noisy sounds like bearing

hi my freelander td4 has started making a noise like a wheel bearing gone, had it looked at and am told its not a wheel bearing but could be the diff which would mean a new gearbox, the front drive shaft boot is torn but there is no oil around it at gearbox end, there is oil around the rear diff,any ideas. all help welcome . thanks. Kieron

You don't need a new gearbox as there's no diff in it.
It could be the VCU support bearings making a noise, normally the front one.
Start with basics first, like tyres. Are they all identical, same make, type and size and least worn on the rear. Odd tyres cause excessive wind up of the 4X4 system which leads to total failure.
The CV boots are just service parts, so need changing asap.
I'd be going through the whole drive train, replacing worn parts and changing the fluids.

thanks very much for that info, the tyres are the same size and make and age so the best ones I think will be on the back as the fronts usually wear first (I think) they are all in quite good nick, the noise is quite load but not a grinding noise .it was mot,d a few weeks ago and the inspector who drove it told me it had a noisy front wheel bearing but this has proved not to be so. thanks again.Kieron

If it is a wheel bearing then the sound will probably be different if turning left to turning right.

If it was a noisy wheel bearing, the MOT tester suspected, he should have failed it.

The VCU support bearings is the most likely cause, so check those out first.

If the CV boot is torn and there's no sign of grease around it - that would indicate it split a long time ago and the grease is long since gone! I would check that joint thoroughly.

+1 on VCU support bearings. You could check by removing the props & VCU to see if the noise goes - the car can be driven OK without them. It doesn't definitely say its the support bearings as removing the props may release stress on other parts - but its a good indicator and will give info. Before removing the props, or after putting them back on, worth doing the 1 Wheel Up Test...

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

thanks very much to al of you, I have had the propshaft taken off and sure enough the noise has gone how ever there is now a slight clunk on take up of power and on decelerating , I suppose this could be the front drive shaft,all help gratefully accepted . Kieron

The clunk is likely to be the lower tie bar large bush. When the prop is fitted, some of the torque at the lower tie bar is reduced. Removing the prop means all wheel torque is absorbed by the large bush, which complains if it's gone soft.

Nodge68 said:

The clunk is likely to be the lower tie bar large bush. When the prop is fitted, some of the torque at the lower tie bar is reduced. Removing the prop means all wheel torque is absorbed by the large bush, which complains if it's gone soft.

Click to expand...

They are reasonably cheap to buy and easy to replace. Its accessible going from the subframe area to the bracket on the drivers side end of the IRD and uses just 2 bolts that use captive nuts. Might need a bit of effort to shift the engine to line the 2nd bolt up when fitting.