Hot Stuff

I have just fitted a secondhand prop as a replacement for the front one which the garage had removed saying this was the cause of my vibration etc and the nasty metallic smell.
I purchased the secondhand unit and fitted myself due to cost from garage; this is when i noticed the vibration and the smell again after about 10 miles driving.
When i came home checked underneath and this is when i found out the VCU was B***** Hot by accidentally touching it - felt soooo much like i had touched the exhaust, so too check i spat on it and it hissed and dried virtually straight away.
The car has done about 70k now

Can anyone say with certainty that the VCU is Kaput? As it is so hot I can only assume it has affected the support bearings too.

dunt sound good, jack one rear corner up and see if you can turn the wheel (search for vcu test)

should be stiff but not impossible.

What are your tyres like?
Newest tyres/tyres with the largest rolling cicumference should always go on the rear.

vcu test below

mjrimmer said:

What are your tyres like?
Newest tyres/tyres with the largest rolling cicumference should always go on the rear.

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tyres should all be the same size and preferbly same make and type the tollerance is only 5mm front to rear this is one of the main causes of drivetrain failure on the freelander

newest tyres are on the rear and a matched set (law in France matched set on same axel)
Thanks Hippo will try the test later today

hammerjoshua said:

newest tyres are on the rear and a matched set (law in France matched set on same axel)
Thanks Hippo will try the test later today

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In which case it looks like a seized VCU !

Ian jones said:

In which case it looks like a seized VCU !

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correct me if im wrong but if vcu was seized then surely there would be no slippage of the internal parts so no heat generated ?

mickymck said:

correct me if im wrong but if vcu was seized then surely there would be no slippage of the internal parts so no heat generated ?

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:d

mickymck said:

correct me if im wrong but if vcu was seized then surely there would be no slippage of the internal parts so no heat generated ?

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If it's as hot as you say then it's over working. Or "seizing" up too early due to the sheering action of the liquid happening too soon. Check yer vcu now. If it's seized, yer risks yer ird (fixed ratio transfer at the front) un the rear diff feking up.

Thanks for the info, have used VCU test, and seems the vcu is seized would not move freely as shown in Hippos video, tried with weights on did not make it too floor very slow and jerky movement and if leant on no movement whatsoever! Have removed the front prop until can get new unit. Does anyone have any dealing with Freelander spares uk, they have recon unit with bearings etc included but not sure whether they are the Britpart bearings that i seem to hear a lot of nightmare stories about.
Has anyone used them or heard of them being used OK?

Cheers

Try Bell Engineering - good company and good price for a recon VCU

The VCU doesn't exactly 'seize' but the fluid become thicker over time. Hot VCU determines that too much friction is in the unit and will be straining your bearings. My VCU is starting to become warm these days, but after 115K miles I cant complain. I'll be heading to Bell Eng as I've heard good reports about them

yes it does they seize solid eventually

hammerjoshua said:

Thanks for the info, have used VCU test, and seems the vcu is seized would not move freely as shown in Hippos video, tried with weights on did not make it too floor very slow and jerky movement and if leant on no movement whatsoever! Have removed the front prop until can get new unit. Does anyone have any dealing with Freelander spares uk, they have recon unit with bearings etc included but not sure whether they are the Britpart bearings that i seem to hear a lot of nightmare stories about.
Has anyone used them or heard of them being used OK?

Cheers

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What length bar, what weight un what time to turn 45 degrees to the horizontal?

(un did yer lift only one wheel, un release the hand brake)

there really isnt a definative measurement new ones vary just use a bar a judge by feel

jamesmartin said:

there really isnt a definative measurement new ones vary just use a bar a judge by feel

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But there is, un LR main dealer know it. And have a test for it. The best we can do is all test ours, plot it on a scatter graph, and see rule of thumb. My main dealer confirms, but won't give vaules the bastid.

jamesmartin said:

yes it does they seize solid eventually

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austen said:

I'm sorry, but we have never seen a VCU seize solid, but have seen 100's of smashed up transfer boxes and diffs through tight VCU's. If a VCU was locked solid the IRD and or rear diff would last a few miles at best.
Bring me a seized solid VCU and i will eat my words that they do not seize, but i can catorgorically tell you that just because a VCU slips, it doesn't mean that it is functioning correctly and will not casue your IRD to fail.

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hmmm!

Dont forget the VCU works by the temperature increasing to circa 130deg.

rr ones ive had hundreds of seized one ,freelander admittedly only 2 or 3 but the where by any definition of the word

Hippo said:

What length bar, what weight un what time to turn 45 degrees to the horizontal?

(un did yer lift only one wheel, un release the hand brake)

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BAr 1.2m weight not sure used couple of weights from grandfather clock in plastic bag about 6kg maybe more. yeah one wheel and hand brake off.
it never made it to horizontal but well more than the 25 secs in your vid