IRD unit help!!

I bought my freelander 6 wks ago it did not have a rear prop shaft on it. I bought one off ebay good price After fitting the prop everyting was fine until we went on holiday towing the caravan. Half a mile to go from camp site loud noises and jumping appeared to come from the transfer box. I took the prop shaft off while on holiday still noisy but got me home in 2 wheel drive. Is it the transfer box or what? has anyone changed a transfer box? Is it easy to do? I am quite handy with engines and such tks Ivoro

When you buy a used freelander that has it's rear prop removed this is usually so the unscrupulous seller can disguise serious problems with the Viscous Coupling unit. In this case it sounds like yours was already knackered so when you put the rear prop back on it caused transmission wind-up and your IRD is now fecked. I would be really surprised if this isn't the case. It is unlikely you will be able to repair it yourself - it's not something anyone here that I know of would attempt and we have some very experienced peeps here. You need to get on the blower to Bell Engineering toute-effing-suite and they can talk you through your options. You will either be able to get a recon unit for a few hundred quid over 500 if memory serves, or you can get a 2wd version for considerably less. There are arguments for and against 2wd FL's and you should read as much as you can before making a decision.

Whatever you do, I suggest you stop driving it until you get it sorted or you could get into serious trouble.

Sorry to be a scare monger but this is pretty much the worst thing that can happen to a FL, even worse than HGF on the petrol models - the parts for that are cheap if you DIY, this is quite alot of dosh no matter what you do as you will need a new/recon VCU aswell if you want 4wd again.

Bell are the only people folks here trust with recon transmission, I have dealt with them and they put the rest of the motor trade to shame on quality and service.

Best of luck and welcome ,

Will.

tks for welcome and tks for advice
looks like a new one then! thanks again.what is VCU?

The VCU is the part of the transmission that controls how power is delivered to the back wheels. It's like a simple sort of clutch, in that it only engages the rear prop when it detects a certain difference in RPM between the front and rear wheels. I.e, when the front wheels start to slip or spin, it engages and puts power to the back wheels to get you out. So the syetem is not a constant 4wd setup, when you are driving on a normal road the rear wheels are being pulled along with the front ones so it is in 2wd in these circumstances. Furthermore, Land Rover built a slight difference in diff ratio into the rear diff from the front, this gives it the 2wd "car" handling we like. However, this means that the VCU allows a little slip to compensate for this. But this is what fecks your IRD you see, as when the VCU fails it almost always fails in the engaged position, which means that this gear ratio difference winds up your entire transmission and eventually munges your IRD.

The VCU should really be treated as a service item for each 70k you do unless you are utterly eligious about tyre care - which yer damned well should be. To prevent VCU failure, each tyre on the vehicle needs to be the same model, size and make to ensure that that this ratio between the diffs stays within the set parameters. To ensure even tyre wear, replace your existing tyres with a full set of brand new ones (NEVER buy part worns for a FL) and then switch them front to back every 1 or 2k to make sure that they wear totally evenly. A difference as little as 2mm in diamater can mess the whole system up. If you do have slightly newer tyres, stick them on the back axles but this should only be a temporary fix.

A word of caution, there is no such thing as a cheap Freelander. It is as mythical as unicorns, teletubbies and true democracy.

I suggest you peruse the FAQ section, you will learn lots and it will arm you to deal with your new mistress .

Will.

thanks will

Take heart though, if you're handy with spanners it will be 80% cheaper than getting a garage to do it . I'm still running mine as 2wd until I can afford new tyres.

Out of interest, what year, model and mileage is it?

A word of caution, there is no such thing as a cheap Freelander. It is as mythical as unicorns, teletubbies and true democracy.


Will.[/QUOTE]


Are you trying to say I can't get that pet unicorn to tow with my freelander?

