Series 3 Is series III permenent 2wd or 4wd?

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85Santana3

85Santana3

Active Member
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Hi
Is a series 3 LR permanent 4wd or 2wd? I have been trying to figure this out but what I have been reading does not match my experience.
According to various sources it is 2wd untill we press down the yellow knob and go to 4wd drive. This itself raises another question: does it mean 2wd fron or 2wd back?
If somebody install hub-release (like I had) to disengage the front wheels from engine then it means before this installation the front wheels were engaged and rotating due to engine. Nothing is changed for the back wheels and they rotate and move the car. This does not fit with notion that series 3 is normally in 2wd mode. What am I missing here?

Because of a recent problem with my truck (broken rear axle shaft) I had to put the front hub-release on lock to get the car moving. My right side hub-release is damaged so I was thinking would removing the hub-release (hence bringing the car back to original condion) solve the problem till I install new shaft? Hence the question Thanks in advance.
 
it’s not permanent in 2wd or 4wd , but you can put into 4wd high by pressing the yellow lever down when driving , ,
You can put it into 4wd low range by pulling red lever back
The 2wd is normally rear wheels
Unless as you have the rear half shaft broke and so this won’t work so you need to put yellow knob down to get front wheels going
however if your free wheel hub is dodgy on one side you could be immobilised so YES remove FWH and you’re driving again until new half shaft turns up
 
The original descriptions from the period (now 70 years ago) don't really talk about 2 or 4 wheel drive. What they say (correctly) is that it is a 2 wheel drive vehicle with a front axle that can be engaged. In high range the yellow knob engages the front axle, in low range it is engaged when the change is made into low range. Changing from low to hi range disengages the front axle. The front axle should only be engaged at moderate speed and or slippery surfaces and the change from hi to lo must be done when stationary.
 
In the front transfer case i.s a dog clutch which engages front wheel drive when selected as Rob says above.
Free wheel hubs where an after market option to reduce noise and supposedly reduce fuel costs.
 
85Santana3 said:
Hi
Is a series 3 LR permanent 4wd or 2wd? I have been trying to figure this out but what I have been reading does not match my experience.
According to various sources it is 2wd untill we press down the yellow knob and go to 4wd drive. This itself raises another question: does it mean 2wd fron or 2wd back?
If somebody install hub-release (like I had) to disengage the front wheels from engine then it means before this installation the front wheels were engaged and rotating due to engine. Nothing is changed for the back wheels and they rotate and move the car. This does not fit with notion that series 3 is normally in 2wd mode. What am I missing here?

Because of a recent problem with my truck (broken rear axle shaft) I had to put the front hub-release on lock to get the car moving. My right side hub-release is damaged so I was thinking would removing the hub-release (hence bringing the car back to original condion) solve the problem till I install new shaft? Hence the question Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
free wheeling hubs where an option , it just means the rear wheels arent pushing the front wheels which are driving diff and prop round,for no reason supposedly saving fuel
 
The thing that surprised me when I got my Landy, was that the diffs are completely open. I was expecting limited slip diffs to have been fitted. It seems a bit of a weakness to me that if you're on a ridge and end up with two diagonal wheels off the ground, you can lose the ability to get any traction. I come from a sports car background, where LSDs are not uncommon.
 
When the Land Rover was designed LSD's were expensive and generally found only in high power racing cars [ Porsche was the first ] Diff locks tended to be found only in slow moving off road vehicles like tractors and military types. Land Rover stayed with the simple [cheap ] idea of having a flexible suspension that kept wheels on the ground which works well enough in most conditions. It was only with the arrival of traction control things change.
After market additions of LSD, diff lock, torque bias have been available for many years for those who want them.
However if you have ever seen the little Steyr Haflinger perform off road with its portal axles and all round diff locks you may why Land Rover did not follow.
On 4x4 trial events the only way we found to stop them was very deep wheel ruts or deep water [ Deep enough for the driver to float away ;) :D]
 
I think it was also a compromise between simplicity, reliability and cost. Series Land Rovers did everything that was asked o them for many years all round the world in a huge range of conditions and they were fixed where they worked. They were never intended to be competition vehicles but simple workhorses. Tyre life would also be a consideration and LSDs do reduce that. My own experience of LSDs on road cars is that they can get you into trouble as well as out. I drove a Mk 2 Jag for many years with an LSD and pulling out of a T junction on a wet road could soon end up sideways when the LSD kicked in.
 
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