I was musing on this as a number of people have reported haldex failure soon after a new diff was fitted. Some views were expressed that it may have been ham fisted fitting of the haldex to the new diff. Personally I don't subscribe to this view as there is very little involved in fitting a haldex which could be cocked up.
However, I did notice one thing. My diff was whining but not that badly so I was amazed to find (when I got the diff on the bench) how much damage had been done to the pinion shaft bearings. I could not turn the shaft by hand and had to get a mole wrench on it to make it turn. When I did it was so notchy and uneven I could hardly believe it - total collapse must not have been far off. Then it occurred to me that the haldex (which fits to this shaft) must have been going through the mill somewhat with all this jerkiness and vibration and just maybe this is what causes early failure. I will wait to see if mine survives! John
07 HSE Narvick Black
Land Rover Series One
Triumph Rocket 111 (sadly gone!)

You may well be right, John, but from the reports I've seen there seems to be a possible link between haldex failure and work on the diff by an independent - there doesn't seem to be the same incidence of haldex problems when the diff work is done by a main dealer. And whilst mounting the haldex is straightforward there's a precise process for re-filling it which involves filling, waiting with the ignition on for 5 minutes, filling again, then extracting a precise amount with a syringe. If this process isn't properly followed the haldex oil level may be incorrect and this could contribute to the problem.

With the amount of data available it's speculation, but if it was damage from the diff one might expect to see more haldex failures following diff work by a dealer. Just my two-pen'orth.

Yes, that is a good point. Took a bit of faffing around to get the haldex oil level right. I bought one of these to get the 70ml thing right!



Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  John
07 HSE Narvick Black
Land Rover Series One
Triumph Rocket 111 (sadly gone!)