jimconline

Good thoughts. I will try the hardwood wedges and if that doesn't work (though I suspect it will) I'll move on to the filler knife. I've been hesitant to drive anything between the flanges: worried about bending the metal. Time to stop worrying. Thanks.

1996 Defender 110 300Tdi. I've got all the bolts according to the service manual. Sure can't see any more. Will just have to keep slicing away at the solidified goo: problem is, it's impossible to get at some areas.

Drips from the oil sump have turned into a trickle. I have a new tube of RTV (Permatex), oil drained, 22 bolts removed, old sealant around the flange attacked with great effort, and the pan won't budge. The pan been off before and I think someone grabbed a two-for-one sale on tubes of sealant and used them both. Before prying off (and distorting the flange) I thought I'd seek some advice. Thanks...jim

I’m not surprised there has been but your response, Farmerfred. I have discussed this with a number of folks, had a couple of mechanics for test runs, and no one has a definitive diagnosis. Your concern is noted, though I don’t think it has reached a point where I want to dig this deep quite yet. This puzzling problem is the most odd one I’ve experienced in over ten years and many kilometers with this Defender. I will wait to see how it unfolds.

1996 110 300tdi. Ive developed a grinding noise that happens fairly consistently between 30 and 35 km/hr. No other speed. Not major, but I can hear it and I can feel it through the gas pedal. More so when the road is rough. Goes away when I step on the clutch. Any thoughts?

Now that was an effort. Good thing you weren't out alone.

The linkage does seem rather thrown together. It has worked, however, for the most part. What puzzled me this time was how creative the mechanic was who put it back together: it simply could not have worked (e.g., the link that sits on top of the selector housing that the connector rod hocks into was 90 degrees off - and it's paired). I hadn't been back to Africa for a few years and my friends who took such great care of the vehicle felt it best to take it to Lesedi Motors, the Land Rover dealer in Gaborone, something I never do. There was a major problem with the Defender just before I had it shipped over and my friends had it towed to Lesedi. Their diagnosis and quote for repair seemed from outerspace so I went hunting for an alternative. Found a great one: Bruce at D'Arcy's Auto Clinic. It was the timing belt (something Lesedi had replaced eight months previously and, of course, was not their diagnosis this time). Anyway Bruce did a fine job (he didn't go near the diff linkage).

Got it, thank you. I needed to adjust the pivot screw (arm was not returning enough when disengaging) and tighten the linkage both of which were much simpler to access from on top as kindly suggested. I bought this vehicle several years ago in Johannesburg while working in Southern Africa. I've now brought it back home to Canada (now there's a story). In the interim it was looked after by some dear friend in Botswana who had some repairs done at different times, all at the Landrover dealer no less. Can't quite figure out how they managed to reassemble this linkage. Still need to reverse sometimes to disengage but that should hopefully ease with use.

Ive gone from no diff lock (just a selector that swings loosely from right to left) on my 1996 Defender 110 to having diff lock engage, thanks mainly to all the great advice found here. Problem now is once engaged, I need to coach the linkage with a crowbar from underneath. Have bathed the housing assembly with penetrating oil and it is much freer but still has a stop that only some prying will overcome. Any thoughts about what to do?