Diff lock advice

Evening chaps I work for a tipper company and have been allocated a wagon the when I turn the diff locks off after driving on swamps I hear a little hiss of air but sometimes the lights stay on for 20+ miles or doesn’t go off at all ? Any idea how to tell if they are off or not don’t want to blow up a gearbox or tires two weeks into a new job!! For ref it’s a Man wagon 8 wheeler

You’ll need to jack it up really to see if it’s stuck in ,giving the job your on and it’s a man it could be water ect in the plug on the axle that’s keeping the light on ,it’s not unheard of .

An easy way to tell if your diff locks are still engaged is the feedback from your steering. If the locks are engaged you will feel a lot of understeer when trying to turn or take a corner. In other words the drive from the back axle(s) will overpower the steering and the truck will try to continue in a straight line. This will be even more noticeable in wet or slippery conditions.

Smiffy123:
An easy way to tell if your diff locks are still engaged is the feedback from your steering. If the locks are engaged you will feel a lot of understeer when trying to turn or take a corner. In other words the drive from the back axle(s) will overpower the steering and the truck will try to continue in a straight line. This will be even more noticeable in wet or slippery conditions.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Take the switch out of the diff case quick blast with some WD40 and it should free up. Not always but 99% of the time it’s corrosion of the switch that puts the light on,

sound like your diff lock is sticking.
I normall stop to switch them off, and rock the truck slowly backwards and forwards to make sure they release.
The hissing noise probaly points that lock is not complete in rest position and the systme still is pressurised

caledoniandream:
sound like your diff lock is sticking.
I normall stop to switch them off, and rock the truck slowly backwards and forwards to make sure they release.
The hissing noise probaly points that lock is not complete in rest position and the systme still is pressurised

The hiss is the air exhausting,if diff lock is still engaged it’s because of a weak spring or if someone has turned the sensor too far in and the end is pressing against the piston causing a slow release .

Smiffy123:
An easy way to tell if your diff locks are still engaged is the feedback from your steering. If the locks are engaged you will feel a lot of understeer when trying to turn or take a corner. In other words the drive from the back axle(s) will overpower the steering and the truck will try to continue in a straight line. This will be even more noticeable in wet or slippery conditions.

Spot on reply :slight_smile:

Sometimes the gazinter can cause those problems…i loaded some pipes once for italy, i had to put the difflocks on to get across the muddy field to load, when i loaded and got back to dry land, i turned them off but the light was on till i got to Dover, and had to call out Husks to fix it.

If air or electrics are not suspect pop it into reverse roll back a few feet the diff lock "dog clutch " will let go and it will drop out of lock up!

Personally I would say defect it! Get it looked at in the workshop being just a few weeks in to the job you don’t want the diff going bang and the boss calling it a day. Defect it if the garage say it’s ok to use and the diff lock is disengaging at least you have the back up that you reported it. Good luck with the new job

happysillyme:
Personally I would say defect it! Get it looked at in the workshop being just a few weeks in to the job you don’t want the diff going bang and the boss calling it a day. Defect it if the garage say it’s ok to use and the diff lock is disengaging at least you have the back up that you reported it. Good luck with the new job

This ^^^, a locked diff on a grippy surface especially loaded will cause undue wear and there is severe danger of snapping a half/prop shaft at the very least, or worse still breaking the diff which will cost £housands.

The defect book is the driver’s best defence, once completed it’s someone else’s pigeon if it goes bang.

Thanks for the advice chaos will defect it !!