Freelander 1 IRD sanity check

[Juperwort]

ok, so have freelander 1 with L series motor. Prop was missing when bought. I have a replacement with decent bearings and a moving VCU. So, without attaching it all, is there a way of checking if IRD is okay? Flange turns a bit both ways with a gear mesh clang. No sideways movements.
ta

J

 

[freelance]

Drain the oil, but only after you have loosened the filler/level plug, inspect the oil, the pinion can also be removed for inspection which gives you access to light up and view bevel gear in ird.

 

[The Mad Hat Man]

make sure its the correct plug!

 

[Juperwort]

Ok. So am i looking for bits of gear and missing teeth ? That sort of damage.

Haynes will show plug I believe. Rear facing rhs ?

 

[GrumpyGel]

Yes the fill plug is on the rear facing side - its the soft one made of cheese!

When you drain the oil you won't be looking for bits of gear teeth - if you happen to find some then you're diagnosis is very simple - enjoy 2WD motoring! You're looking mainly at the colour of the oil. If it still looks like oil, then signs are good to reinstate 4WD. If it comes out greyish - then that's the bearings ground to a pulp and suspended in the oil. Once again, enjoy 2WD motoring. Even on a good IRD its common to find quite a bit of swarf (sludge) on the magnet at the end of the drain plug - don't be overly worried by this if you find any.

If the oil comes out looking like oil - then things are looking up. However, its possible whoever too the props off changed the oil then - they would have been foolish not to if there were problems. So then you can unbolt the rear pinion, remove it and inspect the crown & pinion gears for signs of damage.

Don't forget, you'll need 4 indentical tyres (make and model) that are pumped to the same pressure, and once you have the props installed do a 1 wheel up test to ensure the VCU is within acceptable 'tollerance' for use.

Good luck.

 

[htr]

to remove the IRD fill plug use a 6 sided socket - 19mm - it won't check the fill plug.

 

[Juperwort]

thats all for the info. This check will be added onto the list. Just found the rear subframe is crusty, somebody must have parked it in the sea i guess...

 

[Alibro]

thats all for the info. This check will be added onto the list. Just found the rear subframe is crusty, somebody must have parked it in the sea i guess...

Unfortunately they all get crusty, especially the fuel tank cradle.
Having said that they are much better than most other cars of the same age.

 

[Juperwort]

Right.

It in the garage having clutch looked at. Couldn't get any gears when warm, been a bit juddery, and hydraulics have already been replaced.
He says that IRD feels mashed, fine on 2wd.

If when taking the thing off, is it worth getting new oil in it , and output blanked off? A second hand unit is going to be £200 unchecked, and with unknown provenence. Parts and labour could stretch to £700 for clutch , and exhaust is badly needing replacement too.

This car is turning into a bit of a nail.

 

[Nodge68]

Right.

It in the garage having clutch looked at. Couldn't get any gears when warm, been a bit juddery, and hydraulics have already been replaced.
He says that IRD feels mashed, fine on 2wd.

If when taking the thing off, is it worth getting new oil in it , and output blanked off? A second hand unit is going to be £200 unchecked, and with unknown provenence. Parts and labour could stretch to £700 for clutch , and exhaust is badly needing replacement too.

This car is turning into a bit of a nail.

Get a recon IRD from Bell Engineering. That'll be the safest and least cost option.

 

[GrumpyGel]

Get a recon IRD from Bell Engineering. That'll be the safest and least cost option.

Bells are definitely a very good reconditioners. Their reconditioned IRD is £700. Any reconditioned IRD that is much less than that will definitely not be worth getting, and a recon from another supplier may be a gamble.

However, new OEM IRDs are only £1,000. It is another £300, but it is an option. eg...

https://www.lrdirect.com/TAG000230-Transfer-Box-Ird-Freelander-Ex/

 

[GrumpyGel]

Another option is a rebuilt kit. These comprise bearings, oil cooler and seals and cost up to £200.

If your gears are in good condition the kits can be used to put the car back to 4WD. If the gears are not in good condition then they are only good for creating a reliable 2WD IRD.

When my IRD went bang the crown/pinion gears were damaged and I was not confident that the remains of the IRD would provide reliable 2WD motoring. So I installed 1 of these kits and had the crown gear removed so that no drive was sent to the rear axle (I still run the prop shafts and VCU). It also cost me another £300 to have all the bearings pulled/pushed as I was not confident of doing the job myself - ie I gave the broken IRD and kit to a workshop and asked them to fit the beaings etc and remove the crown gear.

It has provided reliable 2WD motoring for over 4 years now. I got my kit from...

https://www.onestopgearboxshop.com/

The workshop who did the job did say that the kit did not include all the seals necessary and they had to source a couple that were missing.