Freelander 1 could be an expensive weekend

just had a thought , my tyres are around 3 x years old, plenty of tread on them

wondering if maybe that could cause the issue , weak side wall,

maybe swapping the fronts over left to right and right to left and see if it makes any change ???

or do u think it's pointless , plus as they've worn the same should be fine with regards to the vcu

Could be the control valve is stuck or blocked in one direction. It is built into the rack and provides the power assist. Way to check would be to take the accessory belt off and see if it now steers the same, both ways.

Tony Reeves said:

Could be the control valve is stuck or blocked in one direction. It is built into the rack and provides the power assist. Way to check would be to take the accessory belt off and see if it now steers the same, both ways.

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ok mate, thks , will give me room for thought

would it be notchy though if the steering rack was beginning to fail

to be honest haven't felt this kind of fault before

doesn't seem to be a clear indication of the problem ,

no vibration , but on turning a left hand corner it feels heavy

will be ringing the garage today to see if anyone is around,

i think it was £50 quid an hour before , don't know how long it would take to

replace the ird bearing and seal
replace drive shaft
top up ird oil

just frustrating in not being able to do it myself

gstuart said:

ok mate, thks , will give me room for thought

would it be notchy though if the steering rack was beginning to fail

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Yes. It is rare fault, but I have seen it before. If anything, it felt notchy/sticky in one direction at times.

GrumpyGel said:

Tonight I have mainly been a passenger in my Freelander on account of being out celebrating my son's 21st and teaching him all about beer and fine dining

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Oh dear! Sorry Gary

I got the don't "Drink and Drive" message - but not the don't "Drunk Post" one! Don't know how that ended up on this thread - Woops.

ps its my e-Cig Joe.

GrumpyGel said:

Oh dear! Sorry Gary

I got the don't "Drink and Drive" message - but not the don't "Drunk Post" one! Don't know how that ended up on this thread - Woops.

ps its my e-Cig Joe.

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lol, I thought the pic might produce an "omg - what DID I post" morning haha

silly question, what state are the bushes in the arms ?

Tony Reeves said:

Yes. It is rare fault, but I have seen it before. If anything, it felt notchy/sticky in one direction at times.

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is only heavy whilst turning left

when i go out later there's a great big car park , will try it forward and reverse to see it will show whilst in the car parked

Jonnyb1990 said:

silly question, what state are the bushes in the arms ?

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i went out a little while ago , but can't get under the landy , my brain is saying yes and my back is telling me to clear off

really annoying as i always done everything on my past landies

is raining now, will wait and move the car , as there's a drop wall and maybe just have enough room to try and have a look

plus this is what u get when u don't look after ur back

gstuart said:

is only heavy whilst turning left

when i go out later there's a great big car park , will try it forward and reverse to see it will show whilst in the car parked

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Sorry, by direction I mean left or right. Not forward or reverse.

With the pump not turning (by taking the belt off) if the valve is faulty the steering will be equally heavy turning right or left. You could also try it by getting up to a reasonable speed, put it in neutral and shut the engine off. Then try steering each way.

Tony Reeves said:

Sorry, by direction I mean left or right. Not forward or reverse.

With the pump not turning (by taking the belt off) if the valve is faulty the steering will be equally heavy turning right or left. You could also try it by getting up to a reasonable speed, put it in neutral and shut the engine off. Then try steering each way.

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oops, sorry , lol

wouldnt turn the engine off whilst driving as it's an automatic , but will indeed let u of the progress and if i have to do that ref the belt and can see what u mean

last time i touched steering was adjusting the shims , lol

gstuart said:

ok mate, thks , will give me room for thought

would it be notchy though if the steering rack was beginning to fail

to be honest haven't felt this kind of fault before

doesn't seem to be a clear indication of the problem ,

no vibration , but on turning a left hand corner it feels heavy

will be ringing the garage today to see if anyone is around,

i think it was £50 quid an hour before , don't know how long it would take to

replace the ird bearing and seal
replace drive shaft
top up ird oil

just frustrating in not being able to do it myself

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If it's the nearside drive shaft it's the gearbox oil that needs topping up, don't know about changing the bearing on the gearbox side though.

I had this 6 months ago and in the end it turned out to be a sticking calliper I had the noise and the drag while turning and I let my son in law have a look because of my back as well, and strait away he said on one side your pads are really worn Dow so we got a new set and he set to work , and then he said the calliper on that side will not push back so I brought new and now no problem the noise has also gone. Hope this helps

gstuart said:

plus this is what u get when u don't look after ur back

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Oh gosh, I see your problem - a metal bar going right across your back. By why do you have asian characters tattooed on your back?

Tony Reeves said:

why do you have asian characters tattooed on your back?

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Not only that - but have you translated them ! ?? I did and was totally SHOCKED ! ..

Joe_H said:

Not only that - but have you translated them ! ?? I did and was totally SHOCKED ! ..

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Yes, I did. But I have no intention of exposing an esteemed member's use of his member in mixed company.

Tony Reeves said:

Oh gosh, I see your problem - a metal bar going right across your back. By why do you have asian characters tattooed on your back?

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lol, they were the staples they put in my back after the surgery , christ almighty were they painful when they took them out

teddywood1 said:

I had this 6 months ago and in the end it turned out to be a sticking calliper I had the noise and the drag while turning and I let my son in law have a look because of my back as well, and strait away he said on one side your pads are really worn Dow so we got a new set and he set to work , and then he said the calliper on that side will not push back so I brought new and now no problem the noise has also gone. Hope this helps

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thks mate , brakes all rebuilt and rechecked them just in case

there all ok , know what u mean though regarding the pull, but it doesn't just feels very heavy and has only done this for the last few weeks

believe it or not my middle brother has been a mechanic for over 30 x years, he does hgvs now

but trying to pin him down would be like waiting for xmas, next year, lol

going to ring the garage tomorrow, use one that is very good and helps me out from time to time, he does my mot every year

they rebuilt my front propshaft bearing for me and done other work and never ripped me off, they even come and collect it for me each year for it's mot

will indeed let u know what i find , it does drive me nuts when i can't do things like a i useto

so please i beg anyone , look after ur backs , you've only got one

gstuart said:

thks mate , brakes all rebuilt and rechecked them just in case

there all ok , know what u mean though regarding the pull, but it doesn't just feels very heavy and has only done this for the last few weeks

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Hi G.
I tent to agree with Tony that the issue (from what you describe and the tests you have done and reported on so far) is almost certainly in the power assisted steering RACK.
The unit is operated by hydraulic pressure from the pump and actuation valves that sense movement from the column.
If a fault exists in the Powered Steering then the effect would be exactly as you describe.
No 'notch' issues - etc - Notch issues are are caused by a worn pinion to rack. - this is, imo, not the case here.
A Power assist valve issue - on a perfectly normal rack - could well cause loss of, and progressive reduction in assist in as single direction only.

Tony is correct in suggesting removing the PS belt for a small test.
If - AFTER removing the belt drive - hence removing the hydraulic power steering pump from the equation - the effort is EQUALLY heavy in both directions then the issue is almost certainly the PSU (Power Steering Unit) --- and - will certainly be the Steering RACK if this is the case - not the pump unit.
Hope that helps ?
Joe.