Lost Drive!!

Hi everyone,

i'm new to this forum so bear with me!!

anyway - i really hope someone has some ideas for me - i'm fine at driving and towing with 4x4's but not very good at fixing them (not that i mind getting my hands dirty but dont know what i'm doing!!!)

today after driving 60 miles i stopped to get some horse feed, on my way out of the feed merchant i heard this fairly loud bang and lost all drive . front drive shaft is turning but not back one - tried it in diff-lock and yippee i have drive again (though i know i shouldnt drive on normal roads in diff-lock). anyone got any clues what has gone wrong? no drive in either low or high ratio.

thanks in advance

Nat.

when it's in neutral can you turn ether drive shaft with all wheels sitting on the ground

yes i can

discolady said:

yes i can

Click to expand...

Do a search!

The last one like this turned out to be one of the diff's that had gone!

Sound like a problem in the fron either diff, half shafts or cv joints, only one of the above will have gone but is enough to loose drive.

Don't drive it any morein difflock as you will end up nackering more bits in the proces, keep it off the road till you have sorted it.

If you jack up the front and spin either of the wheels, if the wheel turns the prop then it is going to be the other side.

Good luck.

Sounds like it could be a snapped halfshaft.

Older Land Rover are noted for halfshaft failure. Usually it's the longer of the shafts (near side) at the rear, twist and snap, right at the very end (diff end).

Chock the wheels, release the handbrake and put it in neutral.
Jack a wheel at a time.
See if each wheel turns the propshaft, if one wheel doesn't turn the prop it's a snapped halfshaft on that wheel, if both wheels on the same axle don't turn the prop it's a knackered Diff.

Replacing the shaft isn't that difficult, just a matter of dismantling the hub and dragging the shaft out, but you'll need to recover the broken end from inside the diff. it's self, which means you'll have to get the diff. off and strip that.

I hope this helps.

Because one of the diffs has failed, locking the centre diff doesn't have the same implications that it would usually, all its doing is sending the power to both, but in this case only ONE works, however, you can knacker the props and the running gear of the working side because all the power is on the one prop/axle etc... so drive is carefully, get it going in 1st, no wide throttle, same in 2nd, then in 3rd gradualy open up, and it will be fine.

This may be useful to get it to buy parts, or if you end up taking it to a garage etc...

thank you everyone,

you all seem to be coming to the same conclusion. will jack up each wheel and see what happens.

many thanks

Hi,

i chocked front wheels and jacked up rear turning each rear wheel and they move freely. any more thoughts? could it be the transfer box?

Was the diff on or off? they would do that in normal circumstances with diff unlocked, did the prop turn?

Regarding your comment about no drive in high or low you will as difflock is a seperate function to high and low, you have high and low with the diff locked and unlocked. The backward/forward movement changes the gearing ratio in the transfer box, and the side to side movement controls the diff lock lever. So not having the diff locked you will get nothing in high or low, you will get drive in high or low diff.

With Diff.Lock off, when you spin the wheels, does the propshaft turn?

discomania said:

...with diff unlocked, did the prop turn?

Click to expand...

guh...

I would guess that the t-case is chain drive and the chain popped a link or jumped the sprocket. If its not chain drive I would say that you sheared a key in the t-case.

Its not chain drive...

If she lets us know if the prop turns with diff unlocked turning the back wheels we will know better.

I reckon its a dodgey diff or half shaft.

The transfer box and gearbox sound ok, as it drove in Diff.Lock.
Methinks it's the halfshaft or Diff.

It would affect the handbrake too, if one wheel spins with the handbrake on, it's that halfshaft, if both spin, it's the rear diff.

Don't park it on a hill for Gods sake!

hi,

wheels turn freely when jacked up and handbrake works fine too. after speaking to a mate, we think it's the transmition box - does that sound right

also prop turns freely when diff unlocked

If the hand brake still holds the car then there can't be anything wrong with the back.

If you spin 1 wheel the oposit tends to spin the other way if the diff is working. If the wheels are off the ground.

Try this: diff lock ON, jack up both fronts, try to turn each front wheel a couple of turns. If the wheel is making a connection with the transfer box, you won't be able to turn it very far because the difflock will stop you.

So, if you can turn both freely, your front diff is busted
If you can only move one, something on that side is busted but the diff is ok.

Disclaimer: I'm no mechanic so this might be wrong, but it makes sense from my current understanding of how this stuff works!

You've jacked up each wheel.

Span each wheel,
both rears wheels turn freely, and turn the rear propshaft?

and both fronts wheels turn freely, and turn the front propshaft?

Have you had someone holding the props as the wheels have turned, there could be drag on it and it'll spin, but when the weight of the car is on it, it could slip.

If all wheels turn all the shafts and props upto the transfer box, there is something wrong with the box then.