Could my freelander have been converted to 2WD?

Linziloo said:

It does Glynn, i just can't seem to find out how to tell if the IRD is gone before i buy. Is there anything physically that i could look out for? or is it just a noise i'm gonna be looking out for?

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Lin, really it's a bit pot luck to be honest! If the prop/vcu is missing then generally hammer them down on price and they muck about walk away - it's money you really don't want to spend if you can help it.

However, the most sensible plan is to take it for a good 20min drive (get the oils warm) and listen for any unsavoury noises as well as watching out for all the other hippo pitfalls. If it copes with being 2WD then you can at least drive it around in normal conditions until you can get an expert assesment from someone like Bell Engineering who will be able to tell how healthy the IRD is. I see you are in Cosely, lucky you you're on the doorstep of some of the best Hippo specialists in the UK!!

If your IRD is at least ok in 2wd then you can then repair as and when you can afford it, connecting up the prop to a known good IRD and VCU is the last step . Most of the snow is over now, so you should be ok until next winter and hopefully you will have completed the overhauls by then.

Will.

There is nothing to stop you getting underneath to see how much lash there is in the prop pinion on both the IRD and rear diff. Give them both a good wiggle to see how far they rotate and if they rattle when the gear mesh!! If you are really brave you could lift a wheel then turn the prop flange which will turn the raised wheel. If the IRD is really bad you should feel roughness in the pinion but if there is only minor damage to it you will only notice once a prop is putting some load through the gears.

If you think your Freelander is 2 wheel drive (front wheels driven only) becuase the VCU is empty then all you have to do is chock the front wheels, take the handbrake off and lift 1 rear wheel off the ground. Then turn the rear wheel. It will turn very easily if the VCU is empty. You'll see the rear prop turn if the VCU is empty. If you see both the rear and front prop turn then the IRD is the problem, be it through failure or someone removing something inside to make it 2 wheel drive, or someone fitting a 2 wheel drive IRD (which has already had something removed to make it 2 wheel drive.

Thanks guys, you've been really helpful, I'm off to have a nose around another one tomorrow, as you said its not worth spending the cash on one that could give me IRD troubles, so i've found another. But this advice will come in really handy for that too, as the girl selling this one seems to have no idea about cars.

If i can get the jack out on this one i will thanks all

Linziloo said:

Thanks guys, you've been really helpful, I'm off to have a nose around another one tomorrow, as you said its not worth spending the cash on one that could give me IRD troubles, so i've found another. But this advice will come in really handy for that too, as the girl selling this one seems to have no idea about cars.

If i can get the jack out on this one i will thanks all

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Make sure you take the handbrake off and chock the wheels once its jacked up