Questions and help please on TD4

I took my 2001 Freelander to the Snowdonia Land Rover Experience the other day and it performed really well. While I was there, another freelander TD4 turned up, the facelift version. When he first got there I thought it was a petrol as the engine seems so quiet compared to mine. His sounded smoothe and mine sounds a little tractor-esque. I havent had any problems with mine in the year and a bit that I have owned it. When I looked under the bonnet of the newer TD4, it seemed to have a different cover on the top (i.e Mine has a massive plastic cover and his was a lot smaller.)

Question 1. Did Landrover do any changes to the TD4 when they facelifted it in something like 2002? If so, does anyone know what they were? Why is his engine quieter?

While on the Land Rover Experience day, I went through some sections of muddy water, after getting home and leaving the car for a day or so, I now have a sort of dry bearing noise coming from the drivers side of the engine (where all the belts and pullys are). I have tried to work out which is the offending one by listening and trying to spray the bearings with WD40 to try and locate the offender.

Question 2. Has anyone else had the same experience? Does anyone have any advice apart from Buy a proper landrover?

Question 3. Has anyone got advice on what tool to use to release the belt tentioner that seems to be hidden up by the body work when I want to remove/refit the aux/aircon drive belts? In the RAVE manual, they say to use a special LandRover tool, which obviousley I do not have.

Thanks for any help that you can provide.
Paul

Is yours definately a TD4? 2001 was the changeover year between the Lseries and the TD4 so it could be that yours is either a L series or a very early TD4 hence the difference in engine cover.

As regards the noises it is quite possible that you have mud grinding away in the bearing of one of your pulleys.

It is definately a TD4. I have found out that the horrible noise is coming from either the aircon pump or the tensioner for that belt as when I cut that belt off today (needs replacing anyway), the horrible dry running noise ceased. I just hope it is the tensioner that has dried up and not the aircon pump. I think I have read somewhere that the aircon pump bearings are fairly easy to replace and can be done on the car. Any ideas? It is strange about the difference in engine noise between my 2001 td4 and a 53+ plate td4.

The belt tensioner is the most likely, it has no protection to stop mud getting into bearing, I have done 2 up to now £24 +vat, part no. FF002667 ( for a TD4 )

i think they also had different levels of sound deadening under the bonnet at various times.

ratty said:

Is yours definately a TD4? 2001 was the changeover year between the Lseries and the TD4 so it could be that yours is either a L series or a very early TD4 hence the difference in engine cover.

Click to expand...

Mine is a 2000 TD4 :confused2:

DTO said:

Mine is a 2000 TD4 :confused2:

Click to expand...

I have been known to be wrong but as far as I know it was 2001.

It is a late 2000 registered november ! But when ordering parts from LR they won't to give me pre 2000 parts ?

Yesterday, thought I would see if it was the air con pump/tensioner so I cut the belt off (the belt was cracked and needed replacing). Immediatley the dry bearing noise stopped which pleased me. I have spun the tentioner and the aircon pulley and they both sound a little grindy. I understand from the above post that the tentioner is fairly easy to get but any ideas on the grindy noise from the aircon pump pulley?

Is it safe to run the car with the aircon belt not attached? Does it through off balancing of the crankshaft pulley or anything as now when the engine is loaded, there is another noise. Not dry bearing but something else.