regular thumping rear transmission when cornering.

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Would that be the test as quoted by bell engineering as a load of rubbish test here is what they say!! (Freelander IRD's are a common failure on these 4x4's. If the vehicle is making a clonking or grinding noise when letting on and off the power or turning a corner, especially noticable in reverse, or you are intermitantly losing drive followed by a loud bang/grinding noise, then your IRD has/is failing. The root cause of this failure 9 times out of 10 is a faulty viscous coupling unit (VCU), which should be changed at the same time as the IRD.

If your Freelander feels "tight" or it appears the brakes are binding, especially when reversing on full lock, this means your existing VCU is past its servicable life and you should change it as soon as possible. A damaged VCU put massive strain on the rest of your transmission line, causing the IRD unit, rear diff and gearbox to wear at a hugely accelerated rate, and will cause a very costly failure of these parts. A VCU's servicable life span is usually no more than 70k miles, but it can be a lot less (we have seen cars with failures at 30k miles) depending on how the car has been driven.

It is a common fallacy that VCUs seize. In all our years of experience we have never come across a seized VCU. What actually happens is the silicon viscous fluid gets thicker and thicker with wear and slowly causes the viscous coupling to become stiffer and stiffer to rotate. More and more strain is therefore put on the gear train and failure eventually occurs to the IRD and rear diff.It is a common fallacy that VCUs seize. In all our years of experience we have never come across a seized VCU. What actually happens is the silicon viscous fluid gets thicker and thicker with wear and slowly causes the viscous coupling to become stiffer and stiffer to rotate. More and more strain is therefore put on the gear train and failure eventually occurs to the IRD and rear diff.

It has been reported on some internet sites that to test the VCU if you jack the one back wheel of your Freelander without the handbrake applied you should be able to turn the rear wheel and that if you cannot turn the wheel your VCU has seized -THIS IS TOTAL RUBBISH! You would hardly be able to do this by hand as you would need a 2 foot breaker bar and stand on it, the wheel will move very slowly - this still does not indicate whether the VCU is any good or not as all wheels will turn regardless of the condition of the VCU.

Another common fallacy for testing VCUs is the tipex test whereby you put a tipex mark on the shaft next to the front prop shaft and one opposite on the viscous coupling and if these marks have moved out of line after being driven round)

Their words not mine and these guys are well respected in what they do.Like i say mine drives perfect in all directions.
 
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Would that be the test as quoted by bell engineering as a load of rubbish test here is what they say!! (It is a common fallacy that VCUs seize. In all our years of experience we have never come across a seized VCU. What actually happens is the silicon viscous fluid gets thicker and thicker with wear and slowly causes the viscous coupling to become stiffer and stiffer to rotate. More and more strain is therefore put on the gear train and failure eventually occurs to the IRD and rear diff.

It has been reported on some internet sites that to test the VCU if you jack the one back wheel of your Freelander without the handbrake applied you should be able to turn the rear wheel and that if you cannot turn the wheel your VCU has seized -THIS IS TOTAL RUBBISH! You would hardly be able to do this by hand as you would need a 2 foot breaker bar and stand on it, the wheel will move very slowly - this still does not indicate whether the VCU is any good or not as all wheels will turn regardless of the condition of the VCU.

Another common fallacy for testing VCUs is the tipex test whereby you put a tipex mark on the shaft next to the front prop shaft and one opposite on the viscous coupling and if these marks have moved out of line after being driven round)

Their words not mine and these guys are well respected in what they do.Like i say mine drives perfect in all directions.


believe what you want - its your car!

lets just say that it works.... and Bells havent got an agenda to sell a VCU... :doh:

Bells own test is only a wheel up test with the VCU on a bench :eek:
 
Would that be the test as quoted by bell engineering as a load of rubbish test here is what they say!! (It is a common fallacy that VCUs seize. In all our years of experience we have never come across a seized VCU. What actually happens is the silicon viscous fluid gets thicker and thicker with wear and slowly causes the viscous coupling to become stiffer and stiffer to rotate. More and more strain is therefore put on the gear train and failure eventually occurs to the IRD and rear diff.

