Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

[muskyman]

From a longevity and maintenance perspective, a pipe cap is defiintely the better choice.
Level of protection can't be beat.
Never a worry about knocking it off.
Never a worry about crud being wedged between a guard and diff pan causing the diff pan to rust out.
Easier access to the filler plug than on most diff covers I've seen.

x2

the only reason I see not to do the sewer cap is the amount of work it takes, but in the end the solution is just 100% better then anything else out there I have seen.

 

[michaels]

Please, no sewer cap.

why? with it you don't have a mud trap on your diff waiting to rust out the cover. it's a complete replacement. it's strong as ********. you scared to get out a plasma or sawsall and a welder? please.

 

[kellymoe]

I second JSQ's recommendation on the PRV breather cap on the axle. I have the remote breather lines and they get mucked up all the time. The PRV's on my other vehicles have never had and issue with clogging and never had issue with water ingress.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I had the QT and had problems with leaks at the 3rd member/axle housing joint. I got rid of the QT and have not had a leak since.

I haven't had a problem yet.

As far as the breather thing, I don't have an ARB, but I could see it makes a lot of sense to use bigger lines with an ARB. And probably not a lot of sense if you don't have an ARB. And as for the PRV's, what do they do when the axle cools and you get vacuum, suck water in?

I did some stuff with transmission vent valves at Ford, and it was a cheap POS cost save compared to just running a real line.

 

[JSQ]

The bigger breather improves the operation of ARB's by a huge amount. The factory breathers are really undersized and gear oil will get pushed into them and clog up. once they do get clogged the seals will leak and gear oil will get pushed back up the high pressure line and slow the activation of the locker.

In cold weather the locker can stop working because the compressor can not clear the line.

If a truck is going to be used in wet conditions all this becomes even more important because as the housing and the gear oil heat up if the breather is plugged it will then draw moisture back in past the seals when it cools. Having the breather high in the engine compartment gives it a much better chance of drawing back in dry air.

Sweet.
I'll add that to the list of reasons not to run ARBs.

Sheki has this problem on his D90. It actually spits gear oil up into his seatbox where his compressor and valves are located.

 

[muskyman]

Sweet.
I'll add that to the list of reasons not to run ARBs.

Sheki has this problem on his D90. It actually spits gear oil up into his seatbox where his compressor and valves are located.

tell him to check out my breather line update on discoweb. That issue will be gone for good.

ARB's make sense where I wheel because more then half the year the trails are either wet and muddy or snow covered. Add in the fact they will have off camber tree lined sections being able to unlock is just the real deal IMHO.

I also find myself on snow and ice covered roads alot and having a full time locker makes that less then fun.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

I second JSQ's recommendation on the PRV breather cap on the axle.

Man, I had to read that twice :Wow1: I thought for a moment there we were looking for Peugeot/Renault/Volvo breathers!?

Yeah, you dry climate guys may not have issues with water in the PRV breathers....one of the first things I did to the Disco was replace / extend the breather tubes.

They've worked since '94...YMMV

KAA

 

[JSQ]

I'm not expressly recommending the PRV breather, but I put it out there as an option if you've just gotta make a change.
The stock breathers extended have always been fine for me. If they get old, replace them.

 

[traveltoad]

I haven't had a problem yet.

Ah... ok. Must not be a problem then.

 

[Geo14cux]

Tim Lund did a pretty good article on increasing the diameter of your axle breathers. [long time ago] I will see if I can find it....

 

[Scott Brady]

Tim is a solid guy, I would like to see that article.

I am an ARB Locker believer. I have probably installed 10 over the years - never a failure. I can also understand the appeal of a mechanical locker though, especially used in the Southwest.

 

[jeepfreak]

Spicer out-sources the 5-4x u-joints, they still list them and sell them. The 5-4x's I bought many years ago when Spicer was still making them didn't have the zerk in the end cap. I expect any you've seen with zerks in the end cap were actually made by Neapco.

I'm telling you, old timer, the 5-4x joint has been discontinued. I can't help what your good-buddy down at your local Pep-Boys tells you or what the out-dated Spicer web site says. The 5-4x is no where to be found. If you find them, get me a case of 24. I'll pay you a $50.00 finders fee.

Here are your "Made in the USA" Neapco joints.

You can buy these joints all day long at your local Auto Zone for 12.99. Auto Zone stocks two at a time. So if you're rebuilding your D2 front drive-shaft, plan ahead.

I'm sure you have found some of the older Made In the USA Neapco joints at your local auto parts store. It's left over stock. Once they reorder they will receive the Made In China joints. This includes the PDQ and Duralast part. I've seen and used your Made In the USA joints from Neapco:

In either case, the 1310 joint is more common. It just is. If your local-yokle parts store carries it, cool. But we do not always stay local and sometimes finding a parts store with less-common parts is a chore. Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Chrystler, etc.. all use a 1310 u-joint. Besides Rover, I'm not sure what else uses the 1300 joints.

I didn't say the caps were .25" longer, I said the u-joint was. But I was wrong, the 1310 is 0.281" longer. But even if it did hold 25% more grease I stand by my statement that the most important lube related factor in u-joint longevity is greasing them properly.

A pic is worth a 1000 words:

As for JSQ's comments, I'm not sure how a drive-shaft with 1310 u-joints can be dubbed the eXtreme-big-brother-trucker-breaker-breaker-one-nine-give-me-a-hell-yeah option. The Rover drive-train is junk; carrier, front axles, CV's, rear axles.... In every creditable "build", the "builder" replaces these items before calling their truck "built". "HD" axles, "HD" gears, "HD" carriers, "HD" CV's. But no "HD" drive-shaft? Why?

I do not have a Tom Woods drive-shaft here to compare, but here is a stock Rover drive flange:

It's a cast piece. It's pretty thin, too. If you've never seen one split open, don't worry, you will. If you've never attempted to change the u-joints and had a cap just fall out, don't worry about that, either. It's coming.

Can anyone post a picture of the Tom Woods shaft? It's night and day at the flanges.

As for the tube, sure, the Tom Woods tube is thicker. But I don't care who's shaft you have; if you dent the tube you're going to twist your shaft into a candy cane.

Beside, how much is Will Tillery going to sell you a drive-shaft for? $100.00? Add some new u-joints and you've got $140 in your shaft. How much is a brand new Tom Woods shaft? $100 more? Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me.

 

[muskyman]

Beside, how much is Will Tillery going to sell you a drive-shaft for? $100.00? Add some new u-joints and you've got $140 in your shaft. How much is a brand new Tom Woods shaft? $100 more? Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me.

Will Tillery is a Tom Wood driveshaft dealer and sells lots of shafts for Tom.

 

[Steve Rupp]

Scott, I'm confused. You say you "can't" do the sewer cap. Is that because you can't physically do the fab work or because you think it's a mod that's changing the LR too far from it's original fashion? If it's because you can't do the fab work it's really not hard and such a great diff guard. Plus it gives you the opportunity to pull the housing from the truck and replace all of the bushings and rebuild the swivels. If it's because of asthetics, then that's your choice.

 

[Scott Brady]

Steve,

My post was not clear. We have the means to do that modification, but I am not convinced that I want to, given the use I have planned for the Disco. I need to see one in person I suppose.