noisey front diff..new to 4x4's HELP!!

hi guys..

i have today bought a manual 1998 freelander 1.8 on an s plate with 96,000 miles on the clock in readiness for the snow..i have never owned a 4x4 but i do like the way this drives.

the only problem i have is that there is a whining noise that sounds like it is coming from the front diff.

symptoms

the whining gets louder the faster you go
noise not related to engine speed
clutch/gears/ brakes make no difference to it
the noise seems to be central and definately the front.
no vibrations or knocks etc
sharp turns left or right can reduce/get rid of the noise breifly

basically a whine that gets louder and faster as the road speed increases.??

is this a faulty diff??
are they hard to replace?
is there a test i can do to check the diff?

any help greatly appreciated

could either be your VCU bearings or your transfer box (IRD) bearings.
Do a search for VCU support bearings on thus site for a good starting point

thankyou i will have a look now..are they the end of the world or just a common thing

The FREELANDER is unique , not the same as ( normal 4x4s ) are your tyres all the same make/size ?

yes all 4 tyres same make/size and tread etc

just read an artical from bell engineering saying that the actual VCU's themselves only last about 70k and give the same symptons as ive got..thats £300 to swallow!!

do the VCU one wheel up test...never heard of a VCU whining!! you can change it's bearings without changing VCU. but as you're at 96k it might be worth changing

Drop the prop and vcu assembly in one piece and run in in mondo mode (2 wheel drive).
This will prove wether its the vcu bearings causing the problem. To check the vcu do a search there are various freds on how to check it.....a quick one is go to a supermarket car park and put it in reverse on full lock left then right and see if it binds/tries to stall/judders while reversing when driving just off the clutch (no throttle).

Bell charge £260 including new bearings and delivery and collection of old unit, surcharge applied if old unit not returned. Changed my VCU a few weeks ago, old unit had covered over 100,000 miles, certainly given me more peace of mind even though no obvious fault with original VCU.

thanks for that guys... following some research i think it is the vcu..i thought a brake caliper was seized on but a search shows this to be a common symptom of a duff vcu..will drop the vcu and prop to confirm it..will i need to blank anything off when i do it??

colabear said:

thanks for that guys... following some research i think it is the vcu..i thought a brake caliper was seized on but a search shows this to be a common symptom of a duff vcu..will drop the vcu and prop to confirm it..will i need to blank anything off when i do it??

Click to expand...

No just unfasten the IRD and diff flange bolts, torx headed bolts and metric nuts, then remove the centre bearing to body fixing bolts. VCU is quite heavy so you need to drop it onto something soft, preferably not your head