2007 Freelander 2 Whine Fixed !

Hi,

My 170,000 mile Freelander 2 has had a awful loud whine in all 4 gears and only goes quiet in 5th

Like Tinnitus it has been driving me crazy since I purchased the vehicle in early 2020. A trip to the local 4X4 specialist the suggestion was pinion bearing overtightened at manufacture in 2007 and a expensive fix to boot so not having the Money just put up with it. Fast forward to December 2021 and the rear diff sounded like a chain gang so £1000 later a fully recon diff is fitted. Great me thinks no whine BUT as soon as I pulled out of the Garage back it came same as before. Sod it was my reaction so back to putting up with the noise. Again fast forward to January 2021 and the accessory belt snapped while I was on a run and WOW no noise

So a quick google indicated a blocked Power steering Reservoir and the noise was air in the Power steering Pump. Another check of the Fluid was it was Black and not GREEN so £18 for a new Reservoir, a flush out with the correct Green Fluid.
Fuchs Titan (was Pentosin) CHF 202 Hydraulic Fluid - 1 Litre 1L

Now I can hear my watch ticking and need to use the rev counter to see if the engine is running Beautiful


I think I will change the Reservoir every two years to keep it nice n quiet


Happy Days

Amarok said:

Fast forward to December 2021 and the rear diff sounded like a chain gang so £1000 later a fully recon diff is fitted.

Click to expand...

Well done for finding the fault.
I'm sorry, but £1000 for a reconditioned diff is way way to much.
You can get a brand new diff for that amount, with under 2 hours labour to fit it.
Next time, use Bell Engineering.

So was it the diff or the power steering or both!?
If it was the ps, then why change diff?

andyfreelandy said:

So was it the diff or the power steering or both!?
If it was the ps, then why change diff?

Click to expand...

In my experience, the diff gets noisier the higher the road speed, so is there in all gears.
The sound also comes from the rear of the vehicle, not the front.

My guess is someone just needed to make a pile of cash, so gave the old "it's the rear diff" speel, then thought of a price and doubled it.

I rebuilt my second hand diff for £180, which included £100 for the special tool needed to do it.
A Timken bearing set is £80, with everything needed to do the job.

I've thought about advertising diff rebuilds for other's, but shipping them around the country makes doing rebuilds not financially viable.

My thinking too. However, the secondary question is - why did the PS go quiet in 5th gear. Most odd.

andyfreelandy said:

However, the secondary question is - why did the PS go quiet in 5th gear.

Click to expand...

I don't know that one, and what about 6th gear?

andyfreelandy said:

So was it the diff or the power steering or both!?
If it was the ps, then why change diff?

Click to expand...

Hi,
I had the whine when I purs

Nodge68 said:

I don't know that one, and what about 6th gear?

Click to expand...

I suspect as with most cars fitted with power steering there is a limiter that cuts in to reduce the flow through the PS so it gets heavy when you go faster I suspect the flow is restricted at these revs

Amarok said:

I suspect as with most cars fitted with power steering there is a limiter that cuts in to reduce the flow through the PS so it gets heavy when you go faster I suspect the flow is restricted at these revs

Click to expand...

The Freelander 2 has a 100 micron filter in the reservoir, which is known to block and starve the pump with fluid, causing damage.
Did you replace the reservoir at the same time as the pump, and pressure flush any debris from the failed pump?
Failure to do either of those things, will likely cause the replacement pump to fail quickly too.