Buying A Land Rover Discovery Series II

The most important thing you need to know

Obviously the most important thing is the basic condition of the truck.  Does the truck work?  What does the Carfax report say?  What is the rust condition?  How much does it leak?  For this article, let's assume that all pre-owned Discovery IIs are in good working order.  I am concerned with the most important thing for the off-roader. 

Photo © Peter Vollers                                                                        

LT230SE Transfer Box Dilemma

The LT230SE is a manual control transfer box where the driver shifts between high and low range via a lever inside.  No Discovery IIs, with the exception of the 2004 model, comes with a differential lock lever.  The Discovery I comes with a LT230T transfer case and a lever to lock the diff.  This lever can be installed in a Discovery II with no problem at all.    However the Discovery II transfer box must have the 13mm stud on the top to allow for the CDL to be engaged.  Without it you need to buy a new transfer case to allow locking of the center differential.  If you have a 2001 model there is some hope.  Crawl under your truck and feel the top of the transfer case for a screw-like stud.  If present, you can even test it by turning it with a 13mm wrench.  Here are the statistics on the studs:

      Year                  Status

1999-early 2001      Stud present                           

late 2001-2003       No stud present

2004                     Stud and shift lever present

Why You Need a Center Differential Lock

The addition of a Discovery Series I transfer box shifting lever is by far the best modification to my vehicle.  I can now manually lock the center differential.  It splits the power 50-50 between the front and rear axles which guarantees me to have at least one wheel spinning in the front and one in the rear.  With the addition of ETC this combination prevents me from getting cross-axled or crossed-up.  With a CDL the ETC works independently on the front and rear axles by braking the wheel that is spinning faster.  The added benefit here is an increased amount of traction.  Driving off-road is noticeably better after installation of the CDL. 

The CDL has also helped me during axle breaks where I would have otherwise called AAA for a tow truck.  A few months ago I broke a right front CV joint.  I removed the front driveshaft, locked the CDL and was able to drive home in rear wheel drive.  Without the CDL and with the driveshaft removed the truck will not give power to the rear driveshaft.  The power wants to go in the path of least resistance and thus goes towards the front. 

I purchased Discovery Series I shifting lever from Ebay for about $125.  Expedition Exchange now offers a new 2004 model shifting lever kit.  Click here and scroll down to the shifting lever. 

More Information

Here are some additional links on the subject of center, front, and rear differential locks. 

Discovery I CDL install - ExpeditionExchange.com article by Morris Jesup

Custom Made CDL lever - Discoweb.org article by Greg Davis

How do I isolate the CDL light from the ETC computer? - Disco2.com article by John Horton

Everything you wanted to know about traction differential combinations - by John Horton

© 2001-2008, Jamil Abbasy.  All Rights Reserved.