It has been reported on some internet sites that to test the VCU if you jack the one back wheel of your Freelander without the handbrake applied you should be able to turn the rear wheel and that if you cannot turn the wheel your VCU has seized -THIS IS TOTAL RUBBISH! You would hardly be able to do this by hand as you would need a 2 foot breaker bar and stand on it, the wheel will move very slowly - this still does not indicate whether the VCU is any good or not as all wheels will turn regardless of the condition of the VCU.

Another common fallacy for testing VCUs is the tipex test whereby you put a tipex mark on the shaft next to the front prop shaft and one opposite on the viscous coupling and if these marks have moved out of line after being driven round)

Their words not mine and these guys are well respected in what they do.Like i say mine drives perfect in all directions.

Whether you choose to say 'becomes stiffer and stiffer' or 'seize' is neither here nor there. The VCU stops doing its job and the IRD and/or diff goes.

The difference between BE opinion and that of some here is well documented and far more in depth and complicated than the BE website would suggest.
 
I got fed up with people slating the 1 wheel up test - either through ignorance or their own agenda - so posted on an engineering forum describing the test and asking whether it is a good way of testing the VCU. Every engineer that responded said that it was a good way of testing the unit - none responded otherwise.

It is true that the results may not be 100% as accurate as testing on a work bench - as there are factors such as the viscosity of the oil in the diff and other drag factors - but it is '95%' accurate and well within tolerances for testing the VCU.

Lets face it, the people you quote above simply hoon your precious Freelander in circles backwards, then feel the temperature of the VCU, then tell you it needs to be replaced - not exactly highly scientific or accurate!

So, as stated, you read up on everything and make your own mind up - I have!
 
Have you tried the 'one wheel up test'? My K series ran fine when I bought it but the VCU was seized solid at 105k miles. It even reversed in a tight circle no problem.
When I tried the test I couldn't turn the wheel at all.

Like i said my freelander runs without issues so why would i bother to do 'one wheel up test'? If and when it goes it will get replaced! Thanks for the advice though!
 
^^^ Dead horse! *whack* Dead horse! *whack*

Stripped the prop off today, still have trouble.
 
With the great advice here I discovered my vcu was on it's way out.
Given this unit is a vital piece of kit and to prevent further damage to other expensive parts, is it worth splitting hairs.
If in doubt ( and especially at certain mileage) just fix it, so much easier.
 
Like i said my freelander runs without issues so why would i bother to do 'one wheel up test'? If and when it goes it will get replaced! Thanks for the advice though!

LOL, Entirely up to you but there is a reason why Freelanders have a reputation for destroying their drive trains, and if you didn't know they had just ask around.
The VCU does the same job front to back as a diff does side to side. The front propshaft is meant to rotate at a different speed to the rear one, this is how it is designed to be. If it can't because the fluid in the VCU has turned to glue (like mine had) then something else will have to give, like the rear diff and IRD. That little lot will cost you around £1000 so as I said before, entirely up to you.
It is a pity Bells have put out this bull**** as they are well respected for the work they do. Idiots like this taking their word for gospel are going to have a very big bill when everything goes bang because they took bad advice from an otherwise good company.

BTW the first clue you will get that the VCU has failed is when the car stops moving because your IRD and rear diff have just gone BANG! Then we will take great delight in telling you I TOLD YOU SO.
 
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That is your choice.. Yu know the risks.

Yes Mad Hat Man I do know the risks!!!! and if it goes the car will go, it is only really a mobile dog kennel and a bit of fun so really not that bothered.Life's to short to really get bothered about whether the vcu is going to go as long as it don't cause an accident, and to be honest if I drove around thinking shall I change it or not because the mileage is clocking on!well I think not. I always have my everyday car to use so I suppose I am lucky. I would like to say thanks to all for the advice/comments some good some not. I will be getting get rid of it later in the year anyway but have got to say it has been a good motor (and still is).Ps my other motor is a Skoda Octavia Estate VRS and the dog fits in that also, only that one is a quicker mobile dog kennel (LOL).
 
