OT-ish: the exploding grease gun

in article bdnrhu$v017d$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-114164.news.dfncis.de, Bob Miller at snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com wrote on 30/6/03 12:13 am:

Shush don't tell Sod or he will make up a new one.

Probably thinking up something really nasty to catch you out with.

Sod's been a bit busy round here lately.

Got back from weekend away to find Supernews offline, so no a.f.l.!

Mobile phone alarm went off this morning to wake me up, I reached for it and knocked it straight into a glass of Diet Coke. Phone now dead.

Started 101 (first time, on the button) engaged diff-lock (as the front prop is absent) and nothing. Diff lock is dead, so the wrecker boys had to drag it out of my garden onto the main road, in the rush hour, in the p**sing rain.

Went to get Warren's address off t'Internet. My ADSL is down.

Tried to check my email, but due to us changing our DNS over the weekend (and setting the MX records to our web server, not our mail server) that's screwed too!

On the way to Warren's, stopped at cash point so I could pay wrecker boys. Cash machine out of order. Had to detour into Sheffield to get dosh.

I really should go back to bed....

Tim Hobbs

'58 Series 2 '77 101FC Ambulance '95 Discovery V8i

Bruce says it sounds like a good idea. He's going. Took one look out the window at the rain decided he couldn't get anything done in it and has ordered a cup of tea and some sandwiches, upstairs.

One wonders wether your diff lock actually ever worked......

Alex

It's only a guarantee that the bulb works! I've never checked that the diff locks, but as I understand it the light is attached to the diff, not the switch. Certainly in the Disco the light comes on while the diff is locked - e.g. it goes off when the diff unlocks, not when you move the lever. 101 may be different.

Either way, my diff lock is broke!

Tim Hobbs

'58 Series 2 '77 101FC Ambulance '95 Discovery V8i

Yup, for any Landie, really. Grumble often sticks, reversin 10 foot or so almost always clears it.

Yes.

Because the average speed of the front and back axles is slightly different whenever you turn, the locked diff is under load, which stops the locking mechanism from disengaging. Even when stopped the tyres are acting like springs. Reversing will reverse the overall loading, and the transition frees things up for long enough to disengage.

Opposite lock on the steering can also help, though that's more significant for an axle diff-lock.

Whether you would break a locked diff depends on ground conditions and how you drive. Remember that a Series Land Rover doesn't have an inter- axle differential, and manages quite well as long as one wheel or another can slip from time to time. On dry tarmac, things are different.

That or bump one of the wheels up and down the kerb. (as used by all good Alvis Saracen etc drivers)

Alex

In message , Tim Hobbs writes

On a 4-speed rangy (or 101) box it's turned on by the back of the diff-lock selector fork so it's a fairly good indication. Over the years I've grown to hate those vacuum selectors - grabbed the bull by the horns and swapped mine for a manual lever at third replacement!