thanks for the advice i will give that a go at the weekendPut the car in gear (or park), jack the offside rear wheel of the ground, put a socket on it with the longest bar you have got and lean on it. It should very slowly turn. If it turns easy the vcu is knackered and you are in front wheel drive moe, or if it doesnt move at all then it is seized and will damage your IRD. If you get under the car and put a mark on the outside case of the vcu near where thhe front propshaft goes in, and another corresponding mark on the propshaft, if when you slowly manage to turn the wheel, these marks should move apart.
A very quick check (but not full proof) is to reverse on full lock, if it feels like the brakes are on, its knackered. Like iandle2 said, mark the 2 ends of the VCU and see if they move, although this is not full proof, as a VCU doesn't need to be totally seized to be knackered, its all to do with the amount of torque they transmit and different speeds.
mark the 2 ends of the VCU and see if they move
thanks for the advice. Can you do that test going in full lock driving forward ?
A very quick check (but not full proof) is to reverse on full lock, if it feels like the brakes are on, its knackered. Like iandle2 said, mark the 2 ends of the VCU and see if they move, although this is not full proof, as a VCU doesn't need to be totally seized to be knackered, its all to do with the amount of torque they transmit and different speeds.
Not to sure thats the case, Landrover themselves say a certain amount off 'windup' ie braking feeling is normal when reversing or moving forward on full lock, with the VCU coupling. But as you say the degree to which it does and still be allright, who knows.
Yes there is a small amount of resistance even with a perfect VCU, but whne you have a totally knackered one i can assure you its very noticable. Trouble is they deteriote slowly so you don't notice it, and to make things worse, a vcu doesn't have to be totally seized to wreck the IRD unit
They last about 60k miles, but i have seen cars with only 35k on them needing a new VCU. It all depends what you do with the car, if you do a lot of towing, off roading, tight manoevering or run with tyres with a lot of difference in wear it reduces the life.Blimey!. When do you make a decision to change it. Can they be repaired, or is it best to go for a new one. Do they even deteriate on the spares shelves, lying there for years?. Mines is off at the moment, lying in the garage. The last time I refitted it I 'thought' it was a bit tighter when reversing, but it passed the Tippex test OK. When I held it in the vice by the prop shaft I could turn it fairly easy with a bit of effort with an 18" bar, it turned slowly and steadily. I've since bought new bearings for it too fit when I put it back on for the MOT, but it looks as though I'll have to look at this VCU again in a new light. Problems -problems.
They last about 60k miles, but i have seen cars with only 35k on them needing a new VCU. It all depends what you do with the car, if you do a lot of towing, off roading, tight manoevering or run with tyres with a lot of difference in wear it reduces the life.
If your markers haven't moved after a drive then either your vcu isn't slipping or it's bad luck the markers are aligned coincidently in the same place, after a drive. I suspect not slipping which is bad news. Try the One wheel Up Test. It's betterer.Just done this test, marked 2 outside cases for front propshaft and rear propshaft o. The vcu marked it with sheep marker, bit ignorant but no tipex nearby but 2 cases seem to move together and not apart, any advice?
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