VCU for a V6?

I'm doing various research on this bit I've been reading up on my 2003 freebie v6 gas and came to a conclusion that my v6 does not come with the same VCU like the older or diesel freebies is this correct. I need to confirm this because I'm about to purchase a rear diff for my freebie she needs a good ok pedicure lol I'm borrowing the picture provided but mine looks just like it.

The vcu itself is the same. The TD4 and K4 1.8 have a damper in addition to the same VCU

By "older diesel" If you are talking about an L series (like a Di), they are different.
Probably partly because the drive ratios have been changed since then, unless it's a VERY recent one. That could just be the viscous fluid though, not sure.
But the V6 one doesn't have a damper like the others do. I expect there's a good reason!

In theory the V6 VCU itself should be cheaper than other models as there's less of it, but life doesn't work that way!
If you get a recon (from Bell Engineering of course!) it will cost around £200 plus bearings.

Just changed mine. Relatively easy job!
You might find the bearings you get aren't the same as the ones pictured and might have 20mm spacers on the connecting bit, which might make your existing 25mm bolts too short. If this is the case you can use 45mm M8 bolts - that's what I did anyway!

Cool thanks guys.

TOQ000040
Freelander 1 - 1.8 rover k series petrol 1997 - 2006
Freelander 1 - 2L rover diesel 1997 - 2000
Freelander 1 - 2.5 v6 rover petrol 2001 - 2001
Freelander 1 - 2.5 v6 rover petrol 2002 - 2002 VIN (upto) > 2A357439
Freelander 1 - Td4 2L BMW diesel 2001 - 2006

TOQ000060
Freelander 1 - 2.5 v6 rover petrol 2002 - 2002 VIN 2A357440 > (onwards)
Freelander 1 - 2.5 v6 rover petrol 2003 - 2006

TOQ000060 is the support bracket with the additional spacer. These were used on vin 2A357440 onwards. I assume they made the change for reason. Lowering the vcu a bit reduces the bend/movement of the universal joints. Unless they did it because other things were a bit lower or to correct something.

As v6's don't have the damper, we assume they don't need it as they're not producing the vibration/noise/resonance which the vehicles with the damper fitted, presumably do. Just a logical guess.

In my slow and steady quest to cobble back together a Jan 03 built V6 soft-top, I have bought a complete tailshaft from a 2004 Td4, including a VCU with the damper. I need the tailshaft back in for registration here in Australia.
So my question is: can I just install the entire thing with the VCU with the damper into the V6 Freelander? Bearing in mind, my intention is to sell the car as soon as it is ready for registration.
I have an old V6 VCU without the damper, which I know works and which I would rather keep as a spare for my other Freelander. And not having to swap out the VCU will probably save me some time when I put the tailshaft back in this weekend.

Pretty sure a non-V6 VCU can go on a V6.

It is very rare for a VCU not to "work" - you'd have to remove the plates or fill it with water or summat. Whether they work properly though, is very different with vastly varying financial costs.

The v6 is a smoother engine so didn't have the damper fitted as it didn't create the additiona noise/vibration. That said you can still use the damper version. You can also take the damper oft when it fails or if you don't want it.

Hippo said:

You can also take the damper oft when it fails

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Damn, I put the Td4 tailshaft including the damper into the V6 and now I am getting a thunk, thunk, thunk. Could that be the damper?
Is there a way to remove the damper without taking everything apart? Angle grinder?
If I am taking the whole thing back down, I might as well replace the VCU with a spare V6 one that I know was working. But I was kinda hoping to either save that one as a spare for my other Freelander or sell it.
But I would rather not spend another entire day on this Freelander so I am looking for the quickest, easiest solution since I am just planning to sell it and the tailshaft is the last remaining issue.

GodzillaBoy said:

Damn, I put the Td4 tailshaft including the damper into the V6 and now I am getting a thunk, thunk, thunk. Could that be the damper?
Is there a way to remove the damper without taking everything apart? Angle grinder?
If I am taking the whole thing back down, I might as well replace the VCU with a spare V6 one that I know was working. But I was kinda hoping to either save that one as a spare for my other Freelander or sell it.
But I would rather not spend another entire day on this Freelander so I am looking for the quickest, easiest solution since I am just planning to sell it and the tailshaft is the last remaining issue.

Click to expand...

When the damper fails it comes oft and spins round on it's own. It's rare they fail but they can.

Is the sound yer hearing proportional to vehicle speed?

