To buy or not to buy??

Being brutally honest with myself I really don't need 4wd anyway, so worst case I could fwd it (makes me feel a bit sick that idea though )

I like that they are quite car like, but rugged and look fine with bad paint and a few dents. I'm sick of running a £16k car that I worry when I park in a supermarket, someone might scuff it. Granted I haven't had to do a thing to it in 3 years of ownership, but that comes at a price!

Also, hippo, are you saying there that freelanders don't have so many rust problems? (Music to my ears as an MG Midget owner!) Though I have read about the boot door issues.

I definitely want a facelift FL1 I think. I guess best engine is the td4 for power and mpg ect..


Shame the P38 VCU isn't a nice FL upgrade, or is it?

Karlos28 said:

Being brutally honest with myself I really don't need 4wd anyway, so worst case I could fwd it (makes me feel a bit sick that idea though )

I like that they are quite car like, but rugged and look fine with bad paint and a few dents. I'm sick of running a £16k car that I worry when I park in a supermarket, someone might scuff it. Granted I haven't had to do a thing to it in 3 years of ownership, but that comes at a price!

Also, hippo, are you saying there that freelanders don't have so many rust problems? (Music to my ears as an MG Midget owner!) Though I have read about the boot door issues.

I definitely want a facelift FL1 I think. I guess best engine is the td4 for power and mpg ect..


Shame the P38 VCU isn't a nice FL upgrade, or is it?

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Like all vehicles they suffer with rust if the rust protection is broken like scratching it. The FL1 was the first generation of LR to have improved anti rust. So yer won't be needing a new bulkhead.

That said if it's been ragged it could be damaged. But on the whole Freelander's are lucky when it comes to rust. Things like wish bones and fool tank cradles rust nicely but both are low down and int way of water jetted oft the wheels at 70mph towards them. That's never going to last. Also low down so both will scratch oft road if yer catch them.

Any bolt on bits arent a problem.

Also they all seem to be high mile now, should that out me off?

Karlos28 said:

Being brutally honest with myself I really don't need 4wd anyway, so worst case I could fwd it (makes me feel a bit sick that idea though )

I like that they are quite car like, but rugged and look fine with bad paint and a few dents. I'm sick of running a £16k car that I worry when I park in a supermarket, someone might scuff it. Granted I haven't had to do a thing to it in 3 years of ownership, but that comes at a price!

Also, hippo, are you saying there that freelanders don't have so many rust problems? (Music to my ears as an MG Midget owner!) Though I have read about the boot door issues.

I definitely want a facelift FL1 I think. I guess best engine is the td4 for power and mpg ect..


Shame the P38 VCU isn't a nice FL upgrade, or is it?

Click to expand...

I've had my Freelander for 8 years, having switched from owning Discoveries (both diesel & petrol). Its used as the main family transport and for fishing/getting out and about - down the beach, river beds and tracks - the Freelander was just as capable and easier to drive than the Discoveries for what I did off road, but I'd have to be more careful with big obstacles such as logs (driftwood).

That went tits up 5 years ago when the transmission went bang - due to my own lack of knowledge at the time. I rebuilt the IRD (new bearings etc) but removed the drive to the props, so although I'm still running all the gear (bar 1 gear) its 2WD. Its still pretty rugged and although I don't take it down the beach any more, I still take on river beds that I know are firm and aren't to challenging.

As Hippo says, they are good for (lack of) rust - but that's not to say they won't. There have been threads go through of peeps having rusted out sills and wheel arches - very few though.

If you want the looks and creature comforts of the facelift, then I'd agree the TD4 is a good all round engine, although the 1.8 is a fine engine if you don't mind replacing head gaskets every few years.

As for plugging in any form of replacement diff system - forget it unless you are a top dog engineer with a workshop to match and plenty of time and resources. It ain't going to happen. The only thing that's slightly possible is switchable 2/4 WD - google Tegralok.

Yeah I saw that tergalock thing, what surprised me most was how much faster the rear wheels spin when engaged. Obviously the same with the VCU.


Out of Interest, with a failed VCU has anyone removed the front shafts making it rwd?

Yeah the idea is that it's a bit of a hack/workhorse/beater car.

Also, you mentioned that you rebuilt the IRD, what was involved in that? I'd happily do anything myself!

If VCU fails yer make it front wheel drive by removing props/VCU. Don't make it rear wheel drive. The power to the front wheels is delivered with stronger parts within the ird when compared to ird drive to rear wheels.

Karlos28 said:

Out of Interest, with a failed VCU has anyone removed the front shafts making it rwd?

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There has been at least 1 thread go through of someone who thought they had a 4WD but when they removed the props nothing was then driven. Forget why, think the drive shafts were still there - maybe the splines driving the passenger wheel had stripped.

Karlos28 said:

Also, you mentioned that you rebuilt the IRD, what was involved in that? I'd happily do anything myself!

