Vibration and warm VCU

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C

Cavan

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Hi My 2000 Freelander 2.5 auto was making grinding noise on acceleration from start. The front tyres were Bridgestone Cargo's (van tyres) rear tyres were Hankook. I changed the Bridgestones for new Handkooks same spec and put the old tyres on the front and the new tyres on the back. car now accelerates much smoother and seems faster. However when decelerating from speed I get a bad vibration through steering wheels. I felt the VCU after a 10 mile drive and it was warm. I have had the wheels balanced twice and I have 26lbs pressure all round. What next do I do? Buy 2 new Handkooks for the front, change the back for the front wheels, fit new VCU?
Any body got any help on this please. PS I remember when I had a Vitara with wheel balancing problems and the fitter balanced them by placing the weights on the inside of the wheel which worked fine!
Cavan
 
Welcome to the forum. I have a v6 too. To test the vcu, try the one wheel up test in my signature below, to see what your vcu is doing.
 
Normal for the VCU to be warm. Tyre pressures should normally be 30 to 32 PSI (unless hancock tyres specify lower pressure) Can't see the VCU causing a front wheel wobble, usually wheels out of balance, were they balanced on the car (unusual nowadays but used to cure wobble when normal off car balancing fails)
 
Look at the front cv joint on the propshaft. see if you get any play in it.
Not too unusual problem, normally between 35 to 50 speed, feels like a unbalanced tyre. if you find any play then just drop the prop off and see if it goes away.
 
Thanks very much, thinking about it now it is more of a vibration through the rear wheels rather than a shaky steering wheel. As I slow to a halt I get all sorts of clicks and creaks from the UJ's or CV joints from the rear. My service book says 26psi all round and advice on this site says put new tyres on the rear. Maybe I should try putting them on the front and see what happens. FYI the car has done 77000 miles which I am advised is likely the max to expect from the VCU.
Cavan
 
Hi,

Don't put new tyres on the front with more tread than the back ones! If you do you will well and truly cook your VCU. :(

My VCU was checked a week or so ago (by Bell Engineering) and given a clean bill of health - at 96000 miles. :D

How long a VCU lasts depends on the use/abuse it has had. Mismatched tyres and loads of off-road use would give less service than one doing high mileage motorway journeys.

Gently warm is how it should be - i.e. able to keep your hand on it.

I'm running 26psi too - but loads of folks seem to like higher pressures. Mine wear evenly at 26 so I'm happy.

I would get the wheel balance checked and if that doesn't fix the vibration, you need to check elsewhere for the fault IMHO.

Good luck.

Singvogel. :cool2:
 
nickcc said:
Normal for the VCU to be warm. Tyre pressures should normally be 30 to 32 PSI (unless hancock tyres specify lower pressure) Can't see the VCU causing a front wheel wobble, usually wheels out of balance, were they balanced on the car (unusual nowadays but used to cure wobble when normal off car balancing fails)
Click to expand...

Actually the wheels don't wobble neither does the steering wheel. The car just vibrates through the rear drive and I can feel it and hear it. My garage has checked all the CV joints and the rear diff and they say everything is OK. However they are not a Land Rover main agent. I have always had clunking noises from the rear. Strangely under acceleration the car is so smooth.
 
Hi Thanks for that info. I just keep going back to the idea of wheel balance. The fitter has now balanced the wheels twice and assures me he keeps spinning the wheels up and getting a consistent zero reading. I remember on my Vitara in front wheel drive permanently had bad vibration through the steering wheel that the fitter put the weights on the inside of the wheel which did the job. Maybe I should try that option?
 
Thanks for the info, thinking more and getting nowhere I am going to visit Bell engineering and ask them to check the drive train.;)
 
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