Crane Mans Commercial

So, here she is! As she is when I picked her up on Wednesday 3 Feb.
2.0TD with FSH, 141k, new cambelt, clutch, 4x tyres, and brakes all round (all done by previous owner in December. 11 months MOT. I paid £1,000 cash and drove her home! There's not a single mark, scratch, blemish on the paintwork what so ever.

NIGGLES-
Heater only works on 3&4
Rear wiper arm missing
Prop removed
Clunking noise at front

And that's pretty much it. I think the clunking is something to do with the CV, or maybe because the prop is out? I have the Prop so intend to have this refitted next week. I'll get a new wiper arm from Fleabay, but any help with the heater greatly appreciated

I do have big plans, I want to fit a soft top, get roof bars, and fit spots. Although the front seats are nice, I'd like to change these to for leathers (anyone know what fits directly in?) need to paint the running boards , get a different wheel cover, fit wind deflectors, black badges. Upgrade the bulbs to LED's, fit light guards and a black bull bar too.
I'll be updating my post as the work progresses

Anyone got any of the above they want to sell, get rid of etc etc, just let me know . Also, all comments and advice taken on board, no matter how bizarre!

Cheers
Crane Man

Do like a commercial Freelander. Looks nice, just remember some bits have different fittings/part numbers with it being a commercial. Keep the pictures coming. Mike

looks nice ,is it me or is there no hill decent switch on the gear lever .

Don't think commercials came with HDC. Mike

Nope, no hill descent! Thanks Mike, didn't know there was a difference in parts between Commercial and car. But I'm guessing the parts I'm after are generic

Looks good, another commercial fan, however Mrs Kayos said no.

I have just fitted the rubber nudge bar with spots, just be aware the markings on the back of the bumper may not line up, mine didn't.

HDC was optional at that age. Mine is a 2001 commercial and has it.

I am not aware of any differences for parts between it and a normal car apart from the obvious rear trim etc.

Before you get all excited with the mods and upgrades, refit the prop and do the One Wheel Up test BEFORE you drive it anywhere. If the VCU is dead, you need to investigate if the IRD is still working and the prop was removed before it got ruined, or if its dead and the prop was removed to keep the car going without 4WD.

dave21478 said:

HDC was optional at that age. Mine is a 2001 commercial and has it.

I am not aware of any differences for parts between it and a normal car apart from the obvious rear trim etc.

Before you get all excited with the mods and upgrades, refit the prop and do the One Wheel Up test BEFORE you drive it anywhere. If the VCU is dead, you need to investigate if the IRD is still working and the prop was removed before it got ruined, or if its dead and the prop was removed to keep the car going without 4WD.

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Will do, thanks for the heads up. I'm guessing my garage will know what that means as I don't have a bloody clue what you just said

Is it for sale and how much???????

Thor1950 said:

Is it for sale and how much???????

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Many, many dollar

CRANE MAN said:

Will do, thanks for the heads up. I'm guessing my garage will know what that means as I don't have a bloody clue what you just said

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Do a search on here for the one wheel up test. Your garage probably knows less about your Freelander's 4X4 system than you!! Unless they specialise in Freelanders, which many don't.

as I don't have a bloody clue what you just said

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here's the One Wheel Up test :
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/vcu-torque-test-results.109486/page-13#post-2141449

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these should explain why :

( explains the 4wd system .. )

http://www.bellengineering.co.uk/5.html

http://www.paddockspares.com/blog/what-does-my-freelanders-vcu-do/

or do a site search ( top right corner of page ) for ..
" IRD " .. " VCU " ..

hd3 said:

here's the One Wheel Up test :
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/vcu-torque-test-results.109486/page-13#post-2141449

~~~~~~~~~~

these should explain why :

( explains the 4wd system .. )

http://www.bellengineering.co.uk/5.html

http://www.paddockspares.com/blog/what-does-my-freelanders-vcu-do/

or do a site search ( top right corner of page ) for ..
" IRD " .. " VCU " ..

Click to expand...

Cheers guys

Yes, just to backup what everyone else has said.

Do not expect a garage to understand the Freelander's transmission. They may say they understand it, they may say they are Land Rover specialists, but there's a good chance as @Nodge68 says - they are bluffing or simply are expecting to find a standard LR transmission underneath - its not. Ensure they know Freelander.

Yes, before you do anything, read up and understand how the Freelander's transmission functions. People have been rather gentle on you as to your car's possible condition. Once you have a bit of an understanding of how the transmission works, pose yourself the question "Why were the props removed?". Did the seller say why the props were removed?

Sometimes its because the carrier bearings were noisy - that's the ideal situation - you may just get away with the new bearings (have a look at them before putting them back on the car).

Sometimes it is preemptive because the VCU was beginning to tighten up - once again not to bad, recon VCU and carrier bearings while you are at it and £300 may be all it needs.

Anything else and you are probably into a recon VCU and IRD which will be about what you paid for the car. If it is this bad (and often it is) then you can reduce this costings depending on what's gone in the IRD and how handy you are pulling bearings etc.

As stated - look up the 1 wheel up test. Bung on your props and test it. As the VCU has been standing, try it a few times to clear any cobwebs - that's assuming it turns at all! If you drive it with the props on - be very cautious - only edge it forwards slowly at first - listen for any strange or blood curdlingly loud bangs - anything unexpected and stop immediately - you may fracture the IRD casing - then you are really fecked - in fact moving it at all runs this possibility.

TBH there are a huge number of possible historic reasons why the car ended up like this - and an equal number of options going forward - hopefully its nice and simple.

Very nice little find there! was it on Ebay?

this passage is probably the most important out of HD3's link above once you've sorted any transmission problems

"Because the IRD exerts a slight gearing effect between front and rear drive, incorrect tyre sizes can alter this to produce the symptoms of a seized VCU, and to load the transmission in a similar way. The critical dimension is the rolling radius of the tyres, measured from the wheel centre to the ground, with the vehicle’s weight on correctly inflated tyres. Because actual sizes vary between tyre manufacturers, it’s worth ensuring the same make of tyre is fitted to front and rear. If differing makes are fitted, or just two tyres need to be renewed, ensure the tyres with the greatest rolling radius are fitted to the rear. This makes life easier for the VCU and the whole transmission"