RobotMan

Buy a full spare axle but strip yours then you'll understand it better and know that it's in good order.

Just ditch the freewheeling gimmicks and put standard flanges on. They just work! When you remove the FWHs to check which spline shafts you have (10 or 24) then you will be able to see if you are getting drive through from the other side or the diff is indeed bust or shaft even. A second hand diff isn't too much money and not to bad a job if you have a garage to work in, at least as long as it's wide enough to pull the shafts that is.

My axle is, as mentioned, Stage One V8 with a pegged Ashcroft Locker, KAM 24/23 custom shafts and AEU2522 CVs from an early Defender. As also mentioned the stub shaft of the Defender CV is a few mm less than the Stage One equivalent which I overcame by skimming a few mm off the drive flange. I figured if i'm going to have a weak bit in there then 6 bolts away from swapping out is a good place. Since completeing the rebuild it has done commuting, winch challenging, trialing, laning and pay and play. Hopefully not jinxing it but in 18 months I've only had two fuses and one lamp fail. I'm not gentle with it! http://www.facebook....40&l=507fde7045 It's Facebook but should be public too. Original thread. http://forums.lr4x4....opic=49522&st=0 Would I do it again...Probably not. It was spendy and also, well, I've done that now so would do something else next for the interest. Am I happy with it... Hell yeah! I've given it an absolute pasting and it's held up. Ok I'm only running a 200Tdi and 32" Special Tracks but then that was part of the original equation the axle was designed to work with. I may change out to 'Mog portal hubs and 37s, that might need power steering mind!

All is good. I jacked the front up and the locker comes in and out nice and cleanly. Off road it has been superb. As said it's a learning curve thing. On grippier stuff a good hard turn of the wheel each way and off the throttle is generally enough to release it, no chance if you try to fight it no matter how much you swear at it to turn! I now just need to remember I have a centre difflock I can undo too these days. Happy again. I realised after posting the previous question, I have a Unimog I know exactly how that goes with a front locker in. Straighter but I can turn the wheels with it locked on the same surface I can't turn the Landy steering. I suspect it might be related to me having a greater scrub radius than normal for a Series Landy, but then I do like to have some steering lock.

Some good work there!

Out of interest where did you find a suitable engineer for this?

Thanks Dave, I'm sure it will settle down it's hardly done anything yet. I won't get back to the Landy for a while but when I do I'll test using that procedure. I did leave it for about ten minutes and it didn't leak and it went in and out just fine. I have to say it's a sturdy beast and installing the airside was a breeze compared to the competition.

Well if it's getting jammed in lol!

That all seems reasonable. I just need to play with it more.

It's an Ashcroft. It is also pegged. Done about 5 road miles and about 7 hours off road. The off road was mainly in woodland and about an hour was towing a Suzuki with only rear drive and a seized front wheel. The diff is very new still and it has been suggested in another thread that it will improve a little with time. I have checked the pegs are backed off 0.5mm and the airline is clear and unkinked, no residual pressure.

Oops yes forgot which thread I was replying to. PS my tyres sit dead flush too.Unfortunately the ground was curved.

It's a killer without power steering in my Series. I get the whole dog clutch thing just thought I was doing enough to release it. Oh well I'll get used to it or get bigger biceps. Not something people mention in the myriad locker threads on the inter web. Still happy with it anyway.

I've just fitted a shiny new locker in to my front axle and it seems very reluctant to disengage. Now I don't expect instant action at the flick of the switch but after 30 to 40 feet of wiggling the steering and off the throttle but still going straight on seems odd. It's as though it is wound up and jammed in. It will release, mostly, by reversing. We aren't talking tarmac here just loose gravel surface. In the sloppy stuff it seems to come out ok and jacked up off the ground it is quick in and out. Brand new and all seemed absolutely fine when I bench tested it. Is this normal?

You certainly feel it without PAS to the point of not being able to move it when there is grip and I wouldn't want to think I was going along the road and need the air system to hold it off. Or, do you mean no air off but a quick boost to disengage somehow? No damage just a bit more wing rash.

Yes. I ummed and ahhed about which end and just decided to leave the rear where it was. It is fine with the axle jacked up and in really sloppy stuff but anything with much grip at all and I'm finding myself having to back up to release the load on the diff for it to release. It is very disappointing. It certainly goes in sharpish. I have found booting it to spin the wheels unwinds it enough to release it but sometimes you just launch straight at a tree instead! With the ARB I find just backing off the throttle and the slight overrun is more than enough to drop it out, although, you probably aren't as sensitive to any unlock delay from the rear as in a non PAS front. I do hope you are right about it freeing off. I'll try giving it an oil change, it has done 10 miles! Most of that was dragging dead vehicles out of the woods including a Suzuki with a snapped off wheel. I did this when it didn't go round the corner but straight on up the bank! Rear winch soon popped it out.

Take it back to P and P they aren't that far removed form North Off Road. I have a North Off Road Cage, I'd go to Protection and Performance.

Mines now in. I'm finding it reluctant to disengage, which is frustrating when you need to turn. Only tested on flat loose gravel so far. I'm going to test it jacked up later then all being well off out to play in the slippery stuff tomorrow.

Did the brakes instead. Seemed more pressing after pushing the pedal to the floor. Out to play tomorrow so probably be next week now. Rain doesn't help either.

It is that simple but a pain to do. Make surd to use something sturdy and stable to support the hubs, if they slip and damage you brake lines it will rapidly become much less straight forward. I will be doing the same job tomorrow with a bit of luck.

On what timescale? I got custom shafts for my Landy and they where great quality(well they fitted and I haven't broken them yet) reasonably priced but you get them when you get them. I'd recommend them on knowledge of what they will supply or talk you out of on the proviso of a small firm can only do so much at once.

Depends on your budget. Seems a shame to chop up rare ENV shafts. Trade them on and chop down some rear Salisbury shafts which are much more available. Is this a Series, 101 or Defender Salisbury? The Coiler ones where the same as standard Defender from the hub out over for commonality so no strength gain there.

Reverse cut is an unusual thing and predominantly aftemarket. I'm not convinced by it. Your front diff takes the biggest kicking when reversing out of well stuck situations so the reverse cut would be wrong cut for that. Uphill weighting on back axle, downhill engine breaking, nothing like on load torque. I would fit one for a racing application where it's all about forwards but, for me, and I suspect most people, it's not the panacea that we are told it is. Oh and no Salisbury front and rear, as Phil says, is the same.

Don't waste a good 2A bulkhead on a 3. Sell it and buy a 3, as it's getting hard to find good 2 bulkheads now.

Yes, the irony hadn't escaped me.

Please Mr can us leaf spring loving types have some of this goodness so I can stop having to keep mine in a shipping container please?