WLJayne said:

The VCU should really be treated as a service item for each 70k you do unless you are utterly eligious about tyre care - which yer damned well should be. To prevent VCU failure, each tyre on the vehicle needs to be the same model, size and make to ensure that that this ratio between the diffs stays within the set parameters. To ensure even tyre wear, replace your existing tyres with a full set of brand new ones (NEVER buy part worns for a FL) and then switch them front to back every 1 or 2k to make sure that they wear totally evenly. A difference as little as 2mm in diamater can mess the whole system up. If you do have slightly newer tyres, stick them on the back axles but this should only be a temporary fix.

Click to expand...

2000 TD4 70k
I have been good with tyres , Originals ( michelin 4x4 ) lasted 7 years 50k & were replaced as old & cracking but not worn out , Had 4 michelin sycroms fitted , I have never rotated the tyres front to back ?
I am at 70k now should the VCU be changed as it all works as it should ( when we get snow or off road use )
My current tyres have 6mm tread front & 7mm tread rear I guess thats to much differance to swap round now ?

It's amazing when I was looking for my current freelander how many I seen with the rear prop missing. I think your right about changing VCU'S at 70k as this can help prevent any problems with your IRD Unit.

Sorry to do a bit of highjacking,is there a time limit after the IRD starts to whine for when it will blow up,mine started a few weeks a go and is getting louder,i may have to stump up for it myself,as the warranty ****ers are taking the pish.

Chris D said:

Sorry to do a bit of highjacking,is there a time limit after the IRD starts to whine for when it will blow up,mine started a few weeks a go and is getting louder,i may have to stump up for it myself,as the warranty ****ers are taking the pish.

Click to expand...

...tick, tick, tick, duck down now, your IRD's about to blow up.....B O O M ! !


But seriously... are you sure it's the IRD whining and not the VCU mount bearings?

Yeah mate,had it checked by a land rover service centre

Chris D said:

Yeah mate,had it checked by a land rover service centre

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For peace of mind, you might want to removed the entire VCU and the front prop and drive iot around a bit to see if it still whines. If it does then yes your IRD is kaput, or very close to being. Personally I find it difiicult to trust the word of people who don't know the car in question and haven't eliminated other factors in a procedural manner.

DTO said:

2000 TD4 70k
I have been good with tyres , Originals ( michelin 4x4 ) lasted 7 years 50k & were replaced as old & cracking but not worn out , Had 4 michelin sycroms fitted , I have never rotated the tyres front to back ?
I am at 70k now should the VCU be changed as it all works as it should ( when we get snow or off road use )
My current tyres have 6mm tread front & 7mm tread rear I guess thats to much differance to swap round now ?

Click to expand...

It might be fine mate, to know for sure again I reccomened Bell as they will take it for a test drive and they will know exactly what state it's in by feel. They did it with mine and found that it was ok but not much life left in it. If you're not within easy driving of them (Kettering) I would slap a recon one on there and have peace of mind. Tyre rotation is a good habity to get into.

Diesel Do said:

Are you trying to say I can't get that pet unicorn to tow with my freelander?

Click to expand...

Only if you're driving to a fair election.

Will.

chris D go and get some advise and tell them you have been and watch their faces

Think my VCUs dying! Went really stiff yesterday, felt like the brakes were on! Especially going onto round abouts and parking. Then went on some loose gravel and it was fine again! Bugger

Uh oh! Bell might have some on ebay.

If they're only in Kettering I may pay them a visit! Learn how they diagnose em

Thanks for the replies lads,bell is quite a distance for me,so ill be getting some advice,as suggested by teddywood 1

Cheers

Update.

Ive been in touch with the warranty company,and they want to have my IRD stripped down so they can have a look to see why its whining,but they want me to give the go ahead,so this means if they cant find anything Im responsible for all the labour, this is how they are going to get a way with not paying,how the f..k can you see a whine.

I've been on to trading standards,but need more advice now.

Chris

If the IRD is indeed whining then it is likely that they will find chewed up or at least very worn gears. Again, I'd reccomend calling and asking Bell what they see when they take apart fecked units so you know what the warranty guys should be looking for.