According the manual, disturbing the drive flange on a Freeloader differential will upset the pinion preload.
Can anybody help me out here... can I remove and replace the flange (I want to machine the rear face of the flange for a reverse gear sprocket) without upsetting the preload? If the diff has to come out to get a dial on the gears it's not going to help me.

Cheers

My Dad asked me this for his freelander a while back, as you know, the haynes manual is a bit vague on this point.

to be honest i am unsure, he asked around and has been told(by whom im not sure, maybe the guys who service repair the wagons) to just mark it before you take it off adn be sure to put back in the same position, how you do this...sod knows.

In the Land rover manual

REAR AXLE & FINAL DRIVE
REPAIRS 51-5
Oil seal - pinion
$%51.20.01
Remove
1. Release both drive shafts from differential
assembly.
+REAR AXLE & FINAL DRIVE,
REPAIRS, Oil seal - differential housing.
2. Reference mark propeller shaft and pinion
flanges to aid reassembly.
3. Remove 4 nuts and bolts securing propeller
shaft to differential. Release propeller shaft and
tie aside.
4. Check and record the torque required to rotate
the pinion and differential.
CAUTION: Drive shafts must be removed to
obtain correct torque to turn figure.
5. Using LRT-51-003 to restrain differential
flange, remove nut and washer securing pinion
flange. Discard nut.
6. Remove pinion flange.
7. Carefully remove and discard oil seal, take care
not to damage oil seal recess.
8. Remove oil thrower.
9. Remove pinion bearing inner race.
10. Remove and discard collapsible spacer.
Refit
1. Fit new collapsible spacer.
2. Fit pinion bearing and oil thrower.
3. Clean pinion flange and oil seal recess.
4. Fit new oil seal using LRT-51-010.
5. Fit pinion flange and washer.
6. Restrain pinion flange using LRT- 51-003.
7. Fit new pinion nut and tighten to 190 Nm (140
lbf.ft).
8. Check for end float on pinion. If end float exists
continue to tighten pinion nut until end float is
removed.
9. Continue to tighten pinion nut until correct
preload is obtained.
10. Pinion preload is 1.7 - 2.8 Nm (1.2 - 2.1 lbf.ft), if
higher replace collapsible spacer.
CAUTION: Do not tighten pinion nut to more
than 373 Nm (275 lbf.ft), or the collapsible
spacer will compress too far.
11. Clean propeller shaft flange and mating face.
12. Position propeller shaft to rear axle and align
reference marks.
13. Tighten propeller shaft nuts and bolts to 65 Nm
(48 lbf.ft).
14. Fit drive shafts.


Not sure if that's better than the j=haynes info.

Dave

It's the pinion nut that controls the preload on the pinion. Diff rebuilders use a special device that can measure the preload while the pinion is turning. If you take the nut off you will need to find some way of re-establishing the correct preload, and may well need to take the diff to your local diff rebuilders to get this done

John