Disaster Strikes

So today driving back from stansted airport piece of scrap car goes bang and the vibrates like hell. Had to get home as I had a friend in the car who had just flown in.
Vibrated all the way. Pulled ok, but was vibrating all over the shop and was really noises.
When I got home it was really struggling to bite on the clutch and when it was in neutral and ticking over it was quiet as normal but if you depress and release the clutch it makes a whirring sound for a second or two. Any ideas?

Have you recently replaced any tyres?
Did you do the 1 Wheels Up Test after you bought it?
Does it only vibrate when moving?
If so, it sounds like it could be IRD failure.

IRD failure caused by tyres/VCU was my first thought, but I'm not convinced.

If it the IRD went bang because of that, it would either be the case or gears (likely crown/pinion) slipping and breaking gears. In either case, I don't think that's a bang followed by vibration - its more a bang followed by lots more banging and/or lack of drive. If the case was in tact, there would probably still be drive - but the noise would be so bad you wouldn't continue driving. Iy could also be the splines, but then you would lose drive.

I'm not sure what the whirring sound is in relation to the vibration and other noises - is it the same thing or different? You say the whirring is for a second or 2. Does the car move during this time or does it all of a sudden jolt into moving and the whirring stop?

A YouTube vid, catching the sounds and in relation to clutch actuation and movement, would be good.

I had the IRD replaced 5 months ago. It's a two wheel drive IRD. The tyres have not been changed since before that.
I had the clutch replaced this time last year.
The drive shafts 2 months ago.
All in all I'm fuming. If stationary but idling if you depress the clutch it makes a whirring noise like loose bearings for a second or so.

Sent from my iPhone

The whirring sound sounds like loose bearings. The car doesn't move if it's in neutral and idling, you just depress the clutch and you can hear it briefly then it stops. Similar to a old skate board wheel. Obviously louder. It still has Drive and will go but the noise and vibration is horrific. The clutch isn't slipping until you try to do slow forward or reverse from standing.
The IRD was replaced 5 months or so ago from Bell. It's the 2wd one.

Well its definitely not wind up due to VCU or tyres then!

I'm sure you can discount the IRD.

The noise and vibration is almost certainly a drive shaft I'd say. What make of shafts did you have installed? I hope they haven't taken out the output bearings in the box/IRD.

Funnily enough, I looked back at a video I took 4 years ago now when my IRD went bang. I took the prop shafts off and videoed the test drive. One of the comments I made on the video was a whirring noise when I press the clutch that I hadn't heard before. However, I haven't done anything to the clutch or gearbox (other than oil change) and have totally forgotten about it - so I think I was being hyper sensitive to any noise at the time because of other major problems.

Adam Gorsuch said:

The clutch isn't slipping until you try to do slow forward or reverse from standing.

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So is there slippage in the transmission? ie revs rise but car does not go quicker or at all?

Is there more/less noise when there is slippage?

Video would be good.

I can't see how a driveshaft would cause slippage as such.

Sounds more like a clutch or DMF problem to me.

Perhaps tap off a little oil from the gbox and IRD and check for metal shavings.

Was the dmf replaced with the clutch, sounds very much like dmf, unless one of your driveshafts is breaking up, in the cv area

freelance said:

Was the dmf replaced with the clutch, sounds very much like dmf, unless one of your driveshafts is breaking up, in the cv area

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I believe it's a 1.8 K series 50th Anniversary model, so no DMF.
I suspect the splined link through the box has stripped and is jumping or slipped, causing the in-board CV to run off centre.

This all sounds exspensive

I'm gonna have a look tomorrow at the near side which were I believe the vibration is coming from. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Maybe a diff drive shaft or something

Adam Gorsuch said:

I'm gonna have a look tomorrow at the near side which were I believe the vibration is coming from. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Maybe a diff drive shaft or something

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The nearside is where the splined link takes drive from the IRD and passes it to the driveshaft. It's quite common for the link to fail, especially on a FWD FL1. The front driveshafts themselves also take more of a pounding on a FWD too. So it's well worth checking those too.

Ok, first big issue I noticed. And this is mostly the cause of all these issues. The engine mount on the right side one of the bolts had undone and the other had snapped..............
so that will explain the vibration, noise and everything else.
So my first issue now is to find replacements. And then secondly fit them. 1st question guys. The mount on the block, is it removable? I can see bolts but no seem due to the cam belt housing. And as th bolt has snapped in the mount if it's not removable it would need drilling and taping and that's just grief.

The part you need is no 10 in this diagram. http://www.allbrit.de/UNI.cfm?PAGE=842047&SPRACHE=EN

Sounds like the bolts weren't tightened correctly when the timing belt was changed. Normally they are buggers to undo.

Blinking Heck!

It must have happened that Freelanders have had problems with engine mounts, but I've not heard/notice problems before. Then my one fails its WOF on the RH mount last week and yours has fallen to bits this week. How's that for coincidence!!!

If yours is a 50th Aniversary model - does that not mean its a "yellow indicator" (early pre MY01) car like mine? If that's the case, then the link Nodge put up is the wrong one. It believe its this one...

http://www.allbrit.de/UNI.cfm?PAGE=841940&SPRACHE=EN

That's the same mount as I've got sitting on my dining table ready to fit today The bolts and metal work will be different as mine's the L Series (and a different page again to the above link)

I will use your experience and Nodge's words of advice to make sure I do the job properly!

Incidentally mine's 2WD, although still running props. I'm working on the basis that the lower tie bar is probably perished as well and has 'helped' the top mount go. So although I haven't checked it, I've got a lower tie bar to fit as well. I've also got a a "juddery" clutch that hasn't helped the mounts on my car. This is probably due to a small oil leak. I'm not addressing that at the moment, but I'm in the UK in a few weeks so on return will probably pack the suit case with engine/box seals together with a clutch.

GrumpyGel said:

Blinking Heck!

It must have happened that Freelanders have had problems with engine mounts, but I've not heard/notice problems before. Then my one fails its WOF on the RH mount last week and yours has fallen to bits this week. How's that for coincidence!!!

If yours is a 50th Aniversary model - does that not mean its a "yellow indicator" (early pre MY01) car like mine? If that's the case, then the link Nodge put up is the wrong one. It believe its this one...

http://www.allbrit.de/UNI.cfm?PAGE=841940&SPRACHE=EN
http://www.allbrit.de/UNI.cfm?PAGE=841940&SPRACHE=EN
That's the same mount as I've got sitting on my dining table ready to fit today The bolts and metal work will be different as mine's the L Series (and a different page again to the above link)

I will use your experience and Nodge's words of advice to make sure I do the job properly!

Click to expand...

The PN is the same in my link GG

Yeah I need the number ten. I'm off to my local Landy scrappy. It's gonna be a bit of a walk in the morning but I'll be back on the road by lunch time

Yeah is got the amber indis. Missing rear light guards though as some toerag had them off when I was parked in London.