Freelander 2 (LR2) 50 MPH vibration and drone

Hello everyone,

My partners Freelander 2 has an issue with a nasty vibration. Sometimes at 30MPH but always at 50MPH there is a very strong vibration/buzz through the entire car. The issue seems to get worse going up hill under load. This is accompanied with a loud droning, that can be heard above the engine, which always seems present.

I've managed to get the car in the air and the half shafts do have up and down play but it seems like it's within the front PTU rather than the driveshaft joint.

The wheels have been balanced and seem nice and dent free. Has anyone had anything like this before?

Many thanks,
Joe

PTU and rear diff can both make noise if worn out. Unfortunately the oil isn't changed, so these components fail early.

JosephJ75 said:

Hello everyone,

My partners Freelander 2 has an issue with a nasty vibration. Sometimes at 30MPH but always at 50MPH there is a very strong vibration/buzz through the entire car. The issue seems to get worse going up hill under load. This is accompanied with a loud droning, that can be heard above the engine, which always seems present.

I've managed to get the car in the air and the half shafts do have up and down play but it seems like it's within the front PTU rather than the driveshaft joint.

The wheels have been balanced and seem nice and dent free. Has anyone had anything like this before?

Many thanks,
Joe

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As a matter of interest, do you have matching tyres on the car (same make & model) and have they been checked to be pumped to the same PSI?

Thank you for your replies! So luckily the last person to own the car was very particular with maintenance so the rear diff and haldex oil was changed early in 2023. The tyres all match and have the same pressure and depth. Sitting up front, it does seem to sound like the nearside wheel as the rear is mostly quiet. In the back, there is definitely some resonance. My worry is the prop shaft is rattling around causing the vibration and another unit has failed causing the noise.

The best way I can describe the noise is like a jet plane flying above you. It's also similar to driving on the textured lane markers on a motorway.

If I can give any more info then I'll be happy to.
-Joe

JosephJ75 said:

Thank you for your replies! So luckily the last person to own the car was very particular with maintenance so the rear diff and haldex oil was changed early in 2023. The tyres all match and have the same pressure and depth. Sitting up front, it does seem to sound like the nearside wheel as the rear is mostly quiet. In the back, there is definitely some resonance. My worry is the prop shaft is rattling around causing the vibration and another unit has failed causing the noise.

The best way I can describe the noise is like a jet plane flying above you. It's also similar to driving on the textured lane markers on a motorway.

If I can give any more info then I'll be happy to.
-Joe

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You can check the wheel bearings easy enough. If you lift each corner in turn, then get a helper to spin the wheel while you hold the middle of the spring. You can normally feel a bad bearing making the spring vibrate, which should help narrow the search down a bit.
For reference, my FL2 is very quiet and vibration free.

Nodge68 said:

You can check the wheel bearings easy enough. If you lift each corner in turn, then get a helper to spin the wheel while you hold the middle of the spring. You can normally feel a bad bearing making the spring vibrate, which should help narrow the search down a bit.
For reference, my FL2 is very quiet and vibration free.

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I'll definitely do that soon. What a way to spend new years! I'm also needing to fix another issue with the EGR valve so I'll have a look at it on Sunday.

JosephJ75 said:

I'll definitely do that soon. What a way to spend new years! I'm also needing to fix another issue with the EGR valve so I'll have a look at it on Sunday.

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Cars can be a challenge. If it's any consolation, I'm having to do some welding on my daughter's car for the MOT.

Nodge68 said:

Cars can be a challenge. If it's any consolation, I'm having to do some welding on my daughter's car for the MOT.

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They definitely can. The FL2 was a replacement for a polo with a faulty mechatronic. My partner doesn't have good luck with cars!

Bit of an update. I've had a look underneath and all the play in the half shafts up front seem to stem from where they go into the PTU. I have a feeling that the noise is definitely from there. Also, the prop shaft has a rather loud clunk when turning by hand. I believe the car needs a new PTU and prop shaft so will look at getting these parts.

I'd do the PTU and try it, then replace the prop if needed. It's expensive to replace if not needed.

Nodge68 said:

I'd do the PTU and try it, then replace the prop if needed. It's expensive to replace if not needed.

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I think my only concern is that there seems to be play in both inner half shafts. Am I correct thinking only one goes into the PTU? The left hand shaft definitely has play beyond the joint inside the gearbox. I'm unsure if the input bearing in the box is serviceable without gearbox removal

JosephJ75 said:

I think my only concern is that there seems to be play in both inner half shafts. Am I correct thinking only one goes into the PTU? The left hand shaft definitely has play beyond the joint inside the gearbox. I'm unsure if the input bearing in the box is serviceable without gearbox removal

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The RH drive shaft goes right through the PTU, and into the front diff housed inside the gearbox. The LD drive shaft goes into the other side of the front diff, on the LH side of the box. The output bearing often has a small amount of play at the CV joint. If the oil seal is leaking, then there's too much play, if no oil leaks, then the output bearing is still serviceable.
I believe the gearbox needs stripping down to replace the output bearing, but it's not something I've needed to or seen as necessary.

Nodge68 said:

The RH drive shaft goes right through the PTU, and into the front diff housed inside the gearbox. The LD drive shaft goes into the other side of the front diff, on the LH side of the box. The output bearing often has a small amount of play at the CV joint. If the oil seal is leaking, then there's too much play, if no oil leaks, then the output bearing is still serviceable.
I believe the gearbox needs stripping down to replace the output bearing, but it's not something I've needed to or seen as necessary.

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Thank you for all the info! Nothing is leaking which is good. I really hope that the bearing is okay as the car is in daily use. I'll have to get it up in the air and have a proper inspection and hopefully replace the PTU at the same time. Happy new year!

Just a slight further update. Again I played with the wheel bearings and found the NSF bearing to be shot! Just replaced it so will see how it goes on the commute home

So the noise has gone! The vibration is definitely still present though under acceleration up hill. There seems to be a lot of play in the input bearing for the rear diff so that may be next to do