95 disco1 , question bout the diff locks

[devil-slayer]

hello there , i was wondering if someone could tell me what to do in order to avoid getting the diff lock lever stuck , i have never used differential lock before and the previous owner didn't even know what this lever was for

so my main question is what can i do to clear it up so it doesn't get stuck in the first place and so i can use it as i please

 

[joey]

If it is stuck now... then you have to fix it... just use it or at least shift into diff lock at least one or 2 times a month and it will be happy.

 

[devil-slayer]

well no , it aint stuck now thank god because i havent turned it to diff lock before but i did use it on low range and it didnt get stuck ,,, but usually i hear about it getting stuck in diff lock .......

do i grease it up before using diff lock , or do i just move it arround alot untill it works properly ?

 

[joey]

If it moves left to right and back with no issues... you can just do it as a preop check 2 or 3 times a month and it will be fine.

 

[devil-slayer]

so i moved it a bit just half an hour ago and changed between low and high and high lock and low lock a few times today and it gets in gear just right i even moved arround a bit to make sure all is fine

but it made a few weird sounds at first , but all was fine after i moved it a bit more

does that mean i`m set to work with them if i do this procedure lets say for the next 3 days .

will this get it up and ready again?

and thanks for the advice aswell , i took alot of your time.
i really appreciate it

 

[joey]

No worries, you haven't taken any of my time.

Basically as long as you move them around several times a month they should work fine. Just remember sometimes in order to switch into low gear you may need to be moving forward at less than 5 mph, then select neutral in the automatic transmission while still moving, then select low, then put transmission back in to gear and drive off.

For Diff lock once in a while you may need to stop after switching diff lock off i.e. moving to the right, and you may need to back up in reverse for 10 or 15 feet to get it fully out of diff lock.

 

[devil-slayer]

Thats great information man , thank you very much . I took it out today and the lever moves around very good and it gets into gear without moving the car which i was happy to see . . . .but i just have one last question if you don't mind , when i change to diff lock it makes a weird sound for a second or two but then it works normally and it moves all good , is it normal to hear a sort of clunky noise at first ? . Well that's all i have to ask for now , again thank you very much for all your help

 

[joey]

Clunk noise...? This could be a sign of a worn U-Joint since it is basically locking the front and rear drive-shafts together. or this could be normal for your Disco.... Remember these are hand built vehicles and no two are truly alike.

Does the light come on the dash indicating Diff lock is locked when you have the engine running?

 

[devil-slayer]

no lights come on, but i can hear the diff locks locking and unlocking when i change back to unlocked high gear , i can also feel the difference in movement . some people have told me it was ok to hear some cranking noise as the sound you would normally hear when you cant shift into gear right away ,, but the U-joint is ok, i checked on it last time i went in for a service and i fixed all the bad parts about a year ago

i guess its normal to hear that for less than a second when you shift into gear

 

[devil-slayer]

hey joey man , its working great now , the light turns on on the dashboard its a big H when in high diff lock , and it unlocks normally , just went through an impossible ditch and came out so smooth with no effort and no cranking voices anymore

just have 2 last questions man and i`ll be out of your head .. 1. do i need to change any kind of oil now that i`m using the diff locks?,, 2. in which cases should i use low gear and low gear diff lock ?