I recently bought my son a Disco II for him to take to college - It has all the characteristics of value, safety and of course the Fun Factor. This weekend I took him to an off road park to familiarize him with the vehicle's capabilities and to teach him some safety precautions. At one point when I exited the vehicle to help him steer over a series of muddy trenches (while in low range) I observed both rear wheels spinning while the front were idle except for the intermittent 1/2 rotation by one side. Traction throughout the day felt as it should except for one other diagonal hill crossing when the rear wheels slipped towards the base of the hill.

My question is: isn't the drive split equally between front and rear in low range and if so, is this experience indicative of a problem? The traction control seemed to be working - at least the dash light illuminated occasionally when traction was lost but perhaps to the front axle only.

Thanks for your visit and any insight you may be able to offer!
Peter

 

Sounds normal to me. The traction control system applies braking to wheels with less grip so you'll see wheel spin and stop randomly while the abs module decides how to get the best traction. Power is split evenly to all wheels but the abs module will limit power to a wheel by putting the brakes on certain wheels at certain times.

 

Do 99's have CDL?

wondering

 

Yes I believe the 99's have the cdl in the transfercase however there is no lever to activate it, just a nipple (giggle).

 

All 99 thru 01 along with the 04's have a CDL case.
First you need to learn how to drive one if not using the CDL. If you have good tire and you run constant throttle pressure the ETC will work OK. If you want more traction you must consider installing the older linkage so you can lock your t/case thus splitting the power between the front and rear axles equally.
Also, if your brake warning lights are on the ETC won't work.