4wd to 2wd conversion

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bradh

New Member
Posts
12
well i say conversion more like removal but i have a question for you chaps,

my dads freelander tdi he tells me that its noisy when he drives and slight grumblering from under neath

so we plan on making it a 2wd till he can afford to get parts or parts fixed


now iv seen a little kit for sale on ebay :
FREELANDER IRD TRANSFER BOX BLANKING PLATE KIT INC OIL | eBay

but iv also read that people have just remove the prop shaft and leave everything else in place

so im thinking id rather remove the whole prop and VCU and use the kit to block up the front IRD

now this might be a really silly question but what about the rear diff does this not need a cover too?? silly question it might be but im not with my dads car at the moment so i cant get under and have a look :(

any help or indeed pointers as to hot to attack this would be very welcomed

cheers brad
 
people will remove the full prop and VCU asm for various probs. They run fine in two wheel drive mode, mine is at the moment while i rebuild the prop and replace the VCU bearings.A Freelander is basically running in two wheel drive normally.I know the kit you are on about, you can just buy the blanking plate if you want.It should not do you any harm to remove the prop and VCU till your dad saves up the pennies
 
No need for any blanking plates - just removed the whole prop from the IRD back including the VCU.

It's easiest on proper ramps so you can spin the wheels while you progress to gain access to all the bolts round the shaft, but axle stands will also be OK if you don't mind working on your back! Watch your head when it finally drops off too - it's quite heavy!
 
cheers chaps thanks for ur help ill up-date with witch way he wants to go with kit or no kit :)
 
Hi Bradh,

I'm planning to do the same to mine however snow is forecast over the weekend so it may be worth your dad waiting a few weeks before he has it done just in case.

Andy.
 
little up date done this today really simple to do we decided to buy the conversion kit then when we went and removed the prop ect we found the bush's that hold the prop and vcu were shot and were literally failing apart!!!!

so rather then fitting the kit we up bolted the prop at either end only took 15min lucky a borrowed a mates ramp and my dad when he has funds will be sending the vcu unit away for a check up/re-furb and new bush's

anybody got any recommendations for places that can do this for him in midlands area??

but on another note he said there is a little knock when driving now so will have to look at it again, also he can wheel spin now :eek: bloody dads ay lol young at heart
 
little up date done this today really simple to do we decided to buy the conversion kit then when we went and removed the prop ect we found the bush's that hold the prop and vcu were shot and were literally failing apart!!!!

so rather then fitting the kit we up bolted the prop at either end only took 15min lucky a borrowed a mates ramp and my dad when he has funds will be sending the vcu unit away for a check up/re-furb and new bush's

anybody got any recommendations for places that can do this for him in midlands area??

but on another note he said there is a little knock when driving now so will have to look at it again, also he can wheel spin now :eek: bloody dads ay lol young at heart


have a look around on this site - a couple of peeps that are recomended - Bell Engineering - contact http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/members/austen.html - and a couple to stay clear of :(.
 
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can i just add to this, my propshaft was removed before i bought the car, i do have it and have been meaning to put it on for some time, the bloke i bought it off didnt tell me why he took it off.
Apart from the prop in anyway being shot, if its the IRD what signs can it give out that it may have a problem, is it possible to tell with the prop removed, i dont hear anything unual from it.
 
You could put the prop asm back on and do the VCU test to get some idea if the VCU is ok. Check/Replace rear diff bearings while you have the prop off.VCU bearings are quite easy to replace if needs be. There are plenty of threads concerning noises etc made by VCU,IRD and bearings on here.You could drain the fluid from the IRD. The drain plug is magnetic and so if any bits are floating around in the IRD then you should see them on the drain plug.
 
Before I answer, a couple of Q's....

Why did you buy a car with major bits removed?
Did yu not search for freelander problems before yu bought it?


The usual two reasons for removing it are...
1) to mask major mechanical defects.
2) to give minor summer mpg improvements.

The chances are - yours is the former and it is quite possible your insurance is invalid :eek:.
 
i assume the reason he took it off was for fuel saving, as the prop is complete and looks fine, the car runs fine without it so if its a problem with it on i'll leave it off.
Insurance know its currently 2wd so no probs there.
 
Hi all,
Now that the snow is gone I am looking into removing my prop. I rang a local mechanic for a figure and he said it'd be around £40. Is that a reasonable fee? I'd try it myself but my driveway is a real pain (steep slope).

Thanks.
 
if you leave it in 2 wheel drive you must inform your insurance like mad hat man says also you will not be able to pull out of the mud any rusties
 
Hi all,
Now that the snow is gone I am looking into removing my prop. I rang a local mechanic for a figure and he said it'd be around £40. Is that a reasonable fee? I'd try it myself but my driveway is a real pain (steep slope).

Thanks.

Removing the prop was prob one of the easiest things iv done on any car iv worked on would be just as easy to do it on the floor too 4bolts at the rear and 6 bolts at the front would deffo recommend gettin a decent set of star sockets for the bolts
 
Mhm is right. The spec of the vehicle is 4x4. The insurance rating is assessed on the basis you have that feature which does make a difference.

I should check your insurance. Dont wanna be getting in the crap or no payout if something happens do you
 
Hi all,
Now that the snow is gone I am looking into removing my prop. I rang a local mechanic for a figure and he said it'd be around £40. Is that a reasonable fee? I'd try it myself but my driveway is a real pain (steep slope).

Thanks.

what would be the point in paying to have the prop removed even at £40 and then if you wanted it refitted ? another £40

what would be the savings in mpg ? maybe a couple of extra mpg and to be honest you cant beat the 4x4 for safety reasons especially on wet roads , the freelander is so sure footed as it is , why spoil a great combination of safety and economy
 
Thanks for reply I have sent the chap a pm to see what his prices are like

His prices are on his website, £200 for a VCU rebuild, plus £15 postage, you'll need to pay for the return postage for yours, but that can be sorted for cheap, the wife paid a tenner for ours and that was with a guaranteed pick up slot and over night delivery :)

IRD is less cheap if yours is banjaxed, £615 quid for one of those!!
 
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