new member with a freelander advice needed please .

as above im a newbie to the site, not to mention new too landy ownership

i recently took a freelander in exchange for a car i had for sale,i did plenty of research and am aware the model i have (1.8i) was a lesser liked model but i really like the look of the car and being a general mechanic im not to worried about engine problems as itll have a recon head fitted very soon and general overhaul but ,.......

i took the car for a small road test and although a minor whine from the drivetrain i was reasonably happy to accept it was in good order.

the previous owner had driven it down from wales to dorset so i presumed it was in good order, however i later had a spare hour so took the car for a longer run just to get a feel for things, after about 10 minutes i noticed the whine was getting more noticeable so turned round and headed back to my workshop, on the journey back the noise developed a nasty grinding noise which was only evident after changing from 3rd to 4th gear getting worse as 5th was selected the noise was still present untill the vehicle was brought to a stop even with the clutch pressed (freewheeling) does anyone have any suggestions where to look 1`st please ?

another issue ive now discovered is the immobiliser system,
i had to move the car from the workshop so unlocked it from the fob got in and put the key in to start ......
no dash lights where present but as the key was turned it would turn the engine over, i then tryed locking unlocking etc again and re entering the key to have no dash lights again, but as befre the engine turned over fine??
at this point im getting a bit wired so left the key in the ignition postion 2 and went to fetch my ciggies as i walked back to the car i heard the fuel pump kick in and the dash lights where back on and it started.
since then it has done the same things several times only resolved by leaving the key in the car on position 2 for a few minutes, would i be right in concluding that a new immobileser pick up ring (fittted to the barrel) is what im needing to start with ?
any advice or help & links to cheap parts would be most greatfull

appoligies for the long post but hope theres some helpfull advice to follow
many thanks al

a picture of the freelander ..

you can remove the vcu and prop shafts and drive it in 2wd, see if the noise is still there.
Could be the vcu is siezed and knackered the ird (front diff) and to a lesser extend the final drive (rear diff).
Do a search on this topic theres loads of posts about it.

ALAN P said:

thanks howard i have read up and will try it out in 2wd over the weekend
are the parts you mention servicable cheaply ? or is it renew?

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VCU is a replacement item only, about £370
IRD can be stipped down if it is not completely knackered, a new one is about £850.
The final drive can be stripped down if not completely kackered, a new one is about £375

Ashcroft transmissions were recommended by someone.

howardo said:

you can remove the vcu and prop shafts and drive it in 2wd, see if the noise is still there.
Could be the vcu is siezed and knackered the ird (front diff) and to a lesser extend the final drive (rear diff).
Do a search on this topic theres loads of posts about it.

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Seconded: Also re the starting problem I wouldn't think it's the immobiliser, it may be a faulty contact in the ignition switch also look for a loose/corroded fuse, relay or connection in and around the fuse boxes particularly the under bonnet.

Good luck.D..

Hello..
Congrats on getting the problems sorted..I drive my Freelander in 2WD aswell I think it is a better drive,.Easier on fuel..etc..
Only thing I was wondering is Will it M.O.T with the Prop Removed..
I read somewhere that it wil in England,.But I'm not sure abour Northern Ireland..
Could anyone let me Know if they Have M.O.T'd it here without prop shaft..

ccoaton said:

Hello..
Congrats on getting the problems sorted..I drive my Freelander in 2WD aswell I think it is a better drive,.Easier on fuel..etc..
Only thing I was wondering is Will it M.O.T with the Prop Removed..
I read somewhere that it wil in England,.But I'm not sure abour Northern Ireland..
Could anyone let me Know if they Have M.O.T'd it here without prop shaft..

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No.......... I asked about this at the DVTA, inspector said 'he would fail the car as it was not presented as it was designed'

If he only knew, it was never designed

Ok...
That sounds about right for over here,.get away with nuthin,,

Hi A.P. after this last week I would have advised against anybody getting a Freelander .
I've had mine( a 2.0di 3dr 99 in a T) for 7 years now and over the last 3and a half years the repair bill have been mounting up .( Freelanders ain't cheap to fix) Any ways let me give you the little bit of experience I've came across 1st hand.
IRD's go when the silicon in the VCU become hardened . when you replace the IRD its VERY advisable even if you don't realise it , to change the VCU . VCU's start going "OFF" from 30,000m. After 70,000 if it hasn't wrecked the IRD change it before it does .
Ebay does refurbished ones for £200 . You can get a refurbished IRD for £450 , both of these will be "Exchange " units .
But let me say what I'm doing , I've found a garage that refubishes gearboxes and the chap there has told me he'll open the casing of the IRD and remove the gears and the drive train and rebuild it and this means the car will be 2 wheel drive but the propshaft will be in place but "not driven" thru' the transfer box, thus when MOT'd it will appear as "All There" Mines will be getting MOT'd in about 2-3 weeks so I'll post what is said or done . Also be very aware -Replace the Fan belt before it gets a bit dodgy looking cos mine went on the motorway , because the freelander has a "Plastic" Front pulley cover at the Timing belt , the fan belt snapped .burst thru' the plastic cover .looped around the timing belt pulley and took the timing belt off the pulley ..and destroyed the pistons and valves . A very expensive repair indeed !
hope this will save you some money
S , Scotland

