So, my discovery does not have a diff lock and looking forward to swap the transfer case for one which has CDL (still undecided whether to get 1.2 or 1.4 ratio). My next decision is to decide how to activate diff lock...

It seems to me that a small number of discoveries came equipped with diff lock and an even smaller amount had an electric solenoid rather than a lever. This is what I found looking online:




How difficult would it be to make this work? Not sure if relevant but mine is a 2003 TD5 Manual.

Thanks
Mark

 

I was unaware that any came with a solenoid. Are you sure that was a factory option? Maybe it was G4 specific?

In theory shouldn't be too hard. Alternatively, I've also seen people retrofit window motors to control it. That said, I've always been a HUGE fan of the lever. It's all mechanical and human input. They're way less likely to fail than a solenoid or motor which will eventually fail.

 

The electric option is aftermarket, think Ashcroft makes it. G4 D2 came with the cable shifter

 

ahh ic... i do like the idea of an electric solenoid, since it is much cheaper than getting a 300eur lever, much easier to install and lets admit it, a 'diff lock' rocker switch would look cool on my dash I do get that the lever would be a much more reliable option and a solenoid will probably fail when I need it most ...

 

seems I was wrong, the solenoid I saw is used to change low/high gearing not lock... also, could not find any active selling diff lock motor sold, apart from diy at home, which must mean they were not very reliable manual locking will be the best way forward

 

Mechanical linkages are far superior to anything electronic. I actually dug around and found a spare interlock solenoid by itself.


Like I’ve said before “if” you don’t have CDL on your D2 the 03 Linkage is your best bet. It will externally mounted like an 04 setup, but 03 non CDL compatible linkages are a dime a dozen vs the $$$$ 04 CDL compatible linkage.

Simple PNP install. Install 03 linkage, take onboard interlock solenoid plug & connect to the 03 external interlock solenoid connector, then seal up the old onboard interlock solenoid with a blank plate (what I did) and use the old housing as a template, or RTV the heck out of the old housing and re-install it.

No more lock outs that require a PITA removal. If the 03-04 setup fails out on the trail you can simply use a rod to push it back by hand and have someone shift the TC into whatever you need it to be in.

As far as 04 setup’s = local pick n pulls can be your best friend! Last one I got was 18.00.

 

Yeah I'm not very resourceful and lazy, so I paid 325$ for an '04 linkage last week. If you pull one yourself, make sure to grab the shifter, 2 cables, and both brackets mounted on the transfer case.

 

i think I will get my self a 1:4 transfer case from a defender TD5 and then use a britpart d2 cdl linkage ... lots of euros, probably running awfully close to 4 figures, but cant be helped traction control has failed on me on the trail so i cannot rely on just that.

btw, it was really hard to decide between 1:2 and 1:4 but since I got 32" tyres, it is really struggling, even on the road sometimes, so I think the 1:4 will be a good choice.

 

I looked into the britpart linkage, and I don't think it is worth it as it uses the older design of the solenoid being mounted on the transfer case as opposed to the linkage. For the same price (or much less as Best4x4 said), get an '04 shifter.

Agreed on the gear change! I'm in the middle of rebuilding an '04 case with 1.41 gears and have 32" tires as well. It should bring the truck perfectly back to stock gearing.

Cost wise, you can get an '04 transfer box for ~$300 (try Will Tillery, Abran, ). Then look into LT230 rebuild components on Ashcroft's website. Dave sells the HD cross pin, shim kits, bearings, etc. Unfortunately you can't just swap the high-gear, you have to get a matching intermediate and input gear as well... which basically means full-rebuild.

 

i will see if i can find a -04 shifter, but doubt i will be able to since they are really rare. I think the britpart (or Ashcroft) linkages should work well though (I have a manual, not sure if it makes any difference).

ps, thanks a lot for confirming my concern re 1:2 vs 1:4... is your truck already remapped? I hear they become quite punchy when the cat is removed and the ecu remapped