Freelander 1 Loud Clunking noise sound from centre of car

Hi,
I have a fairly loud clunking noise coming from the underneath and centre of the car (manual 1.8 petrol). The guy told me at a garage that changed the coils that it was a bush or something in the transfer box that would be fine as it was but would just make noise. It only does it when accelerating and in gear.

I've read a few things saying about UJ's but it sounds more central than that

As you can probably tell I'm not that capable so more looking for an idea of how much it may cost to put right, or any good mechanics on here that I can pay to do it?

Central bearings making it band underneath on the prop ?
Exhaust moves as engine mounts worn ?
I had this with 1 prop bearing no bearing noise but worn rubber and would make a thud when on a rough road
Changed them and it fixed the problem

Poss rear diff bush, from under the car, it's the centre bush in the diff, that holds it to the car body.
If you remove all three diff bushes there's no need to drop subframe as the diff will move enough to get it out.

Dar ran Dar ran said:

Central bearings making it band underneath on the prop ?
Exhaust moves as engine mounts worn ?
I had this with 1 prop bearing no bearing noise but worn rubber and would make a thud when on a rough road
Changed them and it fixed the problem

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The guy in the garage did say something about it being worn rubber... pretty sure it's not exhaust as never makes a noise out of gear even revving it rolling down a bumpy road
How many hours labour would it be?
The guy said it wasn't dangerous, but reading the threads on here I'm not so sure

J_D said:

Poss rear diff bush, from under the car, it's the centre bush in the diff, that holds it to the car body.
If you remove all three diff bushes there's no need to drop subframe as the diff will move enough to get it out.

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Excuse my ignorance.... but the sounds doesn't sound like it's coming from the rear at all, would that make noise up front?

PetrolDread said:

Excuse my ignorance.... but the sounds doesn't sound like it's coming from the rear at all, would that make noise up front?

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Sounds travel around the car. It is often not easy to pick up where they are originating from.

The rear diff is not at the back end of the car, its quite a way forward and when the front mount goes its the flanges on the prop that probably hit metal and they are underneath the rear of the back seat - so getting nearer to central.

Message is really not to be to hung up on where you think the noise is exactly coming from. Check the usual suspects. The carrier bearings and the front mount for the diff are usual suspects and if you have a problem with 1, you've likelyy got a problem with the other.

Plus, if they are at fault, you have to ask yourself why they went. It may just be generally age related, or it may be that they have been put under to much stress by the VCU becoming to tight or mismatched tyres - so check the tyres and do a 1 wheel up test to....

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/tests-new-freelander-1-owners-should-do-on-their-car.312863/

However, in saying that noise travels, it maybe a drop link or the ARB has shifted

By the way, if you check them and the carrier bearings are shot - don't just get on the net and order some replacements. Make sure they are OEM as a lot of aftermarket ones will perish before you've driven to the end of the street. Also do the 1WUT before you order as well. If the VCU is shot, its easier to order a recon with the bearings already fitted rather than you faffing around fitting new bearings to your old VCU just to trash them getting them off to fit on a recon and needing to buy another lot.

If you need stuff - its a good idea to post here for advice before parting with your cash.

PetrolDread said:

Excuse my ignorance.... but the sounds doesn't sound like it's coming from the rear at all, would that make noise up front?

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As above, noise travels.
More so is the circumstances of the noise. Gear change or on and off the accelerator will stress all the prop and diff mounts.
Also I quickly learnt never trust what people say. Many times you'll see on here and other places the AA man/garage/RAC man said it's one thing when it's something totally different.