Sorry to hear about your woes Stevelander, but seven years is good going even with the ird & vcu. As for the engine, there's no doubt your unlucky as the L-series is very highly regarded. Maybe a secondhand engine would be worth a thought if you haven't already shelled out for your repair. You must like your Freelander even a little to have kept it seven years.
The best car I ever owned for 5 years was a BMW 535i which one year cost me over £1000 in repairs to the cylinder head & a transmission problem. There were various bills over the other 4 years but that single year was my worst and had I not lost my job I would have kept the car for far longer as it was worth every penny.

I hope you get sorted soon.

I'm was back on the road after the fan belt set back . that was last July and was a sore one , but the IRD was last week and this is the second IRD thats went on my FL , in total daftness I ended up going into Sheilds Landrover and forking out £780 for a new IRD as nobody seemed to have any 2nd hand one. So the missus nipped my nut and I gave in and purchased it new ( Ooyah!) . But from what I've sieved thru' over the last 5 days on the web ,it would seem the VCU is cream krackered cos I had to do a bit of reversing in almost full lock to get out, thanx to a pile of council vans blocking my exit and shortly after that I had a number of big bangs from underneath. and the shudder and rattle when ever the steering deviated from straight . Hey ho !
I will agree that I really enjoy the ride and the veiw from my FL it has been my Fave car to date . but it IS pricey on up keep . 4 drop links on the N/S over the last 4 years ,
just fitted 4 new tyres , 4 new shocks, 2 hand brake cables , 2 track rod ends ,1 new drop link and a oil and filter change so when the IRD went it was almost a case of John Cleese whipping his austin with a branch . But to be honest its time is getting near.

My wife has become the proud new owner of a FL, she loves the vehicle and has plans to keep it for years, and my job is to act as mechanic, (reluctant). I am not a mechanic but have always done most of my own motor repairs. So bought a second hand T reg 99 1.8 petrol in April 78K and quickly realised (after handing the cash over) that there were problems with propshaft, drive systems, etc. Very quickly - like in 2 days I became a FL expert thanks to websites like this one! and then with spanners & sockets blazing removed the prop as I realised the VCU had seized and what would happen if I left it, so off came the prop, took about an hour or so, still had a bit off knocking sound so rocked the engine, wheels, exhaust, rear diff, etc and found engine lower tie rod bush worn away giving clunking when changing gear, so changed it, that took about an hour. Anyway now drives quite well and quiet as 2wd The engine seems in good condition, w/pump, belts, coolant all items that could cause h/gasket to fail have now been replaced so my cost is still relatively low at the moment compared to other new FL owners who have been faced with large repair bills. Whilst underneath I noticed that the rear diff looks quite new and has the sticker with the new modified part number on and has new mountings fitted, so a previous owner must had had these problems and just changed the diff but their "winding up" problem did not go away and decided to cut their loses and flog it, then we came along. Anyway I am thinking about replacing the VCU before next winter making it 4wd again, because after all that's why she wanted it in the first place, but I have also noticed what I think is excessive rotational play on the rear output shaft of the IRD when waggling the shaft in a twisting fashion, I plan to take the shaft cover/plate off and get access to see if I can view the crown & pinion teeth to see if warn or chipped and then thinking about taking the IRD off and rebuilding with a kit off e-bay at a cost of about £300-£400 but not sure if the common problem is that the teeth on crown & pinion (and bearings) are the most likely part to be warn and fail? as there are quite a few parts inside the IRD some of which may not be available?, alternatively will remove the IRD and strip it and then see what needs to be done but that means the car off the road a few days whilst parts are then sourced, anyone else rebuilt an IRD and was the rebuild a success? After that I will then think about replacing the VCU and putting the prop back on.

ALAN P said:

mines booked in 3pm monday and the mot fella said it should be fine without ...
ill let ya know monday ...

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Hi there, how did the mondo MOT go?

DD. hi I fitted the IRD Blanking Plate mid -May and had the MOT done 1 week later and there was no mention on the MOT of "anything noted as missing" on the paperwork . and it sailed straight thru'.
S.Scotland

fan belt giving out and wrecking timing belt, therefore wrecking diesel engine is not just confined to L series freelanders, it is very common on all diesels fitted in mainstream cars, you just cannot avoid regular inspection and replacement, if in doubt replace the drive belts, their failure is expensive and inconvenient, just recently replaced engine in peuguot 306 for customer, he drove it with a slack alternater drive belt, resulting in severed timing belt, hole in piston, bent valve, damaged head, broken rocker shaft.

I have got a year 2000 xedi freelander diesel not a td4 and it has no fan belt as it has 2 electric fans ? Had the car since new.