Freelander 1.8 52 plate 4 wheel drive not working...i think

Well, to be blunt, this thread has generated some of the most ####ing retarded replies I have ever seen from this forum.

Floor it in the mud? Handbrake turns? Drive with the handbrake on?
Genius.

dave21478 said:

Well, to be blunt, this thread has generated some of the most ####ing retarded replies I have ever seen from this forum.

Floor it in the mud? Handbrake turns? Drive with the handbrake on?
Genius.

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Says a guy who lives in France.

Dave21478 - i do agree with you to a certain extent about some of the replies generated, i'm obviously not going to go do some handbrake turns + risk damage to the car, and i do not understand how driving with the handbrake on would work at all, as surely when the handbrake is applied the car will not move, but then again i am needing some answers, and all answers are welcome, i'm new to this forum, new to 4x4 cars and obviously new to freelanders. There is a lot to take in with regards to VCU, IRD, checking propshafts, getting the right tyres etc. Getting the car in the air and trying to move 1 back wheel seems the most sensible but is this an accurate test of the VCU? how do i know if the IRD is working etc? That's why i need you guys to help me out

Worth a look here

There may be some retarded responses - because you haven't listened people will have a larf. If you do what I said it will give you your answer - just lift 1 back wheel and try to turn it. - with DieselDo's proviso - if you cant turn it stick a 32mm (I think) socket on the hub nut and do the 1 wheel up test mentioned.

The IRD is the diff at the end of the 2nd prop shaft.

As above, the VCU torque tests are about the only useful thing you can be doing.

That thread is 40-odd pages long, starts out fine and immediately descends into petty bickering, turns into a real handbag showdown at a couple of points, has people spouting ill-informed ****e and sadly almost nothing in the way of actual results. Landyzone in a nutshell.

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll give the vcu test a go.

dave21478 said:

As above, the VCU torque tests are about the only useful thing you can be doing.

That thread is 40-odd pages long, starts out fine and immediately descends into petty bickering, turns into a real handbag showdown at a couple of points, has people spouting ill-informed ****e and sadly almost nothing in the way of actual results. Landyzone in a nutshell.

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Dave is right on that thread. There is some valuable information but it's sorting it from the dross. Your most valid and most accurate test is called the One Wheel Up Test. Hippo and MHM did loads of work on this forum. Search One Wheel Up Test. It's worth doing and has likely saved many IRDs.

I think there's a lack of reading going on. All four wheels off the floor and they should all turn. Stick the handbrake on if the front wheels turn on their own summats broken you can also look under the car to see what parts are spinning and what isn't. So you can see if diff broken. Vcu broken. Splines stripped. Or no drive from ird!! It's not rocket science and it's not dross. Don't knock it until you try it. A lot of people aren't technical. If it's something that works but is not technical where's the problem. I know someone that diagnosed a vcu in mud because there was no drive to the back. SHE had no mechanical understanding and it worked for her. Where's the problem!

99% of them have traction control so will spin both rear wheels! This thread started about driving in mud and on slippery surfaces with problems so why is it not logical to progress from that! So if you're in a muddy field and you 4x4 system is working and your handbrake is on what happens? Quite right, you can't drive of and ultimately it'll stall. If on the other hand you have no drive to the rear what will happen? Well, the handbrake stops the rear wheels turning, yes? But the engine will drive the front and make them spin on a nicely lubricated surface doing no damage whatsoever! And proving a point. It works or it doesn't.
Point being, if you're already ****ing about in a muddy field what does it matter?

I don't have any way of getting the car off the ground with all 4 wheels. The VCU and IRD are new to me so never had to deal with anything like this. Obviously it's not hard to diagnose certain things but it's a lot harder to pin point 1 specific problem without investigating first especially when you have no knowledge of things like VCU. Anyone can get stuck in a field then simply say "VCU must be ####ed" but there could be other contributing factors. I asked a question to gain advice and ultimately some knowledge on the matter, not to get smart arsed comments or ridiculous answers. But thank you for the advice. However bluntly it was put.

Wasn't having a dig at you!

TBH trying all sorts of s**t with the car in a muddy field to see if the 4WD is working is a bit naff and no bloody good in diagnosing problems with the car's transmission !!!

It can give all sorts of false positives or negatives.

It is easy-f***g-peasy. Lift a back wheel ....

To be honest the most common vcu failure is for it to seize giving very permanent 4x4 and transmission wind up which can do other damage if ignored. Same as having odd sized tyres. They can fail by passing no drive to the rear but it seems quite rare, this is more common with a badly reconditioned one. There's lots of threads on the subject but as pointed out there's also lots of rubbish.

A low speed handbrake on gravel won't damage the drive train. If the prop is connected all will happen is the whole vehicle will slow due to the drive overpowering the braking force. If the prop isn't connected the rear wheels will lock.....

If you think that a little braking on the rear wheels will cause problems to the ird - what exactly do you think the traction control does when you have a wheel in the air?

GrumpyGel said:

TBH trying all sorts of s**t with the car in a muddy field to see if the 4WD is working is a bit naff and no bloody good in diagnosing problems with the car's transmission !!!

It can give all sorts of false positives or negatives.

It is easy-f***g-peasy. Lift a back wheel ....

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Of course it's not the best way. But you can figure out some basics ie whether there is a problem and if you need to take a closer look.

ZDomZ said:

A low speed handbrake on gravel won't damage the drive train. If the prop is connected all will happen is the whole vehicle will slow due to the drive overpowering the braking force. If the prop isn't connected the rear wheels will lock.....

If you think that a little braking on the rear wheels will cause problems to the ird - what exactly do you think the traction control does when you have a wheel in the air?

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It'll explode and you'll die a horrible death!!!!

Sorry I thought you were being funny, I'll try the wheel test. I just don't wanna go to a garage for it checking, they could tell me anything. All that happens when I put handbrake on and try to drive is the car stalls. No wheel spin

Personally I test drive them cos you can tell if they're seized quite easily. If there's no drive to the rear I raise it and run it up in gear. It's how I've always done it. The one wheel up test works. But it's aimed at testing the vcu only.

BigShuggs said:

Sorry I thought you were being funny, I'll try the wheel test. I just don't wanna go to a garage for it checking, they could tell me anything. All that happens when I put handbrake on and try to drive is the car stalls. No wheel spin

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If it does that on a slippery surface there's a fair chance it's working. The one wheel up test will confirm it. But you also want to know if it's seized. Which the test is aimed at. Basically with a long bar and a weight applied to it it should turn slowly. This shows that the plates in the vcu are free. If it won't turn they're seized. If it falls to the floor it's failed open.