whirring at higher speeds...

As i was driving to wellingborough yesterday, i noticed a high pitched whine slowly grow louder as i accelerated past 20mph, continuing up to 60mph where it sat at a steady pitch i could hear over the engine noise.
i've also been noticing a bit of shuddering in the steering when cornering, and heard that this can be caused by a naff vcu?
as it's 10 years old, with 120k miles on the original vcu, i thought this may be the problem... so, does a knackered vcu cause whining/whirring at higher speeds? is the "checking for a hot vcu after a long journey" check thourough enough to proclaim it dead?
cheers for looking, raff

might be prudent to drop the props off a.s.a.p. ..
just so no more damage is caused IF the vcu has packed up
( 'n check the oil plugs are'nt missing or loose on the transmission units )

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" The most common failure mode is seizure. This means you are in four-wheel drive all the time, and the VCU’s centre differential effect is lost. This shows up as unusual tyre wear, causing the edge blocks of the tyre tread to chamfer or for alternate blocks to wear down.
It will also make the steering feel unresponsive or jerky, and the steering’s natural tendency to self-centre will be reduced.
If the VCU seizes, it puts strain on the rear differential and the front IRD, especially the IRD’s pinion and output bearing. It also puts extra load on the VCU support bearings "

WHAT DOES MY FREELANDER’S VCU DO? | For Land Rover Enthusiasts
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i think the conclusion was .. that if the vcu is too hot to keep your hand on it ..
then it's 'seize' knackered ..

dunno .. if i had the same symptoms .. rekon i'd take the props off pronto ..
just in case .. .. and continue from there checking out the problem ..

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so, does a knackered vcu cause whining/whirring at higher speeds?

Click to expand...

would have thought 'speed' related noise of that type be related to
transmission/ird/vcu/rear-diff issues .. or drive shaft / wheel bearing issues

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no first hand experience of it myself on the hippolander ..
only what common mechanical sense sais .. 'n what i've read on this site ..

see what others have to say ..

Do Hippo's torque test. Details are in his signature .

well, felt the vcu after a 30mile drive, alot of it at 40-60mph (after i'd spent about 5 min in shop) but it wasn't remotely warm to the touch... will do the torque test at the weekend when i have time... but for now, heres a picture i took when i heat checked the vcu... is that oil meant to be there? :s

think you should be checking out your front hub bearings...........asap

mine is doing the exact same as yours!!!!

bought a freelander with no VCU on it, put one on 2 days ago and now its whining its head off!!!!!

the VCU doesnt get warm!!!
there is no oil like on yours (that certainly looks like there is a problem!!!)
the bearings on the VCU are not notchy and dont have any play!!!

yet the VCU still whines alot!!!!! it would be easier on the years if i had the wife in the car!!! haha :argue:

'R4FF's oily pic certainly looks strange
i.e. the oil / fluid leak pattern
be almost as if the vcu might have come unsealed ( is that possible ? )
and spilled it's fluid ..

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f38/definitive-freelander-vcu-testing-thread-99163.html

somethin' under there is leaking .. if it aint the vcu ..

I agree, it is suspiciously in line with the VCU... hard to tell if it is that?

on the pic your VCU looks dry BUT if you look at the the line where it seals at the top of the VCU it looks like it has a trace of oil there? might just be a shadow and/or my dodgy eyes haha

If i was you i was get some brake cleaner, soak it on and scrub all the oil off the VCU and the chassis... give it a small run and check to see if Oil appears on the VCU when you get back!!!!!

Thats what i would do if it was mine! Let us know how you get on please

will clean the oil off tonight ready for my drive tomorrow.... checked the temp again tonight as soon as i got back on camp... 30 mile drive at 40-60mph.... no heat... could it possibly be a wheel bearing? what do they sound like when they're on their way out?

if the vcu is cold it probably means it is seized, therefore it will destruct your ird or diff, therefore do not use until fully checked out, or remove prop and go mondo mode... seriously do not use it until fully checked out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You should have a little warmth from it but i wouldnt say it had to be red hot... if there is no heat at all as freelance said then that isnt right!!! a wheel bearing has a sort of 'wump' noise... hard to explain in writing... only way to explain is the wheel bearings sort of have a 'wump wump wump wump wump wump' i think you get what i mean...

i bought a freelander last week which had no VCU or props fitted (front wheel drive only) and had no problems apart from a grinding noise above 4000rpm in 2nd and 3rd gear but thats a seperate problem!

anyway i put a VCU and props on the car on tuesday and now i have this whining/whirring noise that you are suffering with!!!!
I KNOW it isnt a wheel bearing because i couldnt hear it before that! the only thing i can think of is the VCU bearings are shot!!!!!

freelance said:

if the vcu is cold it probably means it is seized, therefore it will destruct your ird or diff, therefore do not use until fully checked out, or remove prop and go mondo mode... seriously do not use it until fully checked out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Like he said! If it don't get hot it's doing nothing! Hence you have a problem.

well it wasn't stone cold... it just didn't feel overly warm... :-s

Should the VCU in the picture have a damper fitted?

NeilTD4 said:

Should the VCU in the picture have a damper fitted?

Click to expand...

They didn't all have dampers. I don't know the details of which did and which didn't, but it not having one doesn't necessarily mean that something is amiss.

V6 ones didn't need them because the engine is smoother. It's there to damp out engine vibrations passed into the drive train!


DD