The VCU on my 2000 Freelander siezed recently, this was followed by the pinion gear failing (I was lucky - this appears to be the only part broken - so far).
Im now running 'mondo' with both the shaft and the pinion gear removed and a blanking plate where the shaft used to exit the IRD.
There are some things to lookout for (hindsight eh?) that are dead giveaways (with hindsight - a potential two grands worth of hindsight
)
1. Sudden and unexplainable increase in fuel consumption.
2. Burning rubber smell at motorway speed.
3. Reduction in performance.
4. The famous 'sawtooth' wear pattern in the rear tyres. Be very careful when you inspect for this as its finer than some of the photos you've looked at and not obvious with just a quick inspection. Look carefully.
5. The car not rolling in neutral on a slope or slowing unusually in freewheel.
These things all occur when the VCU siezes, beacuse the front wheels in effect, 'drag' the rear wheels along. They DONT rotate at the same speed because the ratio at the back is different to the front, the rear wheels rotate marginally slower than the front. With a functioning VCU this is taken care of via the slip.
Once yer 'slip' is gone, you're well on your way to 'mondo' or a new IRD
These things I wuz ignorant of and ended up having a very lucky escape from a bill for two grand cos the internal damage wasnt severe.
Don't be ignorant too
Im now running 'mondo' with both the shaft and the pinion gear removed and a blanking plate where the shaft used to exit the IRD.
There are some things to lookout for (hindsight eh?) that are dead giveaways (with hindsight - a potential two grands worth of hindsight
)1. Sudden and unexplainable increase in fuel consumption.
2. Burning rubber smell at motorway speed.
3. Reduction in performance.
4. The famous 'sawtooth' wear pattern in the rear tyres. Be very careful when you inspect for this as its finer than some of the photos you've looked at and not obvious with just a quick inspection. Look carefully.
5. The car not rolling in neutral on a slope or slowing unusually in freewheel.
These things all occur when the VCU siezes, beacuse the front wheels in effect, 'drag' the rear wheels along. They DONT rotate at the same speed because the ratio at the back is different to the front, the rear wheels rotate marginally slower than the front. With a functioning VCU this is taken care of via the slip.
Once yer 'slip' is gone, you're well on your way to 'mondo' or a new IRD
These things I wuz ignorant of
and ended up having a very lucky escape from a bill for two grand cos the internal damage wasnt severe.Don't be ignorant too
