[Jonsered2071]

Hey all! Just bought my first Rover and I'm new to the forums, but an old hand at British cars, having owned eight!

Question for you. The front axle on my 1989 RR doesn't function properly. Whether in high or low range, the front wheels don't spin. I understand its full time 4x4, so I'm wondering if I have stripped a half shaft or if there is something common to these systems I might not be looking for. I'm a mechanic for a living, so I'm not worried about the work, I'm just looking for some tips rather than rip the whole axle out and just dive in. As I said, I'm new to the forums, but I did a quick search and didn't hit anything in the first couple of hundred posts!

Looking forward to being a member here, and many years of service from my Rover.

Dan

Edit: Doesn't work. Not doen't. God I am illiterate.

 

[p76rangie]

What do you mean by the front wheels not spinning?

With the handbrake on and one front wheel jacked off the ground, can you freely spin that wheel by hand. If you can, it means that you have either broken the front diff, one of the axles, or a CV.

 

[Jonsered2071]

What do you mean by the front wheels not spinning?

With the handbrake on and one front wheel jacked off the ground, can you freely spin that wheel by hand. If you can, it means that you have either broken the front diff, one of the axles, or a CV.

I mean you can put the truck in a turn, gas it, and the rear wheels will break loose, but the front wheels do nothing. Same in mud, or sand.

As it happens, I dropped the front end out last night, and I have a broken axle shaft, but I do appreciate your assist.

 

[Jonsered2071]

I was on the run and just posted a short reply earlier. I pulled the plug on the front diff and the oil was FULL of metal. At that point, the front end is coming out one way or another, so I just pulled it. During pulldown I found the broken shaft. Haven't got the diff apart yet to really see whats up, but I got the Rover for $500 and drove it home, so I think its certainly worth the fix.

 

[p76rangie]

I was on the run and just posted a short reply earlier. I pulled the plug on the front diff and the oil was FULL of metal. At that point, the front end is coming out one way or another, so I just pulled it. During pulldown I found the broken shaft. Haven't got the diff apart yet to really see whats up, but I got the Rover for $500 and drove it home, so I think its certainly worth the fix.

An axle usually breaks clean and therefore you should not find a lot of metal in the diff. What you might find is that the broken end of the axle has gone into the diff gears and destroyed them, which will mean another diff centre. Or you might find that with you driving it, the axle has been banging around inside the housing taking off metal as it goes. In this case you will need to replace the whole housing.

 

[Jonsered2071]

Quick update. Not quite sure where the metal is from. Entire front end is completely apart, and the filings are not from the broken shaft. I have everything soaking in cleaner, and hope to go through it all later this week. The filings are non-magnetic by the way, which seems odd to me. I'll let you know what I find.

 

[p76rangie]

Quick update. Not quite sure where the metal is from. Entire front end is completely apart, and the filings are not from the broken shaft. I have everything soaking in cleaner, and hope to go through it all later this week. The filings are non-magnetic by the way, which seems odd to me. I'll let you know what I find.

The only non-magnetic metal parts in the front diff that I can think off are brass bushes on the axles out in the swivel housing.
As well as looking for damage inside the housing near where the tubes meet the centre, disassemble the spider gears in the diff centre to look for where on the main pin and where the spider gears rotate on the centre of the diff. With only one axle being driven it can cause overheating in these areas abd cause pitting etc on the surfaces.