LOL, Entirely up to you but there is a reason why Freelanders have a reputation for destroying their drive trains, and if you didn't know they had just ask around.
The VCU does the same job front to back as a diff does side to side. The front propshaft is meant to rotate at a different speed to the rear one, this is how it is designed to be. If it can't because the fluid in the VCU has turned to glue (like mine had) then something else will have to give, like the rear diff and IRD. That little lot will cost you around £1000 so as I said before, entirely up to you.
It is a pity Bells have put out this bull**** as they are well respected for the work they do. Idiots like this taking their word for gospel are going to have a very big bill when everything goes bang because they took bad advice from an otherwise good company.

BTW the first clue you will get that the VCU has failed is when the car stops moving because your IRD and rear diff have just gone BANG! Then we will take great delight in telling you I TOLD YOU SO.

Hope you are not referring to me as the "Idiot"!! and if Bells are to quote you "an otherwise good company" why would they say what they said about the test of the VCU if that is not the case. I think they probably know a lot more about these things than either you me or quite a lot of the others who make comments on this forum.Yes there are a lot of people on here with a wealth of knowledge and I respect these people,but on the other side of the coin there are the people who think they know it all when really they know Fxxk ALL.So as i am getting rid of my Freelander in the next few months still with the same VCU in place it is now time for me to leave this Forum many thanks to all who have given me some valuable advice over the years the help from these guys has been invaluable good luck to all you Freelander owners and don't forget if you have a few hours spare and a few hundred pounds burning a hole in your pocket why not go and change a perfectly good
VCU!!!
 
I can't believe my eye's. Tratterers helping Freelanderers with our vcu's. We'll be comparing polishing tips next. :pound:

Over the years the subject of vcu testing has been discussed on the odd occasion on ere. Many have put in their test res, shorry opinion. We value all comments from all angles. It's a discussion after all. The fact we go round in circles does offer a good parallel to vcu's. They spin too. Much faster than the eggspurts would suggest at 60mph. Some eggspurts go round in circles too. Often whilst breathing in through teeth at the thought of whatever it is they're trying to over emphasize, whilst driving someone else's Freelander back and forth. It's kind of cute peeps think of us when building their websites. Putting forward the idea of not testing your own vcu when they can do it for you is a good marketing gimmick. It's just a shame they don't actually test it after removing it from your Freelander, to proove the teeth breathing exercise was justified, before denying your vcu's right to say connected to yer Freelander. That's assuming removing it then testing it is the way forward as they would like to suggest...
 
Hope you are not referring to me as the "Idiot"!! and if Bells are to quote you "an otherwise good company" why would they say what they said about the test of the VCU if that is not the case. I think they probably know a lot more about these things than either you me or quite a lot of the others who make comments on this forum.Yes there are a lot of people on here with a wealth of knowledge and I respect these people,but on the other side of the coin there are the people who think they know it all when really they know Fxxk ALL.So as i am getting rid of my Freelander in the next few months still with the same VCU in place it is now time for me to leave this Forum many thanks to all who have given me some valuable advice over the years the help from these guys has been invaluable good luck to all you Freelander owners and don't forget if you have a few hours spare and a few hundred pounds burning a hole in your pocket why not go and change a C

I'd love to know how you know it is a "perfectly good VCU" if you haven't tested it? Have you done anything at all to confirm it is working as intended? If not then for all you know you might as well have a solid shaft front to rear which a duff VCU might as well be and is what causes the majority of Freelander drive train issues.
The test we are suggesting might not be 100% perfect but at least it will show up a stuffed VCU compared to a good one. Mine was completely solid until I sorted it, I couldn't turn the wheel at all with the test, now it turns just fine. On slippy ground all four wheels grip well and if I try to turn it as described in the one wheel up test it turns no bother.
If you don't give a damn because you plan to flog it on to some other poor sap who will pay the price then that is fine but just because you read on the internet that our test is crap don't make it so. It seems to me you don't want to know if it is stuffed because you want to sell it on as is with a clear conscience. Well sorry but that won't work anymore because unless you are very lucky and your car has been treated with kid gloves for the last ten years or so, in all likelihood it needs replaced.
 
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