Stuck diff-lock

Any ideas how best to free off a seized up diff-lock? The lever was solid through lack of use I assume, but copious amounts of WD40 and lots of tugging (oo err) managed to free it off. However, it now won't come out of diff-lock and the light stays on, lever moves back and forth and I can hear it clicking in/out but it is still in diff-lock, no amount of reversing clutch in/out etc will release it.

Help!

Reply to
Andy Cooke
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We were last here back in July ... "Difflock stuck".

I've just lifted my reply and pasted it below:

"Firstly how are you defining engaged and disengaged? The warning light is a true indication (assuming that it works!), the position of the selector lever is not.

It's usually impossible to engage and subsequently disengage the diff. lock when stationary. You might get the lever to move fully into both positions but the actual lock is unlikely to change state.

If you remember that the lever only sets up the conditions for the diff. lock to engage you won't go far wrong. Obviously, and this seems not to be the case here, if the linkage is seized you won't move the lever and the lock stays in the state that it's in.

Slowness to engage is because the lock dog clutch teeth may be end-to-end and not engaging, There needs to be relative rotational movement to allow the teeth to engage and hence engage the lock. This usually happens after a very short driving distance

Once engaged the usual difficulty is that the lock dog clutch will not disengage under torque. This could be because you are driving or on the overrun - accelerating or decelerating may bring about the result you require. The other common possibility is wind-up caused by driving around with the diff. lock engaged under conditions which do not allow the wheels to slip. Rocking backwards and forwards is unlikely to work: driving a short distance backwards and forwards might. However the easiest way is to drive with at least one wheel on some soft ground or drive off a kerb fast enough that a wheel momentarily loses contact with the ground.

Hope that you find something there helpful."

Reply to
Dougal

I also find that reversing and going forward on full lock will often work.

Regards Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

I was the one who raised this subject in July

I found that in low ratio rather than high, it was much easier to unlock

Best of luck

Julian

Reply to
Julian Pollard

Sorry not been able to reply sooner as btinternet news server seems to be down!

Well, I still can't free the darn thing, resorted to jacking up the back end to release the wind up, which it did as the wheel spun back a bit, light still on though and diff-lock still enagged despite reversing for long periods and applying left and right lock.

Next step is to get it onto soft ground but that will mean a drive of some distance on tarmac. I've never had this issue before on any landy so am puzzled why this one is so stubborn to release?

Reply to
Cookie

You're likely to break a half shaft or something if you drive on tarmac-go very slowly.

Have you checked xfer box oil level? Did you have back end fully off the ground both sides? Can you jack up front and rear at the same time?

Reply to
hugh

UPDATE

Jacked it up again at both sides and got the diff-lock to release, it now enagages and disengages correctly.

However, the light is stuck on so I am guessing the switch has seized up? Is the switch the one obviously protruding from the transfer case on the nearside? I know this isn't the reversing lights as that is higher up. If this is the switch should it be normally closed or open as unplugging the conenctor has no effect (ie the light stays on)

Reply to
Cookie

'Tis normally normally open. Closes when lock engaged. Sounds as though you've shorted to earth somewhere forward of the switch.

Reply to
Dougal

Nah, not shorted it. Think I have the wrong conenctor. I suspect it is just stuck solid and needs changing, PITA to get to though as it's on the top of the transfer case so front prop needs to come off to get at the bugger!

Reply to
Cookie

Easy enough to pull the correct connector and recheck before getting out the spanners!

Reply to
Dougal

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