Hippo said:

When the damper fails it comes oft and spins round on it's own. It's rare they fail but they can.
Is the sound yer hearing proportional to vehicle speed?

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OK, the damper is still in one piece so I guess it isn't that.
Yes, I just drove the car down the street (50 kmh, tops) and the thunks got quicker, the faster I went.

When you say thunk... is it a bang sound or different?
At what speed does it start?

Unfortunatley most prop/vcu fault finding involves taking the props/vcu oft, to see if the problem goes away. Is this the first time you have fitted props and a vcu to yer FL1?

Hippo said:

When you say thunk... is it a bang sound or different?

Click to expand...

I just drove it 500m down the street under the cover of darkness but it probably starts at around 30 kmh. It isn't a loud noise but it just sounds like something is out of whack and then gets faster as I picked up a little speed.
The tailshaft and V6 VCU from this Freelander (white) were working but I removed them to get my other one Freelander (grey) past its inspection with a rebuilt VCU. The grey one is now registered and on the road so I turned my attention to the white one.
I bought an entire Td4 unit (both sections of tailshaft and VCU with the damper) from a wreckers in Melbourne for $150 and I was hoping to lift it in there and have it ready for sale. But now the thunking is the issue.
I know that the original V6 VCU from the white one was working so I guess that I will have to drop the whole thing tomorrow and swap out the Td4 VCU for the V6 one?
I was just hoping to avoid that additional work.

Hippo said:

Unfortunatley most prop/vcu fault finding involves taking the props/vcu oft, to see if the problem goes away.

Click to expand...

Well, swapped in the V6 VCU with the Td4 tailshaft and still a thunking over 30 kmh. Not as bad but still there.
Argh!!!

Before you started removing/swapping the prop shafts on this V6 car, had you driven it previously and not had this thunking?

I used the prop shaft from this (white) Freelander on my other one (grey) to get the grey one registered. Some guy from Perth had a rebuilt VCU from Bell Engineering that he didn't use so I used that VCU in the grey Freelander, leaving me with an extra V6 VCU from the white one that I am currently working on and that was running OK in 4WD.
I had the Td4 prop shaft and VCU in the white one yesterday and that started the thunking.
After today's VCU swap in the white Freelander now is: the prop shaft from the Td4 from the wreckers in Melbourne and the original VCU that came with the white one, which wasn't thunking when it was originally in the white one.

So if I understand this right... you swapped the vcu over whilst using the same props and the noise has gone? Have you done the One Wheel Up Test OWUT on the VCU?

I am probably not explaining right. The grey Freelander was is better condition but it was missing the prop shaft and VCU entirely. To get it registered, I pulled the propshaft from the white Freelander and used a freshly refurbished VCU that I bought online. The grey one now runs well.
Now I have turned my attention to the white Freelander to see if I can sell it unregistered but complete. So I have its original VCU, which I didn't use in the grey one and which was working fine before I removed it to get at the prop shaft for the grey one, and the prop shaft/VCU unit from the Td4, which I bought recently.
So with the Td4 prop shaft and either the white Freelander's original VCU or the Td4 VCU with the damper, the white one thunks at over 30kmh.
Is there some alignment issue when installing the prop shaft? Yesterday, I just connected the bolts.
Or could it be the bearings on both the VCU's? They do look old.
I will try the one wheel up test tomorrow morning.
I think that I have reached the limit of my mechanical capabilities and don't want to spend much more time or money on the white one. I just need it to drive straight down the road so that I can sell it.

Align the vcu square/parallel to the metal bodywork underneath the FL1. There's some pic's and info on fitting props/vcu over ere:

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/freelander-1-vcu-bearing-replacement-how-to-guide.156068/

If it were mine... the easiest way to isolate the fault is through process of elimination. Assuming you can drive both FL's... fit the same props/vcu to one of them. Check for noise. Then move the props/vcu to the other FL. See if the noise moves with the props/vcu or dissapears. If it does move qith the props/vcu then replace the vcu with the other one you have. See if the noise goes away (follows the vcu) or if it's still present with the replacement vcu.

I appreciate it's a lot of hassle to keep moving the props/vcu. When I have met up with peeps oft ere who have similar strange transmission related problems... I have done the same by swapping over my props/vcu with theirs. Same for tyres concerns and a few other faults.

GodzillaBoy said:

The grey Freelander was is better condition but it was missing the prop shaft and VCU entirely.

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I suspect the propshaft was removed because the IRD is damaged. Removing the propshaft makes it work ok in 2WD, but bangs when the props are fitted.