Is it common for the gearbox to die? '98 Freelander 1.8.

Hi all, I joined this forum after coming across some threads whilst doing a Google search for knackered IRD unit...
I bought a 1998 Freelander 1.8 and within 60 miles the IRD had chewed itself up (I suspect the seller had refitted the propshaft just for the sale..)
The problem was, it failed just coming off the motorway at a roundabout (rear wheels locked up ) and I had to 'drive' it out of the way on the starter motor as the engine would just stall if I tried to move it normally.
Anyway, I got it recovered home & fitted a recon IRD unit, as mine was well and truly shot, I also left off the propshaft until I can afford to splash out on a new VCU. Unfortunately, now I have no drive whasoever, put it in gear and let the clutch out and the IRD output pinion for the rear prop just spins... If I put it in 4th & 5th there is a noise from the transmission, am I correct in guessing that my gearbox has eaten itself? There were a couple of chipped splines on the smaller diameter input shaft on my old IRD but I had a feel in the corresponding output of my gearbox and couldn't feel anything untoward. Is this a familiar tale? Has anyone else experienced this? I know it's my fault for forcing the car off the roundabout but I had no choice!
Please excuse the long post, I spent an hour searching on here for similar faults but found nowt.
Thanks for reading guys.
Al.

Or...
Does this sound more like a duff IRD unit? I bought a 'recon' unit from a specialist breakers "World Of Rover" in Bolton, Lancs, the unit seemed ok, no lateral play in the diff etc...
I'm gonna pull the end off the gearbox with it in situ tomorrow, see if I can find anything sheared. I used to work for Rover and Landrover as a technician, but unfortunately, I left in 1998 before this kind of fault came to light with the Freelander!

ird first place to look, as you well know, its a process of elimination

A couple of thoughts. the output pinion spins so try to establish if there is positive drive drive to the rear. If you connect the propshaft there's a chance that you'll just get noises and no actual drive.

If you do have rear drive the fault could be the front diff in the IRD.
No drive would probably mean that the splines in the final drive carrier of the gearbox have failed.

My suspicions were aroused initially when I had my assistant stick it in gear & hold the brakes on so I could undo the bottom pulley bolt (did the cambelt after I did the IRD) however this didn't work, it just spun the rear pinion output shaft, in the end I stuck a couple of bolts through the pinion & locked it up with a bar, this enabled me to undo the bottom pulley. I could be looking at a duff recon IRD then maybe? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm not 100% sure how the gearbox/IRD combo works, from what I can gather then larger outer splines of the IRD are driven by the gearbox, then the drive to the nearside driveshaft is sent back from the IRD via the smaller inner splined shaft. Is this right? I searched Google for an image or diagram but found nowt.
Cheers,
Al.

IIRC a buggered diff in the gearbox will drive one of the front driveshafts and/or the rear wheels

Thanks for the reply. So does the gearbox have a diff like a normal front wheel drive PG1 'box, in addition to the diff present in the IRD? That makes sense to me, as I probably busted the diff whilst being a bit 'forceful' getting it off the damn motorway
I'll pull it out and strip it tomorrow, will take pics in case anyone wants to see em.
Cheers,
Al.

BigDaftAl said:

from what I can gather then larger outer splines of the IRD are driven by the gearbox, then the drive to the nearside driveshaft is sent back from the IRD via the smaller inner splined shaft. Is this right?

Click to expand...

Yes thats how the drive is distributed.

Can't say for definite in your case but if there is rear drive only, it has been known for the thrust washers behind the differential gears to break up in the front diff unit which allows the gears to drop out of mesh, hence no drive to front shafts.

Edit..... there's no diff in the gearbox just a splined final drive carrier without differential gears

Popped the IRD out today, stripped & checked it, all good.
So I dropped the gearbox and found the splined input for the N/S driveshaft to be stripped completely smooth... :doh: (Right where my screwdriver is pointed to).
Second hand box on the way as I type this.... Ah well as it happened the clutch was almost down to the rivets so I'm glad I looked.
Cars eh? Dontcha just love em!?

Pretty much what NI had suspected. maybe that was the problem all along and the original IRD was OK.

Yeah, cheers for the advice guys
The IRD was definitely knacked, I reckon that the thing had been driving round in RWD for some time due to the missing splines, that's what killed the IRD... I'll start saving for a new rear diff now!

Check the VCU carefully then as rear wheel drive only would work it very hard.

Cheers, I'm just going to assume that it's knackered and fit a new one eventually, I don't fancy replacing the IRD again! Gonna leave the prop off till we get snow anyway.
Al.