Hello Rovers!

New owner of a 95 Discovery here stopping in to introduce myself. Reading a lot of information on the forum this week and want to say thanks to all the contributors here! My buddy and I went in on this purchase together for a Gambler 500 rig so we're going through it and loving it so far. It was an auction non runner. After sorting out the ignition issues it runs smooth. Sorted out the CDL being stuck thanks to the advice of this forum, cleaned it up and we now have a working diff lock.

Here is the issue I am trying to figure out. CDL unlocked we have no movement in either H/L while in any of the transmission gears. Lock the diff and she squats and moves like a beast in FWD/R. We found a broken front CV on the drivers side however we put the whole rig up on stands and in diff lock only the rear wheels move. What I can't suss out is how come with the diff unlocked she won't move at all like the case is in neutral? We checked both front and rear diffs and axles and rear checks out. I thought maybe the grub screw came loose on the linkage inside the case casing it to stay in neutral, but why then I ask, does it move when locked??

Thanks in advance for any input!!

 

Welcome!

When unlocked, the transfer case is AWD so it will send power to the easiest to move tire. If you have a broken CV, that's what will move. Was the CV fixed, then you are having this problem when unlocked?

 

Thank you! At the moment here's where we are with it.

All fours off the ground on stands. We cut an access on the passenger trans tunnel and pulled the H/L selector. Manually moved the H/L shaft to all three H/N/L positions without much trouble. Case in either H or L any of the wheels can be spun manually by hand even with the transmission in any of the gears P/R/D/3/2/1 ... shouldn't P lock the drive train from spinning? There is no resistance in the drive lines or wheels from turning with the transmission in park or any drive gears.

Here's where it gets interesting because when I lock the diffs together both drive shafts lock up and it marries to the transmission like normal. This is also the only way running it moves and everything works perfect, goes forward, shifts, goes in reverse and no noises. Unlock the CDL and everything goes limp. No forward or reverse and no resistance from the transmission. When I unlock the CDL and put the case in H/L I can go underneath and spin both drive lines by hand, or spin one drive line at a time while holding the other. This one has me baffled.

 

So it's that simple and in a moment of clarity after working through it I understand. Power moves through the rear transfer case gears up to the CDL. The sun and planetary gears in the diff lock are turned and power distributes to the easiest place to move i.e. slipping tire or in our case a broken front CV axle. This is why the dico gambler won't move in open diff because all the power is being lost through the broken front axle. When the CDL is locked power is distributed to both front and rear drive lines and it moves because our rear drive is good.

New CV stub is on the way to fix the issue! Replacement seems straight forward but is there anything tips and tricks to pay attention to? I noticed no gasket or sealer on the axle flange mating face is it really assembled without?

 

This is why I asked you if the broken CV had been replaced.

It can be, if not done by the book. The gasket used there is very thin, and cheap. Some folks will use a sealant instead, but after having to disassemble mine many times over the years, I switched from a sealant back to the gasket, and keep a bunch in the toolbox.

Tips and tricks... there's a few. Now's the time to address anything else in that area needing attention (swivel pins and bearings, swivel replacement if pitted, new swivel seals, etc.) Make sure the bronze bushing on the stub shaft/spindle inner surface is still serviceable. There's a reason there are shims on the end of the CV shaft where the circlip is, so try to get that as close to right as possible... If there's too much play, then (IIRC) the CV can rub the inside surface of the swivel ball and introduce metal bits into the swivel grease.

There's a good series of videos on YT about working on this part of the Disco. Here's one talking about that bronze bushing and end float:

 

Yeah, if you are replacing the CV joint might as well re-do the swivel ball and all its bits.

When I did mine Trevor at Rovahfarm.com had good prices and knowledge of all the pieces I'd need.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...erience-90558/