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Basically remove it from the car, open it up and replace all the bearings, seals and oil cooler (cooler is destroyed getting at 1 of the bearings). I actually gave mine to a workshop to do all the pushing and pulling of the bearings. I supplied them with the IRD and a kit containing all the bits I had shipped over from the UK. Whether all the bearings needed replacing, I'm not sure, and whether there were things like shims in there that need to be checked I'm not sure. I just handed them the bits and they handed it back after I covered their palms with $650 (£300) - which I think was a bit of a rip off, but I found it hard to find a workshop that would do it - they all wanted to take hold of the box, examine it and use parts they purchased to fix it - nobody would "give me a price".

It'd be interesting to buy a cracked one to strip down and see what's involved!

The IRD is the only thing that is worrying me now!

Karlos28 said:

It'd be interesting to buy a cracked one to strip down and see what's involved!

The IRD is the only thing that is worrying me now!

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If the tyres all match and are pumped to the correct PSI and the VCU is tested to be OK - you should be fine. A Tyre Pressure Monitoring System is a very wise investment for an F1 - it would have saved my IRD from trouble.

Even if you have troubles, you can remove the props and run 2WD - the damage is done to the rear pinion drive, you can remove the pinion and install a blanking plate rather than rebuilding the unit. I didn't want to do that here because it would have been a "modified vehicle" here and need certification to pass a warrant (MOT). In England its not a MOT fail - but you do need to let your insurance company know.

Removing/installing props is a quick job - some remove them for summer and refit for winter.

Another reason IRDs fail is due to driving with bad drive shafts - it can destroy its support bearing where it plugs into the IRD. Once again, the thing to do is not let it happen in the first place.

Drive shafts are another one to check then.

Yeah the reason I want the facelift is for the double din stereo slot, so that I can fit an android head unit, I will be able to get a TPIS system on that I'd imagine. (Maybe the torque app or similar)

Out of interest I also have a delpi 150e diagnostic tool, wonder if that will work on one...?

From what I can gather, apart from bearings breaking down, the IRD either works or it doesn't? There isn't a slow degredation like the VCU?

xmas good time to buy folk are skint

This thread shows a car that has lived near the sea and is probably as rusty as I've seen. Still repairable as you will see ! Subframes come off easily and chassis is good - surface rust only, bolts and nuts were eaten away completely.

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/td4-completed-v6-ongoing-rebuild-projects.333116/page-4

Also, my experience has shown that buying the expensive bits is best resolved by buying another car with that part working ! Then flog the remainder and have a good workshop full of spares on the shelf too. I have loads of parts left from my 'donor' car - see parts ad section.

Just read your entire thread Andy! That V6 was unbelievable! Nice to know rust can be that bad, but the chassis is good!

That td4 crank isn't good though, hope it's not too common!

How do you find the auto? Unsure whether to go auto or manual..

Love the auto. Can be used as manual but have got lazy! My 1956 Ford Pop and 1977 Mini keep my left leg exercised!! Clutch can be heavy on TD4 due to direct acting gearbox internal slave cylinder. Hard to change too! My auto did 105k before needing a new reverse clutch. Now done 170k.

Was about to ask if they are more/less problematic... The reverse clutch something you can change yourself? Only ever converted my 200sx from auto to manual many years ago, that's as much as I have done with an auto!
Currently drive an auto and love it, but it is the fancy 8spd thing and it's superb.
As you say my 79 Midget keeps my left leg excercised! (Probably selling in spring though..)

Karlos28 said:

I definitely want a facelift FL1

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I agree. Best looking IMO. Best looking interior IMO. Best headlights. Worst build though, definitely not screwed together as well as the pre-facelift. I don't mean it's actually put together worse, but LR cheapened the interior trim considerably for the facelift. It has lots of rattles and just feels cheap.

Karlos28 said:

I guess best engine is the td4 for power and mpg ect..

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TD4 for economy, but has 40% less power per tonne than a Daewoo Matiz. So it's no road burner, far from it as it's positively slow.

Karlos28 said:

How do you find the auto? Unsure whether to go auto or manual.

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Auto is definitely the nicest FL1 to drive, although it's best in the V6. Be aware that the auto box makes the MPG pretty bad, even in TD4 form. You'll see about 30 MPG from a TD4 auto and sub 20 MPG from the V6. However having owned both TD4 and V6 autos, the V6 is definitely the nicest to drive and the quietest FL1 on the the road too.

Hmm, so the mpg may be more than 30 in a manual?

The V6 would be nice, but I think again mpg would be the killer there, what is your experience of it? I only do a 44 mile round trip to work and back (either motorway or 50 roads), then the off jaunt if I'm going to Wales or the lakes on my bike.

I think it's purely the old refractive headlights that I hate about the pre facelift! Though that double din business is as good as a must.

I still haven't been near one in the flesh yet, need to go and view one to have a good like around and suss out dimensions. I'm sure I could get a couple of bikes in the back of one if I can get them in my 1 series!? If not a rack it is..

It is when the gearbox is shifting gears and not locked that the MPG is really hit - on the open road, the MPG is comparable to a manual and should be getting towards 40MPG. Its around town or twisty downshifting roads its at its worst.

You will be lucky to get a bike in the back of a F1, you'd have to be taking wheels off - recon on a rack.

Yeah I take both off in my 1 series, no issue with that. (Prefer that to a rack)

So it has a bit of a lazy/loose torque converter then? Think I'd have to drive both to make my mind up! Do they both cruise at the same/similar rpm at 70?