Freelander td4 problems (various)

blisco said:

Spot on.

Ill aim to check the VCU and inspect the IRD/diff before it goes to the garage. Will get appropriate oils and fibre washers ready for an oil change on the gearbox, IRD and rear diff. Hopefully it wont be much extra to get the pinion and shaft seals + mounts done while it's on the lift for the clutch, if not ill buy the parts.

With the diff, would it be an idea to get a new nut and spacer and just tighten it to factory torque? Or do as you described. Also, can the breather be replaved easily if it's damaged? I dont have a manual to hand for reference, will buy one monday.

Also, are aftermarket mounts and seals ok or should i go OEM/genuine?

Thanks for all the help, it's much appreciated.

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They diff spacer is factory set which is why the nut must be replaced in exactly the same place/ torque.
For hard to change parts, it's always worth using OE parts

blisco said:

Is there an exact brand and type anyone would recommend for each fluid (manual gearbox, ird and rear diff)?

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Brand is pretty irrelevant these days. As long as the oils chosen are to the correct specification.

If you don't mind me asking, does the diff need to come off to do all of the mounts and seals, or, should i replace one seal/mount at a time to keep it aligned correctly (if that's an issue)?

Also, if it does need removing, can i get way with removing only one rear drive shaft from the car (as in remove all bolts for the diff and remove one shaft, then slide it off the other fitted shaft)?

Cheers

I've not worked on the rear suspension - but I believe its the same as the front in the way the hub bolts to the strut. This being the case, its very/quite quick and easy to remove the driveshafts from the diff. You simply jack the car up and there's 2 bolts holding the hub to the strut. Remove these and the hub can be pivoted out (away from the diff) giving enough play to pop the shaft from the diff.

With the IRD how much its damaged it in direct proportion to the amount the VCU has tightened and how long its been like it. If the VCU isn't in a terrible condition (but needs changing all the same) its quite likely the IRD will be fine. As Nodge says, changing the oil will tell you a lot. You should expect some swarf and 'goo' on the drain plug - and looking at the different pics posted on here I'd say its difficult to tell from the plug whether the IRD is good or bad - because there's always some crud on it. The overall colour of the oil is a definite tell-tale. I've drained a healthy one and it came out looking like oil, but a shafted one looks very grey/metalic.

If you get the props off, give the pinion a wiggle to see if theres any lateral play - there shouldn't be. If you are unsure whether the IRD is good or bad - then I'd say its not in a very bad condition - eg the gears inside it are all servicable and have no serious issues. That leaves the bearings. When an IRD 'goes' its the bearings in the pinion that go first/worst - so you could remove the pinion and replace the bearings in there for peace of mind - the IRD can stay in place and its 'cheap'. Obviously if the IRD's fine - then no need to do it.

Spoke to the dealer and he agreed to cover half of all the costs so far. New clutch, flywheel, shaft seals, pinion seals and diff mount. The main reason i agreed to pay half was that i was at no financial loss if i agreed.

The cost of the car + repairs (paid by me) does not exceed the lower end forecourt value of the car yet. There where also other benefits:

• time (i am starting a new job soon)
• dealer is over an hours drive away from me (he wanted to repair at his garage to save money and could have insisted)
• at his garage parts would have been cheap, at my chosen garage i specified genuine parts.
• since the dealer was paying half the costs i would only have saved maybe a tenner by doing the diff myself. Spending the tenner saved me a day on the floor and a delay waiting for parts.

For anyone curious, at full price the diff was quoted as £250, the clutch was £550 and the flywheel was £440 extra while the clutch was being done. Some quotes where about 50% more expensive for the same job and parts from others, so it pays to shop around.

Got new genuine turbo hoses, BMW crankcase breather, filters and fluids ready. Gonna give the EGR and inlet manifold a second clean to catch any crud that may have remained in the intake system.That should hopefully take care of the performance issues unless the T-solenoid or MAFF are shot. None of this should be a problem, in fact it should be enjoyable.

The steering seems to have steadied out a bit of it's own accord since first posting, but i still need to inspect further when i get the car back. I reckon a bush has gone allowing something to shift when i jacked the car up to do the drop links.

I didn't get chance to test the remaining issue, the VCU, before taking it to the garage. I will have to test it friday when i have the car back. I am expecting the worst, but am unsure about how to approach it if so. Obviously it's better if i can get it paid for [at least in part] by the dealer or warranty. If they contribute it will mean i can get the GKN unit fitted opposed to a recon.

Assuming it is faulty: If a garage can't test it 'properly' i am not sure i could prove it failed (thus recover costs from the dealer or warranty). Any ideas on how i could prove a VCU failure to a dealer/warranty? Maybe the free test advertised by that reconditioning company would suffice (even if it's no more accurate than the home test)?

