Freelander 1 clonk clonk... vibration... pum!!! then all cool

Hi guys,
I have been following this site since I´ve got my 1999 freelander 1 which I really love, and I´ve found answers to many of my found issues here for what I am very grateful.

Well... it turns out that one day I started hearing a clack clack noise specially when turning right, which I identified on the front right part of the car, just when driving and from time to time until one day the sound dissapeared (btw, took it to a local garage where they couldn´t find any issues and told me it was safe to drive).

After a week, I noticed that when driving above 60mph my Landy was vibrating and though it could be an alignment/wheel balancing issue, but anyway i set my trip off to the Isle of Skye from Liverpool for the weekend.

The vibration went worse and worse until, after something like 700 miles in a weekend, while on the motorway 70mph i heard a massive noise like rolling and hitting something underneath the car... (I did saw that coming...)

Long story short, pulled over and tried to check for anything missing or damaged, couldn't find anything. Since the I have no noise nor vibration and the car drives very well actually.

My thinking is that whatever felt or broke and it´s missing it was clearly not needed haha, but seriously, I would like to know what could it be, as the mechanic says that there's nothing wrong...

Any ideas?

Has a prop shaft fallen off?

DefenderPilot said:

Has a prop shaft fallen off?

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It doesn't look like... and I don't notice any loss on power/grip

Javi said:

It doesn't look like... and I don't notice any loss on power/grip

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You wouldn't notice any difference in driving normally. Hardly any drive is sent to the back wheels unless the fronts are slipping.

It's easy to check. Just look underneath. There should be two; one at the front from the IRD to the VCU and one at the back from the VCU to the rear diff.

DefenderPilot said:

You wouldn't notice any difference in driving normally. Hardly any drive is sent to the back wheels unless the fronts are slipping.

It's easy to check. Just look underneath. There should be two; one at the front from the IRD to the VCU and one at the back from the VCU to the rear diff.

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Thank you DefenderPilot!, It is missing... (pics attached). I can't believe that the mechanic didn't noticed, probably he just looked at the front wheels... rubbish...
Now I need more advice, as I am not sure it is worth to keep investing money on it. Is it possible to keep driving it safely on-road for a few months? and, do you know any decent garage around liverpool?

I've never seen a propshaft come off a FL1 at the yokes before, but I guess anything is possible. I'd go back to the mechanic and have a quiet word about his diagnostic skills.

I'd be worried about why it fell off. Good job it didn't do any other damage. You can drive it as 2WD no problem but it's usual to take the front prop off when doing that. I don't imagine a 2nd hand prop would be very expensive from a salvage yard and it's not a difficult job. Half the job is already done.

DefenderPilot said:

I'd be worried about why it fell off. Good job it didn't do any other damage. You can drive it as 2WD no problem but it's usual to take the front prop off when doing that. I don't imagine a 2nd hand prop would be very expensive from a salvage yard and it's not a difficult job. Half the job is already done.

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Thanks for your reply. Any idea why it came off? I guess the vibration for 700+ miles could be an indicator lol
Ohh another, probably very stupid question, will it pass the MOT?

Javi said:

Thanks for your reply. Any idea why it came off? I guess the vibration for 700+ miles could be an indicator lol
Ohh another, probably very stupid question, will it pass the MOT?

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It looks like the yoke has broken. This would cause the joint to fail. If one joint failed, the shaft will thrash about on the ground into the other joint failed. The front joint looks broken. The rear joint looks bent, suggesting that it failed as a result of the shaft hitting the ground. Lucky it didn't take out the fuel tank or damage the floor.

Interestingly your VCU is also missing the VCU damper outer ring.

I would certainly look for a new mechanic, the vcu is almost certainly seized, and your prop was weakest link, I would also check the ird before refitting a prop, are the biggest diameter tyres on the back axle ?

freelance said:

I would certainly look for a new mechanic, the vcu is almost certainly seized, and your prop was weakest link, I would also check the ird before refitting a prop, are the biggest diameter tyres on the back axle ?

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Hmm no, all 4 corners are the same