4 Wheel Drive problem on 2003 Freelander

Titchwitch · Nov 3, 2014

HELP!
I have a 2003 TD4 Freelander, The rear wheels are driving but the front wheels do not appear be doing anything: so effectively I am left with just two wheel drive. I know the Freelander can suffer from loss of the 4 wheel drive but I thought it was the rear wheel drive that was lost not the front wheel drive. Has anyone any idea of what the problem is and what I need to do to get it repaired. An idea of cost would also be appreciated.
Thanks for any help.

West Slope Rover · Nov 3, 2014

Is the front propshaft in place? It may have been removed due to a dead VCU.

englishbullterrier · Nov 3, 2014

Titchwitch said:
HELP!
I have a 2003 TD4 Freelander, The rear wheels are driving but the front wheels do not appear be doing anything: so effectively I am left with just two wheel drive. I know the Freelander can suffer from loss of the 4 wheel drive but I thought it was the rear wheel drive that was lost not the front wheel drive. Has anyone any idea of what the problem is and what I need to do to get it repaired. An idea of cost would also be appreciated.
Thanks for any help.

Firstly, please -

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Secondly -
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Titchwitch · Nov 3, 2014

Hi, sorry to sound totally thick but I thought that the prop shaft went to the back wheels and that if this was removed it would be the back wheels that would not work. From what you are telling me there is a propshaft to the front wheels and if this has been removed or the VCU is dead this would account for having no drive in the front wheels. Have I got this correct?

West Slope Rover · Nov 3, 2014

Titchwitch said:
Hi, sorry to sound totally thick but I thought that the prop shaft went to the back wheels and that if this was removed it would be the back wheels that would not work. From what you are telling me there is a propshaft to the front wheels and if this has been removed or the VCU is dead this would account for having no drive in the front wheels. Have I got this correct?

Basically, yes.

SES88 · Nov 3, 2014

no there are driveshafts to the front wheels, a prop to the vcu, a vcu, a rear prop, a rear diff, and rear drive shafts...

so, which of the above do you have?

rwd freelander sounds fun

englishbullterrier · Nov 3, 2014

Symptoms - Bell Engineering

britishwardog · Nov 3, 2014

Best bet is to remove the rear prop, simple enough job, if you can still drive the car then you still have front wheel drive!

Epicuser · Nov 3, 2014

The OP is saying that he has driven rear wheels but no drive to the front wheels.

I have no idea how this can happen. But it sounds like fun to me. Rear wheel drifts on snow & ice

digby · Nov 3, 2014

should be a strange IRD failure if the symptoms are confirmed...........

dave21478 · Nov 3, 2014

If the splines have failed on one of the front driveshafts, this will give rear-wheel-drive-only symptoms - the front diff will send power to the side with least resistance which will be the damaged side so no tractive effort will be produced at the front.

GrumpyGel · Nov 3, 2014

dave21478 said:
If the splines have failed on one of the front driveshafts, this will give rear-wheel-drive-only symptoms - the front diff will send power to the side with least resistance which will be the damaged side so no tractive effort will be produced at the front.

Yeh - basically something like this is the only way a Freelander can drive the rears but not the front - 1 front wheel must be 'free wheeling' - be it splines or something else sheered (eg hub, CV joint etc). For anything like this to happen though, I'm sure the car would be making a hell of a racket.

GrumpyGel · Nov 3, 2014

What makes you think its only driving the rears?

Titchwitch · Nov 3, 2014

Thanks everyone for your comments. The car is going in for a new wheel bearing next week so I will try and find out if all the 'pieces' described by SES 88 are in place. I really need 4 wheel drive as the winter can be dire in France where I live. I will come back when I have news of what is or is not in place.

jumble_jobs · Nov 3, 2014

Do reply - interested to know how this could happen without you knowing about it from noise clunking or other obvious symptoms.

:wtf::jaw:

Titchwitch · Nov 4, 2014

Hi everyone
There are just two points that may be associated. 1) I do have a small 'clunk' from the n/s front wheel when driving on a country lane. However this is not load and not noticeable on a main road. The garage tells me it is a wheel bearing, which is being replaced next week. 2) The downhill light does not come on when I engage the switch and am in low or reverse gears..also there seems no difference to the 'feel' when this is engaged. I do know that this is not a faulty dashboard light.
Are these may be relevant or not
Cheers

sas_pinkie · Nov 4, 2014

ah... are you getting confused?

are you aware that the 4 wheel drive system is not switchable. the light you talk about is purely the hill descent control. if the light isn't coming on, check under your gear stick gaiter for a broken connection to the switch.

GrumpyGel · Nov 4, 2014

Sounds like you have an Auto box - on the manual, the HDC switch wire is very prone to falling off the switch - not sure about the auto's but it sounds like thats the problem.

A 'clunk' sound on rough road but no sound on smooth road doesn't sound like a wheel bearing to me. But I'm not with the car I suppose.

Epicuser · Nov 4, 2014

GrumpyGel said:
A 'clunk' sound on rough road but no sound on smooth road doesn't sound like a wheel bearing to me. But I'm not with the car I suppose.

I had a clunk on bumpy roads and off-road. Turned out to be a track rod end. Could possibly be the lower ball joint.

GrumpyGel · Nov 4, 2014

Epicuser said:
I had a clunk on bumpy roads and off-road. Turned out to be a track rod end. Could possibly be the lower ball joint.

Yeh, that sounds more like it !

4 Wheel Drive problem on 2003 Freelander

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