i think i suck at that. anyway my mates 83 range rover center diff lock does'nt engage anymore, just wondering if there is any common problems with them or things to check.
not sure on model no. or any thing but it is 4speed manual if that helps

thanks
Josh

I'm assuming its the vacuum operated one, try giving it a spray with WD40 as you operate it a few times (down into the side of the switch), I had the opposite problem - would not disengage. Put some tube onto the actuator and suck, this will check the diapragm in the actuator.


Bushie

[closet1092004]

Like some of the others above I have some issues with the LT230 in my 92 D1 V8 auto. Recently I have not been able to engage the diff lock or low range. The lever goes over to the left, the external diff lock mechanism appears to be working but diff lcok not engaging. Can Bush65 please elaborate on the light switch thing as the dash light is not coming on either.

Also: I can only move the transfer case lever not quite to the neutral position. The linkage appears free but won't go the whole way.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. After reading the Haynes manual it appears I became a mechanical moron after I sold the Series 3 - not an ounce of info on the T-case!!

John

[Bush65]

Like some of the others above I have some issues with the LT230 in my 92 D1 V8 auto. Recently I have not been able to engage the diff lock or low range. The lever goes over to the left, the external diff lock mechanism appears to be working but diff lcok not engaging. Can Bush65 please elaborate on the light switch thing as the dash light is not coming on either.

Also: I can only move the transfer case lever not quite to the neutral position. The linkage appears free but won't go the whole way.

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated. After reading the Haynes manual it appears I became a mechanical moron after I sold the Series 3 - not an ounce of info on the T-case!!

John

The centre diff lock mechanism relies upon a spring to move the selector fork to the locked position. If the switch is adjusted down too far, the spring force can not push the selector fork past the switch, even though the lever is in the locked position.

The arrangement of the lever on the right side of the gearbox was far better on the early lt77/lt230. The later ones are poorly designed and don't work very well if worn or not adjusted correctly.

[closet1092004]

Thanks John

I shall crawl under it this arvo and crank the switch out a bit and see what happens. The cars got 280000k on it now so it is probably a bit worn but I am trying to avoid pulling the box.

Thanks again.

John

[1Tuffrover]

Just check the Vacum lines i had this trouble a while ago one of the lines running in the engine bay got to hot and it crimped the line

Cheers

[Rainbow Warrior]

Hey, i tried searching but i think i suck at that. anyway my mates 83 range rover center diff lock does'nt engage anymore, just wondering if there is any common problems with them or things to check.
not sure on model no. or any thing but it is 4speed manual if that helps

thanks
Josh

I had that problem with my 76 4 speed, diaphram was perished & leaking, I could hear vacumn sucking in the other side when I pulled the hose off, not serviceable, but I peeled it open with a screwdriver coated the diaphram in heaps of silastic and recrimped it in the vice.

Probably your first check, do you have vacumn at on either of the 2 diaphram hoses, it should switch to the other when you engage. Also check where these hoses & switch get their vacumn, that the feed hose hasn't fallen off the carby or manifold.

[Ralf the RR]

Probably your first check, do you have vacumn at on either of the 2 diaphram hoses, it should switch to the other when you engage. Also check where these hoses & switch get their vacumn, that the feed hose hasn't fallen off the carby or manifold.

I reckon the first check would be as I posted above.
Check the thing is working/not working, and that determines the next course of action.

[Rainbow Warrior]

Probably your first check, do you have vacumn at on either of the 2 diaphram hoses, it should switch to the other when you engage. Also check where these hoses & switch get their vacumn, that the feed hose hasn't fallen off the carby or manifold.

I reckon the first check would be as I posted above.
Check the thing is working/not working, and that determines the next course of action.

Yes well another way is to give it some rev's, pop the clutch in the wet and see if you can get a single front wheel burnout happening with the button engaged

If there is no light happening, you could check the switch output to the lamp too, watching underneath or possibly down a hole in the transmission tunnel to see if it moves when you activate it.

[BIg StEvE]

Does anyone have pics of where the vacumme lines join to carbs or manifold?

