Common questions

What is wheel lock differential?

What is wheel lock differential?

A locking differential is designed to overcome the chief limitation of a standard open differential by essentially “locking” both wheels on an axle together as if on a common shaft. This forces both wheels to turn in unison, regardless of the traction (or lack thereof) available to either wheel individually.

How does a wheel lock in a differential?

How Differentials Work. This type of differential has the same parts as an open differential, but adds an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic mechanism to lock the two output pinions together. This mechanism is usually activated manually by switch, and when activated, both wheels will spin at the same speed.

Where does the center differential go on a 4WD car?

To prevent the drivetrain binding that would occur due to the different speeds the front and the rear wheels need to go when making a turn, a center differential is placed between the front and rear drive shafts.

How does a Trac Lok limited slip differential work?

This type of differential has the same parts as an open differential, but adds an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic mechanism to lock the two output pinions together. This mechanism is usually activated manually by switch, and when activated, both wheels will spin at the same speed.

Why is the differential lock on my discovery not working?

If you go through most of your Disco ownership wondering what that funny handle is in front of your shifter, when you actually find out what it is and decide to use it, it won’t work.

Why do you need a locking differential for front wheel drive?

By locking a front or rear differential it allows the axle to turn both wheels simultaneously at the same speed irrespective of traction differences. If you would like to know more about how a locking differential works and when it is appropriate to use, continue reading…

What does the X mean on the rear differential lock indicator?

These are Rear Differential Lock indicators. The version on the left features a large closed circle between the two rear (bottom) wheels. The version to the right uses an X in place of the closed circle and is an Electronic Rear Differential Lock indicator. Both versions indicate that the two rear wheels have been locked to rotate together.

What to do if your rear diff does not lock?

I ended up pulling over and shifting into 4 low, driving it a few yards and then trying to lock the rear diffs. They did not lock and when i shifted back to 2 wheel the rear diff lock was still blinking.

What does it mean when your 4 wheel drive is locked?

A manual differential lock means the differential is open by default. Once you manually engage the 4H mode then you close the center differential and power is split evenly across the 2 driveshafts. Same can be said about the front and rear differentials.

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Ruth Doyle