Land Rover and Range Rover Forum banner

04 Center Diff Lock issue

945 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Crysyn
I just purchased a 2004 Discovery. The center diff lock dash light is on even though the lever is to the right. Also, I cannot move the lever to the left either. It is obvious that this truck has never been off road so I just assumed that it was seized up from lack of use and I could just work it/lube it after getting it back to my house. For the price I was getting it for, I over looked this issue as the truck is in great shape. When test driving it I cranked the wheel back and forth as I drove slowly and it did not feel like it was binding. However, after getting it home and making a sharp turn into my driveway(along with a pretty good dip to the driveway approach) I felt it bind and have concluded that this truck actually is stuck with its diff lock engaged. In my last Disco I had the cdl but it was the linkage out of a D1 and I am unfamiliar with the 04 cable. Also, I recall on my 99's transfer case a solenoid failing making it impossible to shift into low. Does the 2004 have something similar(a switch) to prevent the cdl from engaging/disengaging? Just to clarify, I can engage the transfer case from high to low. Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
It's entirely mechanical except for the solenoid which can be accessed from inside the console. But for the lever to be to the right and the t-case locked at the same time would mean the cable is grossly dis-adjusted. That could bind the solenoid and prevent it from retracting I guess.

I would try to disconnect the cable from the top of the t-case and see if you can turn the mechanism manually. It should be pretty smooth and easy to turn with a small wrench. I can turn mine with my hand. With patience, you can do that from under the truck.

This is the cable on top of the t-case as seen from inside the truck with the center console removed.



(Sorry for the black blob concealing part of the lock lever.)

Inside the t-case, that lever pushes on a spring that in turn pushes on a fork that engages the lock ring. So it can be moved back and forth without engaging or disengaging the lock.

Rotating it about 90 degrees clockwise pushes the lock against the two halves of the differential inside and eventually will lock the t-case when both halves are aligned.

Rotating it 90 degrees counter clockwise will pull back on the spring, and when the mechanical bind is lessened inside the t-case, the lock ring will retract and the t-case will unlock.

So removing the cable on top of the t-case will allow you to do two things :

1- see if the cable moves freely and
2- turn the lever on top of the t-case counterclockwise then drive slowly around to release the bind. If the lock does not release eventually, then there is something wrong inside the t-case.
See less See more
Thank you so very much for your long considered response. Most helpful.

Appreciate your time.
So just kept backing it up and after two 50 ft reverse runs it came unlocked.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top