Discovery - locking the center diff.....

[ANDYD]

I found this interesting info on another web site, I have never heard of this simple way of locking the Discovery center diff before. Has anyone done this before & can confirm it actually works?
Andy

Question:
I have an 2001 Discovery 2. can the diffs be locked. i do not have a way to do it from inside the cab, but i have heard something about being able to lock them from under the truck. is this true?

Answer
2001 was the transition year. Later DII's won't have the nipple on the top of the transfer case, while those made earlier in '01 (like mine) do have the nipple and can be locked.

To determine where yours' falls, climb under the truck when the engine is cold. Then, find where the front driveshaft meets the transfer case.

On top of the transfer case just behind the connection to the front driveshaft you'll find three bolt heads on a flat area. You'll have to do this by feel. The bolt heads will form a triangle. If you feel a verticle bolt in the middle of this triangle, then you are able to lock the diff. If not, you'll have to swap the transfer case with an older one, or an '04.

On the bolt (if you have it), there will be a nut at the bottom. The open end of a 10mm socket will allow you to engage the nut and turn it about 40-45 degrees. Voila, locked center diff.

Note, if you lock it while the engine is off, traction control and abs will be disabled. If the engine is running when you lock the diff, then those systems will function normally.

BTW, I had to fumble with mine for a while before I could lock it. Just clumsy, but there you go.

Hope this helps,

[red90]

Yes. For awhile they removed the linkages but did not change the transfer case. There are many kits out there to add a linkage back in.

It is VERY unsafe to drive off road with the center diff unlocked.

[red90]

When you are driving up or down a steep hill the weight transfer causes substantially less traction on the uphill wheels versus the downhill wheels. With an open center diff, the uphill wheels can spin (under power) or skid under braking very easily. With a locked center diff the uphill and down hill wheels are forced to turn together and the problem is resolved.

The Disco 2 gets around the problem by using traction control and ABS. The dangerous part happens when you are trying to descend below the speed that the ABS can work. This is something like 7 km/h. In many (all) steep off road situations this is too fast. This is very noticable when trying to back down after a failed climb. The uphill wheels lock if you touch the brakes and the vehicle loses control.

In Australia some clubs were banning Disco 2s from trips unless they installed a center diff lock.

[red90]

Traction control is an improvement, but should be used in conjuction with a center diff lock.

[DaveB]

From personal experience -- in fact last weekend on the Okanagan run, my 99 Disco II handled admirably through some pretty tough off roading. I will be getting a diff lock kit of some kind or other, but even without it, the ETC did its job very well.

I did notice, and so did Steve driving a 2004 Disco with diff lock, that there seemed to be more side slipping when using ETC than without. Steve thought it was his tires, since they were showroom stock, but I was getting much the same with mud terrains. About 8" of side slip could happen when I tried to move through muck covered rocks. I never noticed that before in my series truck, which generally goes where you point it. Could have just been the additional V8 power kicking in, I guess.

Dave