Series 3 Low Drive Query

[LEW153]

Hi all,

I was wondering which wheels would be driven if I engage low on my series and have the free wheelers hub set on 4x2? Will it be delivering a 2WD low drive to the rear wheels only?

I haven't yet figured out what the free wheelers hub do.

Any help and advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance ;)

[R0Y]

Yes it would only give low drive to the rear wheels only but i wouldn't advise it as you will be looking at a severe case of transmission wind up.

[landymaniac]

free wheel hubs simply unlock the wheel hub from the shaft. their work is to reduce wear and tear. when unlocked and you drive the car the wheel turns free. when locked and driving the wheel is engaged to the half shaft(inside diff) shaft will turn differential and diferential will turm gearbox (when it is engaged on 2 wheel drive) when 4whl is engaged the system will work the other way round. power will be transmitted from the transfercase .if you engage 4whl and hubs unlocked you will have power on the rear wheels only

hope i did not confuse you

[tdi200]

As the others have explained, in 4x2 mode on the hubs you can run low ratio, but try not to do it as all the torque multiplication is on the rear diff, UJ's, etc.

Bhod, transmission wind up will not occur if the front diff is disengaged off the hubs.

their work is to reduce wear and tear maniac, this should continue like this " in the front diff only" as the propshaft splines will get knackered in a short time.

Grem

[landymaniac]

well said grem.........but when you know the system some things will be obvious and you will miss them out

[joe019]

As the others have explained, in 4x2 mode on the hubs you can run low ratio, but try not to do it as all the torque multiplication is on the rear diff, UJ's, etc.

Right said mate.... I would not drive it that way, All power is sent to the rear diff so you risk breaking something there. Also if you have the series 10 spline shafts beware that once I heard that they are not so strong as their 12 spline counter parts. correct me if wrong.

Regards
Joseph

[tdi200]

12 spline counter parts. X2 my friend, 24 spline and only on salisbury units and late rover (90/disco/rr).

Grem

[cil111]

whether 24 spline is stronger than 12 spline should make a healthy debate nahseb jien :D .. dejjem standard shafts qed nitkellmu eh


i personally do not see that big a difference between them... with 10 spline you have the option of finding a hell of a lot them second hand at cheap prices should you snap one :D

[landymaniac]

mhux ovja li 24 spline is more stronger shaft:rolleyes: more splines=more material = more material between shaft and diff or shaft and hub. 99% of shafts are broken from splines.....the weak point. Hija kukku my friend isa regarding how much 24 splines are available hmmmmmmmmmm and their price hmmmmmmmmm.

[cil111]

kemm hu ovvja ma nafx maniac... jekk hemm mhux daqshekk differenza...

jien ma nafx imma to upgrade from 10 spline to 24 spline and leave everything standard i do not think it is worth the hassle... both financial and other..the difference in strength is not justified IMHO...

what do you guys think.... bear in mind the financial cost as well since heq all is governed by money at the end of the day

[dborg01]

Technically speaking 24 splines sharing the load is a much better option than 10. Like our maniac said on 24 splines you have more material and a higher surface area and therefore even if the material is exactly the same (I mean material type and treatment) 24 splines would be able to withstand a higher load ..... though it's not exactly 2.4 times more ;)


If it's worth the hassle and if it's feasible or not I don't know coz I never enquired about it!! What you more experienced guys think?

I'm not interested in going down that road, after all I believe that properly treated 10 spline will give longer life than abused 24 spline!!

[tdi200]

IMO 24 spline is always a step ahead, but not always the stongest, standard 24 spline shafts are still weak per rover standards. 10 splines will also work fine if treated gently and checked on a yearly basis. Many people never break a 10 spline cause they never came to the situation where the obstacle was tough. If you abuse 10 spliners they will twist then snap eventually. Mild offroad will see them trough the life of the vehicle, so no worries there.

Vehicle weight, tyre choice and overall tyre diameter are also a major contributers to shaft breakages.

Grem

[LEW153]

Are Salisbury axles (the ones fitted standard on the LR Series 3 109) 10 or 24 splines?


Also a second question, I want to overhaul the wheels starting from the front axle. I want to check the swivel joint bearings as there seem to be some play in one of my wheels. Can anyone tell me what I have to remove first? Do I need to dismantle the freewheelers hub thingy before or shall I just dismantel it from the back with the free wheelers hub in place?

Thanks for your help mates.

[theBaptist]

1. 24 (1.25/24) Salisbury only eh, and NOT all SIII's 109's had Salisbury rear axles, early 109's had a normal 10 spline LR axle. i am also getting the impression (my apologies if im wrong) that u are thinking that Salisbury were fitted front and rear .... they were only fitted at the rear.



2. if you have 'vertical' play in your front wheels (jacked up) most probably it wont be bearings (you'll hear the bearings anyways if worn) ... it would prolly be the kingpins.
i didnt do them myself but was present and attentive when Luwts took mine apart. he dismantled from the inside and left free-wheeling hubs in place (we anyways were changing the swivel seals so he figured its easier working from the 'inside'). once the shims were out we found 11 (yes ELEVEN) on each pin and these were probably never taken apart since the landie left Solihull. we took five from each side away and put everything back together - as good as gold - no free play AT ALL ....... only drawback is that the steering WILL be heavier for a couple of weeks until the lowered king pins gets used to their 'new surroundings' :D it was also nice to see the driveshafts in immaculate condition :eek:

check your swivel seals once you have the whole mess on the floor :rolleyes:

[landymaniac]

front axle salisbury was fitted on the 1 ton 109 only. if i am not mistaken it was also fitted on the 101". These vehicles are very rare in malta but there are front salisbury axles here;)

[theBaptist]

see i WAS partially wrong :rolleyes:

thanks maniac ... ;)