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So I’ve bought a 2002 2.0 TD4 and found out it was 2WD. I’ve been driving it and towing with it on FWD without an issue but want to get it back to its former glory and 4X4 again.

I’ve looked at prop costs - I’ve found a set for £150-200 but been told it might be smarter to buy new but it costs a lot more it seems. Can a private breaker be trusted?

How do I know if the diff is good to go?

Any things to look out for? Thanks!

Beany610 said:

So I’ve bought a 2002 2.0 TD4 and found out it was 2WD. I’ve been driving it and towing with it on FWD without an issue but want to get it back to its former glory and 4X4 again.

I’ve looked at prop costs - I’ve found a set for £150-200 but been told it might be smarter to buy new but it costs a lot more it seems. Can a private breaker be trusted?

How do I know if the diff is good to go?

Any things to look out for? Thanks!

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O'dear not another one, the prop has been removed for other reasons IRD caput as its had VCU issues... Search bar top right for info & previous threads on the issues you have. Dont buy a propshaft & fit it as it has been removed for a reason.

Welcome to lz.

Beany610 said:

So I’ve bought a 2002 2.0 TD4 and found out it was 2WD. I’ve been driving it and towing with it on FWD without an issue but want to get it back to its former glory and 4X4 again.

I’ve looked at prop costs - I’ve found a set for £150-200 but been told it might be smarter to buy new but it costs a lot more it seems. Can a private breaker be trusted?

How do I know if the diff is good to go?

Any things to look out for? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Generally the props are removed for a reason. The seller might have said "removed for economy " which is complete BS, as there's no measurable difference between AWD and FWD. However the true reason is because something in the system has failed. It's either the VCU that has gone stiff, so the props were removed to prevent damage. Or the IRD or rear diff have already suffered damage, so the props were removed to "hide" the damage for a bit longer.

Before contemplating fitting the props again, you need to check the condition of the IRD and rear diff. You can get a basic idea of the condition of these components simply be changing the oils. If the old oils are black, then there's a good chance the components are OK. However if the oils come out with a grey or metallic appearance, then there's an issue which needs to be sorted before reinstalling the props.
Also don't even consider replacing the props unless you can get a known good VCU, and it has identical tyres fitted all round.

The above is sound advice.

However, its also true that props have been reinstalled without any problems. The conclusion being that the carrier bearings must have got worn out and noisy, but the transmission was fine.

The only dodgy advice is to use the search bar in the top right

The LZ search is about as good as the filler bolts on Freelander IRDs. Use Google and include landyzone.co.uk in the search.

GrumpyGel said:

The above is sound advice.

The only dodgy advice is to use the search bar in the top right

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Busted

There's no economy gain in removing the prop because the rear wheels are still turning the rear diff over. You'd need freewheel hubs on the back to see a benefit.
I'm not sure the tyres need to be identical all round- isn't the viscous coupling there to accommodate different travel distances between the wheels?

waxer said:

There's no economy gain in removing the prop because the rear wheels are still turning the rear diff over. You'd need freewheel hubs on the back to see a benefit.
I'm not sure the tyres need to be identical all round- isn't the viscous coupling there to accommodate different travel distances between the wheels?

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I measured the economy difference on my V6 over 12k miles. It worked out at 0.2 MPG, which was probably just the reduction in weight with the propshafts removed. It's definitely not a worthwhile mod for the sake of economy.

The VCU will only compensate for a couple of mm difference in tyre diameter. The rear diff is already at a slightly different ratio than the front diff, so the VCU is already having to slip to compensate for this. If worn tyres (assuming identical) are fitted to the rear, the VCU starts to transfer torque forwards to the IRD, which overloads the crown wheel bearings, with eventual failure not far away. So keeping the tyres identical, least worn on the rear, and keeping the pressures spot on massively reduces the torque the VCU is transferring, saving the IRD and rear diff from failure.

Nodge68 said:

I measured the economy difference on my V6 over 12k miles. It worked out at 0.2 MPG, which was probably just the reduction in weight with the propshafts removed. It's definitely not a worthwhile mod for the sake of economy.

The VCU will only compensate for a couple of mm difference in tyre diameter. The rear diff is already at a slightly different ratio than the front diff, so the VCU is already having to slip to compensate for this. If worn tyres (assuming identical) are fitted to the rear, the VCU starts to transfer torque forwards to the IRD, which overloads the crown wheel bearings, with eventual failure not far away. So keeping the tyres identical, least worn on the rear, and keeping the pressures spot on massively reduces the torque the VCU is transferring, saving the IRD and rear diff from failure.

Click to expand...

Interesting. Did LR deliberately make the diff ratios different or was it an oversight?