I don't think they will be convinced if i have to explain that i jacked my car up and did a test i read on the internet.

Cheers

Right got the car back and jacked up both back wheels to check for the brakes binding. There is a lot of resistance when trying to rotate the hub, more so than any other car I gave had.

Took the drum off, still a lot of resistance. Is this normal for a freelander? Maybe it's the new seals?

Mechanic was crap, just had to tidy up his mess. Intake not sealed, hoses left unclipped, sump guard hanging down, exhaust blowing. Pretty arsed off, I'll be having words tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't fill the diff with oil.

Sorry you are still having problems. The stuff you needed doing would be simple for a machanic, so I can only assume he isn't a mechanic, at least not a good one!. Name and shame so no one else gets caught out.

If both rear drums are off then the hubs should turn pretty freely. They should turn under hand pressure without dragging or sticking.
I really must get round to starting my own Freelander repair business so these cars are fixed correctly.

Nodge68 said:

Sorry you are still having problems. The stuff you needed doing would be simple for a machanic, so I can only assume he isn't a mechanic!. Name and shame so no one else gets caught out.

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Garage was Chris Richie, Barrow-In-Furness, Cumbria. Was a rather well kitted garage for an indie tbh. He won't be getting off the hook.

Not sure how to proceed. Sounds like either no oil in the diff, hubs clamped too tight on the wheel bearings or maybe crap seals?

Or maybe he over torqued the pinion on the diff?

Have both the worm screws been wound back in? They should have, the shoes will then adjust themselves.
Mike

Skinny Mike said:

Have both the worm screws been wound back in? They should have, the shoes will then adjust themselves.
Mike

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Took the drums off bud to try without risk of binding. Same amount of resistance without the drums.

It's the same with both hubs too, same resistance each side.

Gonna check the oil level. Assuming it has oil, will driving it knacker my diff?

Are both wheels clear of the ground while you are turning the hubs? If so they should turn pretty freely. If not, something is amiss.

Tried it with the wheels and drums off. There wasn't really anything that could catch.

Would this happen if he over tightened the pinion? If he has done that, has he ruined the diff?

This is very bad, no car, no job.

You presumably have both back wheels off the ground at the same time?

Freelander is a little different to most cars. With the Freelander, with both back wheels off the ground, turning 1 wheel by hand is like turning a wheel on a regular (RWD/4WD) car with it in gear - ie the prop shaft is not going to turn - so rotating 1 back wheel will result in the other back wheel rotating in the opposite direction. (ie it might feel like more drag).

GrumpyGel said:

You presumably have both back wheels off the ground at the same time?

Freelander is a little different to most cars. With the Freelander, with both back wheels off the ground, turning 1 wheel by hand is like turning a wheel on a regular (RWD/4WD) car with it in gear - ie the prop shaft is not going to turn - so rotating 1 back wheel will result in the other back wheel rotating in the opposite direction. (ie it might feel like more drag).

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This is very true. I think we get used to how our freelanders work. Glad @GrumpyGel is awake.
Your wheels won't spin like a normal car, yes there is quite a bit of resistance.
All Hail GG

blisco said:

Tried it with the wheels and drums off. There wasn't really anything that could catch.

Would this happen if he over tightened the pinion? If he has done that, has he ruined the diff?

This is very bad, no car, no job.

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The pinion being stiff can't really make the shafts across the diff stiff as the pinion isn't turning with both wheels clear of the ground.

Skinny Mike said:

This is very true. I think we get used to how our freelanders work. Glad @GrumpyGel is awake.
Your wheels won't spin like a normal car, yes there is quite a bit of resistance.
All Hail GG

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They should be free with both rear wheels up at the same time

Nodge68 said:

They should be free with both rear wheels up at the same time

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Mine aren't??? Probably half a turn when spun.
Hope this doesn't mean I need to rip my rear brakes to pieces.
Mike

Both back wheels up. Opposite wheel turned opposite direction as it should.

I uses to (kinda) rebuild bmw e30's years back, when i was a panel beater (and had a functional memory) . Never noticed they gave this much resistance on the rear, and they have a similar setup. But i have genuine memory problems so that could be a false recall.

I would guess it's taking maybe 1.5-2kg of force to rotate the hub by hand, no wheels or drums fitted.

If that's too much force, I noticed the car has been used to launch boats into saltwater. Can wheel bearings be the problem? No squeaks, squeals or play, so i kinda dismissed em.

What you remember from the BMW is what is supposed to happen. There are 2 friction washers in the Freelander diff so would feel slightly tighter than the BMW. However if you are only using a couple of Kgs of force, I can't see it as a problem. The seals are new which will drag, coupled with the oil in the diff, it could feel tight. As long as you can turn the hubs by hand without causing discomfort to your fingers. It sounds fine to me
I had visions of you having to use long levers too turn the hubs.