Just got Td4!

Hi guys, just had a peek under the car to check for anything out of the ordinary, on checking the prop I can get about 6mm ish of turn (free movement) by hand over the whole length, is this normal?-there didn't appear to be any slack in UJs And on checking the shaft from the rear diff to the O/S/R wheel there is a very small amount of end to end moment by hand but other than that feels nice and tight, the front prop has indeed been changed and looks very new as per invoice left with vehicle's paperwork, I can't help thinking that if the front prop was deemed to need replacing then surely the rest must have been checked at the same time and the whole transmission checked at the garage after the new one was put on before returning to the customer thereby further enforcing the theory that the tyres may be at fault, I've got 4 on order and an appointment for 9am tomorrow for fitting but if the noise persists afterwards I may have to resort to converting to 2wd but I'm reluctant to do this as it's not what I bought it for, I gave it a short drive this morning to clarify in my mind what speeds this rumbling is happening at and after paying careful attention the noise seems to be anywhere from 20mph upwards but not constant all the time the vehicle is in motion in fact yesterday driving home at 70mph it wasn't doing it or at least wasn't really noticeable, confused.com!
Your input is very much appreciated

carry out the VCU check as shewn in the CFAQ section.

Ian jones said:

Have a look and a read of bellengineerings site !

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Anything wrong with reading this site? Or dont you consider its good enough?

Yes - always fit the newer/bigger tyres to the rear on a Gaylander. Its in your user handbook.

the rumbling could easily be caused by damage instigated by mismatched tyres.

Hi mate, admittedly I've only tried the reversing on full lock test which appeared to be fine but I'm going to get the tyres changed in the morning to see if that cures the problem-as I said in an earlier post there's 5 different makes incl. the spare!, even if it doesn't then at least I'll have matching tyres that should last ages with the little mileage I do, if the problem persists I will have no choice but to remove the prop until I can afford to go further, can I remove the prop (temporarily) without needing to take out the piece that fits into the IRD thereby not needing to buy the blanking kit?

Yes

Still do the VCU check. That should be carried out on a regular basis, so that you can guage any significant changes.

Thanks for your advice, it really is appreciated!

Tyres didn't arrive at garage so hopefully tomorrow now, trying to sort out the remote fob now but so far without success.

The Mad Hat Man said:

Anything wrong with reading this site? Or dont you consider its good enough?

Yes - always fit the newer/bigger tyres to the rear on a Gaylander. Its in your user handbook.

the rumbling could easily be caused by damage instigated by mismatched tyres.

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No , and theres some good advice also on bells site , that I was advised about by a member of L Z in the past , just trying to help a fellow member on a important issue

I think thats how the unlocking with the key is meant to work isnt it? Presume its to do with singlepoint entry?..

Had new tyres all round fitted this morning but unfortunately it didn't cure the rumbling underneath so I've managed to remove the propshaft on my Hippo without too much fuss, I don't have the e10 and e12 sockets for the star type bolts but 8 and 10 mm sockets/spanners did the job fine.
After crawling underneath I found that the front bearing of the VCU was at fault, the bearings themselves were ok but the rubber surrounding them was shot, quandary now being that do I chance it and just fit a new bearing or go for a complete new VCU/bearing package from Bell engineering, I know common sense is saying change the VCU but money tight at mo, time to start saving up me thinks!

britishwardog said:

Had new tyres all round fitted this morning but unfortunately it didn't cure the rumbling underneath so I've managed to remove the propshaft on my Hippo without too much fuss, I don't have the e10 and e12 sockets for the star type bolts but 8 and 10 mm sockets/spanners did the job fine.
After crawling underneath I found that the front bearing of the VCU was at fault, the bearings themselves were ok but the rubber surrounding them was shot, quandary now being that do I chance it and just fit a new bearing or go for a complete new VCU/bearing package from Bell engineering, I know common sense is saying change the VCU but money tight at mo, time to start saving up me thinks!

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Best not to post the same question on 2 threads me thinks!

Oops wrap on the knuckles time, does increase my chances of getting good advice though, which I must say this forum is brilliant for!

Got my td4 on Tuesday as well, the old chief got me one for no b-day. Like you a bargain bucket job but it's tidy enough and go's like a train.

Ian jones said:

Your freelander looks well , mismatched tyres will kill a freelander drivetrain , I had I drone at 50 to 60 and my vcu was very hot when I touched it , matched all 4 tyres same size/make/model and that cured it , take heed on this , many, many, owners have been mislead on this by garages including main dealers !

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Spot on Ian - my ex had this exact same problem and was wrongly advised by a very well known Cambs main dealer and it cooked the vcu - if we were allowed sticky buyer's guides on LZ this should be near the top of the Freelander list!

blackstrat said:

Spot on Ian - my ex had this exact same problem and was wrongly advised by a very well known Cambs main dealer and it cooked the vcu - if we were allowed sticky buyer's guides on LZ this should be near the top of the Freelander list!

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Thank you for that , it makes a change to get a positive comment on here rather than a negative , I suggested a sticky two or so years back , but that fell on stony ground there are many , many , opinions on tyre/vcu problems that can overwhelm a new freelander owner , This is my fifth year of freelander ownership and I am still learning things about it on L Z ,

Ian jones said:

"....I suggested a sticky two or so years back , but that fell on stony ground..."

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Stony ground lol - you should see the bashing I got!!

Took it on the chin though they're a good bunch generally and there's a lot of info freely available on LZ you've just got to be completely ****ed and stoned out of your head to cope with the banter! As a general rule of thumb the bigger the signature the more grief they give but tbh being a Freelander owner on any LR forum ain't gonna be easy! Even when I'm back up to my usual quota of Landys I'll keep my avatar just to annoy them lol!

I do find the search facility a bit of a chore unless what you're looking for is a sticky or at least on the first couple of pages, like most forums the long established folks can get a bit tetchy if a newbie asks a question that's been covered a few times before, understandable I suppose but hey oh we're only human!