IRD screwed? identify this noise

Hi,

So just as we arrived home today we had an almighty racket from underneath the TD4 hippo. Started as a quiet thud in time with wheel speed but then started to sometimes be a loud bang.

Happens in forward and reverse, clutch in or out, front wheels will turn ok when both jacked up.

I think the IRD is fecked - drained the oil and it's browny/silvery - fair amount of metal on the drain plug magnet - is this what a broken IRD sounds like? some oil staining on the undertray on the offside under the IRD and gearbox with a bit of weeping around the seals but IRD oil was still full to the fill plug when I checked before draining and refilling. No obvious play in the driveshafts/CV joints and the propshaft rubber supports look old but not like they are knackered.

but could it be the VCU/rear diff too? all 3?

Do these clangs/bangs ring any bells with anyone?

Banging when moving is a pretty sure sign the IRD has gone.
Has is been used with odd tyres, or had new tyres put on the front?

No, always chage the tyres at the same time, it has done 170k+ miles tho. Td4 removal looks to be a right pita

IRD replacement isn't that difficult. It's a couple of hours to get it out, and a couple of hours back in again.
Don't forget to replace the VCU, as that's likely the cause the IRD has failed, unless it's missed it's oil changes, but I'd still replace the VCU anyway.

Oh yes, that sounds like the IRD gone - like someone's whacking the transmission with a lump hammer.

Exactly what mine sounded like. Mine went I believe because a rear tyre had lost pressure.

It would happen if you pushed the car as well, didn't need to be driven.

If you remove the propshaft, the car will likely drive/sound normal. However, you may also get a clicking which I took to be gears in the IRD not mating and that could cause them to jam and smash the IRD. This is what mine sounded like after I removed the propshaft...



You can hear the knocking/clicking, particularly on overrun.

If you're in the UK, I'd get a recon IRD & VCU.

Being over here, I had a IRD recon kit shipped over (bearings, seals and oil cooler). I removed the IRD from the car, but then gave it to a gearbox shop (actually a diff specialist) to install the bits and also got them to remove the crown gear on the rear pinion so that it didn't drive the props. I then put the IRD back in and its been running happily 2WD for almost 8 years now.

Thanks, new IRD and VCU it is then.
Since it’s Y Reg and was kept under the sea at one point seemingly I wonder if it’s worth just forking for new props, supports UJ etc and sticking in new bits all the way along rather than trying to separate it all and bodge back onto replacement VCU

It was indeed the IRD. Replacement IRD + VCU from Bell fitted and all is sweet. Separating rear prop was easy, the front was an absolute b*tch!

Hope it gives you good & long service.

Did you see the Freelander Specialists YouTube vid on separating the props? There's a lot of 'energy' required to persuade it to shift I've had the chisel flying all round the garage as I'm whacking it as hard as I could.

Yes, there was much smiting with extreme prejudice. It sounded like the old days in the mines of Moria

My experience of splitting uj and vcu joint, and I have done a fair few, concludes that until the cold chisel is sitting on both sides of the uj (fed right through the joint) with the bolt suitably adjusted, nothing moves!! I have a thin slightly banana shaped chisel that I use for this job. It wasn't banana shaped when I started out!!