Hi all,

Just a quick question regarding a Freelander diff which I have installed in my car.

Basically there is a small red plastic 'plug' which is fitted at the top of the diff housing and I'm unsure what it is used for ...

The diff is brand new, and my initial thought is that it's a breather vent plug which should therefore be opened ????

Any ideas/thoughts would be appreciated!

TIA

Matthew

I too had this red plug in my Freelander/Quaife diff from Westfield.

If you push down on the outer collar of the red plug whilst pulling up on the inner part (like a kind of stopper) then the inner part should come out.

Apparently you are supposed to leave the outer red part in place, remove the inner red 'pin' and replace this with the Freelander breather tube or a similar piece of pipe.

The outer collar locks the pipe in place until you push down to release it.

Hope that sort-of makes sense!

Steve.

If it's #14 on the diagram then it is referred to as a vent valve, in the workshop manuals.

Hope this helps

James
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Sorry to hijack the thread but does anyone know how much oil the diff takes and the way in which you measure whether it is full or not?

Cheers

paul

More hijacking...what ratio diffs are there, and what shafts are people using?

The only ratio is available is 3.21:1 (non-LSD as standard, but Quaife do offer ATB internals for this diff). Ideal for BECs.

Oil capacity is around 830ml if I remember correctly.

As for half-shafts I can only speak from my limited experience - Westfield use the Freelander CV joints mated to a custom-made driveshaft.

Steve.

Thanks for all the replies. Extremely helpful, as ever.

Looks like I need to open the vent then.

I've actualy been running like this for a couple of weeks now, so I can only hope that it hasn't done any damage..???

Thanks again.

Matthew

Hello,

According to a mate of mine with a defender....these are called "wading plugs" and you usually run with them out but if you're expecting to run around axle deep in water you stick the plugs back in - presumably you keep these wading plugs in the glove compartment and get out with a measuring stick every time you come across a deep looking puddle?!

Geoff

Geoff,
I think Land Rover wading plugs are just for areas like the timing belt casing and bellhousing to keep water out for deep wading.

I'm not aware of anything similar for the diffs - I think they just use a breather tube which vents higher up underneath.

On my Westy I use the standard Freelander breather tube (shown in the diagram) fitted into the hole where the red 'stopper' originally lived. This is just attached to the rear bulkhead panel and vents to atmosphere.

Steve.

I'm having some problems removing the plug .....

I've tried to push the outer collar down whilst pulling on the inner plug, but with no success so far...

Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom to help ????

Thanks

Matthew

Hmm, maybe try initially pushing down on the 'plug' to help the outer release it's grip, then pull it up?? Just an idea...

I think mine popped out easily