JPover70

JPover70

New Member
Morning all...
Picked up my ’02 1.8 GS last Saturday, although I’m still chuffed to bits I’m putting together a small list for niggles that hopefully I can get sorted under warranty. The simple stuff (like the fact that she pulls to the left a little, buzzing speaker and driver’s window screeching) I’ll probably sort myself. If anyone has experience in adjusting the fit of the sun roof I’d like to hear from you, the driver’s side panel on mine sits up a little at the front – is there any adjustment in there or is it a case of ****ting the feckers with a hammer?
What I’d like some feedback on is the rear end (the car’s rear end folks, not mine).
First, when pulling away from cold there’s (sometimes) a clonk from the back, sounds like a brake binding, only happens first thing in the morning. Second, when cornering there’s a bit of a judder from the rear off-side (only happens on sharp left-handers). Third, she’s a bit lumpy when cold, and the engine seems to come up to temp very quickly (about twice as fast as any other petrol car I’ve owned). Last is the fact that when reversing with full lock you need a hat full of revs to stop her from stalling. You can move forward on full lock using just tick-over (just!) but not reverse. I did a touch-test on the VCU after driving home last night (about 8 miles) and the unit was cold.
I’ve done a lot of reading here on the forum (thanks to all the grease-monkeys out there for some excellent info), so have a rough idea what I need to talk to the garage about but anything else you guys can think of would be handy.
Cheers!
 
The clonk is probably the rear brakes sticking on and is related to the handbrake mechanism. I would have thought that if the VCU was cold after a run then it was seized and due for renewal before it knackers the IRD or Diff. (seized is not really the correct term as the fluid becomes "thick" over time and prevents the VCU slipping) If you do a search you will find plenty of info relating to these, and other, defects.
 
sound like vcu is fooked and i would look at rear diff mounts thay can clonk when pulling off
 
nickcc said:
The clonk is probably the rear brakes sticking on and is related to the handbrake mechanism. I would have thought that if the VCU was cold after a run then it was seized and due for renewal before it knackers the IRD or Diff. (seized is not really the correct term as the fluid becomes "thick" over time and prevents the VCU slipping) If you do a search you will find plenty of info relating to these, and other, defects.
Click to expand...

And him:)
 
Cold means there's no slip! They progressively lock up as the grease inside heats up, more slip, more heat, less slip! Cools down a bit lets slip again! Being cold suggests no slip at all ie seized! You get transmission wind up if it's seized which makes it feel like the brakes are on when pulling away on a lock, or going into a tight bend not touching the brakes but it feels like they're on!!!! As pointed out it can damage other components!
There are some test procedures on here, I'd follow them to be sure, but from your description it sounds seized! A lot of specialists say change them at 60 to 70k cos they don't really last any longer than that and if you don't it can (worst case) get really expensive. W
 
Just read you're link. I've used their site before its very good. I think you're misunderstanding what they're saying, normal driving it will get warm, if it's seized it won't warm up at all, if it has to work really hard it will get hot, ie if your wheels are constantly spinning at a different speed. The example they're using is mismatched tyres, if they are a different rolling radius ie 1 brand new 3 knackered, two new ones on the front part worn on the rear, this will make the front and rear go at different speeds cos the tyres change the gearing! This difference makes the vcu get very very hot because it slips all of the time and it will lock it solid, this isnt a vcu problem, YET, BUT IT WILL VERY QUICKLY TURN INTO ONE!!!! and rapidly do lots of other damage because this puts more strain on everything than just a seized vcu!
It doesn't sound like you're problem, unless you've moved past the first stage and buggered the vcu, so check your tyre sizes any way, if you're in any doubt take em all off and stand them on the floor next to each other! Two identical sized tyres can differ a lot when new, manufacturer to manufacturer, so be careful when you replace them or if they all look fairly new but you have different makes!
Basically if your vcu is stone cold it's doing nothing, ie seized, warm to hot it's working, temp will vary with slip, more slip the hotter it gets, if it's so hot it burns you there's most likely another cause, ie tyre size, this needs rectifying immediately as it will do lots of damage quickly!!!
I think that's what they're saying;)
 
Hi,

I agree with DD.

The VCU should be gently warm to the touch - that would show it's working as designed.

Stone cold would be not working at all - locked solid - highly unlikely according to the Wizards at Bell Engineering.

Very hot would mean it's over-working and eventually will not be able to recover.

As also said if the front tyres have a bigger circumference than the rears then it will make the VCU work to excess all the time and you wouldn't be able to keep your hand on it - it would be very, very hot.