This thread is a bit confusing!

cheers

steve

[BIg StEvE]

Does anyone have pics of where the vacumme lines join to carbs or manifold?

This thread is a bit confusing!

cheers

steve

YEAH WHAT HE SAID!

[Rainbow Warrior]

Does anyone have pics of where the vacumme lines join to carbs or manifold?

This thread is a bit confusing!

cheers

steve

YEAH WHAT HE SAID!

WHO SAID?

[BIg StEvE]

Does anyone have pics of where the vacumme lines join to carbs or manifold?

This thread is a bit confusing!

cheers

steve

YEAH WHAT HE SAID!

WHO SAID?

I SAID!
Just trying to get some attention on this thread cos i dont know shit about it!

[Rainbow Warrior]

Does anyone have pics of where the vacumme lines join to carbs or manifold?

This thread is a bit confusing!

cheers

steve

YEAH WHAT HE SAID!

WHO SAID?

I SAID!
Just trying to get some attention on this thread cos i dont know shit about it!

So have you got any good/bad results from trying any of the above?

[Bush65]

It is far to long since I had an LT95 (which has the vaccum operated diff lock). My memory on this is a bit weak, but you should be able to trace the vaccum line without too much trouble.

Edit

Before you do that, scroll back up the page and read the Post from PhillipA about checking the if the diff lock light comes on - this is in regard to the LT95 (with LT230 the light does not ensure the diff is locked).

[Bush65]

While we are on this topic. Another centre diff lock noob question. I have an 89 Rangie with ZF auto. I only have 2 positions. High range and Low Range. Does the centre diff lock automatically go on in low range.
Thanks.

there is no difflock as your model has a viscous coupling that supposedly locks up when slippage starts.

Steve, you should hear a vacumn noise as it engages.

I'm not up with the autos so I may be wrong, but I thought the ZF autos had the LT230 transfer case and the viscous coupling came with borg warner auto.

My Haynes book says that borg warner came out in Oct 88, but I don't know if early 89 rego may have been built before then.

If it is an LT230, the lever moves backward/forward to select the range and moves left to lock the centre diff (right to unlock) (except some disco II without diff lock). This shift pattern is marked on the shift knob.

[Suspension Stuff]

From what Bush65 said

It may have been built before Oct 88 because the body was put on a different chassis before I bought it. I didn't find out until I got the safety certificate. Then I had to get it inspected and they did checks to make sure it wasn't stolen or in a non repairable right off. I was pretty lucky. The body was built in November 88.

It definitely doesn't shift left to right only forwards and backwards. I don't like the phrase 'supposedly locks up'. Is there a solution to make it 'definetly locks up'??

Shane

[GRIMACE]

Shane ill be out past your way this wekeend i think, Ill stop in and have a look if you like, I am pretty certain yours is a BW (borg warner - so its got a viscous locking unit).

I dont know of any mechanical changes possible to convert the viscous (BW) tcase to a similar locking systems as an LT230, althought if there was such it would be interesting.

edit: whoops dont know why i was talkin ZFs then

[Bush65]

From what Bush65 said

It may have been built before Oct 88 because the body was put on a different chassis before I bought it. I didn't find out until I got the safety certificate. Then I had to get it inspected and they did checks to make sure it wasn't stolen or in a non repairable right off. I was pretty lucky. The body was built in November 88.

It definitely doesn't shift left to right only forwards and backwards. I don't like the phrase 'supposedly locks up'. Is there a solution to make it 'definetly locks up'??

Shane

AFAIK there is nothing to lock the viscous coupling. It doesn't have a centre diff - instead, the viscous coupling slips to allow the front and rear driveshafts to rotate at different speeds.

They are better than an unlocked centre diff and are for those people who have never comprehended the need to lock their diff.

The best solution is to fit an LT230 if you want to go where the viscous coupling wont allow.

The transfer case with the viscous coupling is a chain driven unit made by borg warner - not ZF.

It is easy to tell from the LT230 by the vertical joint to split the case into front and rare halves for dis-assembly.

Top pic is LT230, bottom is borg warner.

Edit - Sorry cant get pic of borg warner t/c to show.