PetrolDread said:

The guy in the garage did say something about it being worn rubber... pretty sure it's not exhaust as never makes a noise out of gear even revving it rolling down a bumpy road
How many hours labour would it be?
The guy said it wasn't dangerous, but reading the threads on here I'm not so sure

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Not a lot of labour but parts £100 for good quality ones

Dar ran Dar ran said:

Not a lot of labour but parts £100 for good quality ones

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Okay so I've read the article linked to above... plus all the replies.... and VCU is definitely a possible candidate..... I picked the kids up in it yesterday and so noted some more detail.
Knocking it out of gear when the noise happens stops the noise immediately
It seems to happen when "picking up the slack" if you get what I mean, so when you're coasting along an A road at 50-60 and in 5th and just gently pressing the accelerator to maintain speed or pick up the speed a little bit, if you change down to 4th and gun it there is generally no noise
It only tends to happen and gets more noticeable after 20 miles or so when everything is hot.
I should say I recently bought this for £900 as funds were very tight... waiting for pay day at the end of the month to get fixed, but just don't want to get shafted and also trying to get some assurance that it's okay to drive for a bit until fund come through

PetrolDread said:

Okay so I've read the article linked to above... plus all the replies.... and VCU is definitely a possible candidate..... I picked the kids up in it yesterday and so noted some more detail.
Knocking it out of gear when the noise happens stops the noise immediately
It seems to happen when "picking up the slack" if you get what I mean, so when you're coasting along an A road at 50-60 and in 5th and just gently pressing the accelerator to maintain speed or pick up the speed a little bit, if you change down to 4th and gun it there is generally no noise
It only tends to happen and gets more noticeable after 20 miles or so when everything is hot.
I should say I recently bought this for £900 as funds were very tight... waiting for pay day at the end of the month to get fixed, but just don't want to get shafted and also trying to get some assurance that it's okay to drive for a bit until fund come through

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Also, I should say that the drives steering arm (or something) is bent so the steering wheel doesn't sit straight, I'm guessing this is what has screwed the VCU?

Pretty sure steering geometry won't affect the VCU as that won't cause wind up with the back axle.

If I was you, I'd do a 1 wheel up test which will give you an indication of the VCU's condition.

Then I'd remove the prop shafts and VCU (as a single item). You can then look at the condition on the VCU support bearings and the diff front mount (which is near to where you remove the prop).

Drive the car just to make sure the noise has gone. I believe that even if the front mount is faulty, without a prop it should not bang - although this may not be the case. It may bang over bumps more without the weight of the prop to dampen it.

Then I'd loosen the fill plug on the IRD to make sure you can remove it, then drain the IRD's oil to determine its condition. If the oil comes out metalicy then the IRD is probably knackered and you have to consider whether you wish to repair the car, or possibly run it as 2WD.

With the IRD refilled with oil you can run the car as 2WD, although if the IRD is severely damaged you should consider removing its rear pinion and replacing it with a blanking plate.

If the IRD is good, you can then replace the VCU, VCU support bearings and diff front mount as needed determined by what you find - quite possibly all of them.

Also check to make sure all 4 tyres are the same make & model because you don't want to spend good money on a VCU if its just going to be knackered again quickly.

These are my thoughts. Interesting to see what others think before you take it as advice you should use.

Should you need to remove the props/VCU, info here...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/vcu-query.370351/

Should you need to separate the VCU from the props to replace it and/or the bearings, info here...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/vcu-removal.342154/

Not sure if its mentioned on those threads, but if you run in 2WD without props you should tell your insurance company as it is a modification they may want to be notified of. It may affect premiums. It may also fail a MOT with the change.

PetrolDread said:

Also, I should say that the drives steering arm (or something) is bent so the steering wheel doesn't sit straight, I'm guessing this is what has screwed the VCU?

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I'd be checking it has 4 identical tyres fitted, with the lease worn on the rear.

The steering being slightly out could just mean the incorrect tracking setting technique was used, however it could also mean it's been in some form of impact, which has bent a suspension component, but start by checking the tyres first.

Rear Diff supports. I had loud clunking from underneath couldn't trace it until I crawled under and started wriggling bits to see what was Loose. The rubber mount perishes inside the metal casing and ends up thumping against it. Three mounts and an hours work underneath solved clunking for me.

PetrolDread said:

It seems to happen when "picking up the slack" if you get what I mean, so when you're coasting along an A road at 50-60 and in 5th and just gently pressing the accelerator to maintain speed or pick up the speed a little bit, if you change down to 4th and gun it there is generally no noise

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The lower engine tie bar bush is a likely candidate for knocks and thumps under acceleration.