Sizes on the tyre sidewall may not be reliable enough if you have different brands - if that's the case then the only way to be sure is to take the wheels off and use a tape measure.

Singvogel. :cool:
 
DD/Singvogle - Got it, thanks. Tires are all good, same make (Pirelli Scorpion s/t) same tread depths across the face. I'm going to assume rotating the spare wheel onto the car periodically isn't a good idea then as it's bound to have less wear than the ones on already fitted? Might take the car for a longer run and repeat the touch test, maybe an 8 mile trundle isn't enough to get it excited.

What's the flash-to-bang time between the VCU packing in and the rest of the drive train joining it? I ask because the guys I bought it from drove the car from the coast to Lincoln when they bought it.
 
JPover70 said:
DD/Singvogle - Got it, thanks. Tires are all good, same make (Pirelli Scorpion s/t) same tread depths across the face. I'm going to assume rotating the spare wheel onto the car periodically isn't a good idea then as it's bound to have less wear than the ones on already fitted? Might take the car for a longer run and repeat the touch test, maybe an 8 mile trundle isn't enough to get it excited.

What's the flash-to-bang time between the VCU packing in and the rest of the drive train joining it? I ask because the guys I bought it from drove the car from the coast to Lincoln when they bought it.
Click to expand...

I would be guessing - but if the VCU is truly 'Kaput' I would think it wouldn't take very many 90degree bends/corners to put an impossible strain on the IRD and/or the rear diff.

Good luck.

Singvogel. :cool:
 
JPover70 said:
DD/Singvogle - Got it, thanks. Tires are all good, same make (Pirelli Scorpion s/t) same tread depths across the face. I'm going to assume rotating the spare wheel onto the car periodically isn't a good idea then as it's bound to have less wear than the ones on already fitted? Might take the car for a longer run and repeat the touch test, maybe an 8 mile trundle isn't enough to get it excited.

What's the flash-to-bang time between the VCU packing in and the rest of the drive train joining it? I ask because the guys I bought it from drove the car from the coast to Lincoln when they bought it.
Click to expand...

It's really hard to say. But because of the costs involved its a bit of a gamble to leave it long!
 
Singvogel said:
Hi,

I agree with DD.

The VCU should be gently warm to the touch - that would show it's working as designed.

Stone cold would be not working at all - locked solid - highly unlikely according to the Wizards at Bell Engineering.

Very hot would mean it's over-working and eventually will not be able to recover.

As also said if the front tyres have a bigger circumference than the rears then it will make the VCU work to excess all the time and you wouldn't be able to keep your hand on it - it would be very, very hot.

Sizes on the tyre sidewall may not be reliable enough if you have different brands - if that's the case then the only way to be sure is to take the wheels off and use a tape measure.

Singvogel. :cool:
Click to expand...

You found bell engineering helpful? I must've picked a bad day. Not saying they don't know their stuff but they were really rude and not helpful at all, odd when you think they would've probably made money out of me. Must've been speaking to the cleaner!!!:)
 
Diesel Do said:
You found bell engineering helpful? I must've picked a bad day. Not saying they don't know their stuff but they were really rude and not helpful at all, odd when you think they would've probably made money out of me. Must've been speaking to the cleaner!!!:)
Click to expand...

Well I can only speak as I found - very pleasant people.

I don't doubt what you say at all - but you're the first person to have any adverse comments of any kind about them.

We can all have off days I suppose.

S.
 
Singvogel said:
Well I can only speak as I found - very pleasant people.

I don't doubt what you say at all - but you're the first person to have any adverse comments of any kind about them.

We can all have off days I suppose.

S.
Click to expand...

Very true! Perhaps I will give them a second chance;)
 
Ive spoke to bell as well, the guy was very pleasent with me, even with the language barrier from scottish english, to english english. Hehehe.

Try again, i would.
 
Well, took a chance on Saturday and drove to Castleton in Derbyshire (a trip of about 60 miles), touch-test on arrival and the VCU was warm. I guess my 8 mile drive home just wasn’t long/hard enough to get a usable reading. Also found an interesting white paper on VCUs which has helped put my mind at rest.

On the plus side, I found a nail in my tire on Sunday so shuffled round to Kwik-tit only to be told they “don’t do Land Rover”. The till-chimp started muttering about alloys being rubbish and “rim-leak”... Has anyone else had issues with this?
 
How did their advertising jingle go "you can't get better than a Kwick Fit Fitter" should have been done by the Advertising Standards people.
 
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