Fix or chuck

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DALE CARROLL

DALE CARROLL

Active Member
Posts
111
Location
surrey
Have my 2003 kalahari freelander such a lovely car stunning color.

Think the vcu is gone or going

Symptoms

Stalls on full lock
Fine when cold when warm it hates going over 3000k rpm
And now going around a round about is makes a clicking sound from back.

It has got a faulty linkage would that mess the vcu up?

Apart from that anyone know the price as i wont be able to do such a big job myself and this car has cost already mostly time i havnt got to be doing it wonder should i sell it and buy another put an honest ad see how much its worth.

How much would it be valued at its 119k miles 1.8L service history for last 7 years and work recipts and an mot
 
And buy someone else's set of problems...

The hit you would have to take in selling yours with the current fault, would mean you'd have to spend more money to get something that 'appears' not to have faults. You'd be better spending that extra money fixing what you have. The Kalahari spec is a great car too so would be a shame to let it go.
 
4Bee4Bee said:
And buy someone else's set of problems...

The hit you would have to take in selling yours with the current fault, would mean you'd have to spend more money to get something that 'appears' not to have faults. You'd be better spending that extra money fixing what you have. The Kalahari spec is a great car too so would be a shame to let it go.
Click to expand...
This^^^^

Just fix what you have. You'll end up with a nice Freelander, once the teething troubles are sorted ;)
 
DALE CARROLL said:
Have my 2003 kalahari freelander such a lovely car stunning color.

Think the vcu is gone or going

Symptoms

Stalls on full lock
Fine when cold when warm it hates going over 3000k rpm
And now going around a round about is makes a clicking sound from back.

It has got a faulty linkage would that mess the vcu up?

Apart from that anyone know the price as i wont be able to do such a big job myself and this car has cost already mostly time i havnt got to be doing it wonder should i sell it and buy another put an honest ad see how much its worth.

How much would it be valued at its 119k miles 1.8L service history for last 7 years and work recipts and an mot
Click to expand...
03 K series, 119K, advertised with a dicky VCU and engine fault? You might get £1400 for it. Not sure.

As spring is nearly here, you could always take the props off and run it 2wd. Then, at your leisure, buy an exchange VCU and bearings from Bell - about £265. It's not a big job. I did it a couple of years ago and it took about two hours.

As for the engine fault and click - see how it runs without the prop, but I'm sure it's sortable.
 
On your other thread I posted...

GrumpyGel said:
My plan would be to do the 1 wheel up test before removing the props and before driving it any further.

If it comes back with a time over 1 minute, whip the props off - you'll need a new VCU.

Then check the oil in your IRD (drain and refill). If it comes out black, your IRD is fine. If it comes out metalicy grey - you'll need to recondition it. Remove the rear pinion and check the teeh on the crown and pinion gears - if they look excessively worn or any teeth are broken, then you might as well get a recon IRD. If the gears look OK and you know someone who's good at pulling/pushing bearings - then you can get IRD recon kits with the bearings and seals (foe about £150) I believe.

Check your tyres as above as well.
Click to expand...
Surely you can change a tyre?

If you can, then you can do the 1 wheel up test...



You really need to do a few simple little tests. Use a 1.2m bar and 5kg weight. You'll need a 32mm socket - unless you're driveshafts have been replaced at some point with aftermarket ones that use a different size nut.

Changing the oil in the IRD is more of a pain and may not be possible if you have any mobility type issues as you need to get under the car. You need to remove and put back 2 nuts, collect the oil that comes out and put some new oil in (using a syringe type device is what I use as its not an "on the top" filler, its on the side). If you really do not want to spend any money - put the old oil back in - but at least you will know if you have a problem or not.

Checking if the tyres are the same is simply a case of reading their names and sizes off the side of them. Everybody should be able to pull into a petrol station and check their tyre pressures - over here the gut at the station will check them for you probably.

So don't write your car off until you know what problems its got. As said, you are just as likely to end up with something in as bad condition. As said as well, you can possibly run the car 2WD until you're in a position to get the 4WD fixed. I've been running 2WD for a while now due to similar problems that your car may have and the car has been perfectly reliable. I'm currently in the process of risking that reliability and putting it back to 4WD - I must be mad!
 
4Bee4Bee said:
And buy someone else's set of problems...

The hit you would have to take in selling yours with the current fault, would mean you'd have to spend more money to get something that 'appears' not to have faults. You'd be better spending that extra money fixing what you have. The Kalahari spec is a great car too so would be a shame to let it go.
Click to expand...

Agree totally. Better the devil you know.
 
guineafowl21 said:
03 K series, 119K, advertised with a dicky VCU and engine fault? You might get £1400 for it. Not sure.
Click to expand...
With faults as they are, this is a soared or repairs car. Mine, with lower Mike's but HGF, cost a princely £275. All fixed, probably closer to £1k.

As this is a Kalahari, there may be a bit of a premium, but I agree, it's worth fixing, especially if you're prepared to some of the work yourself :)
 
DALE CARROLL said:
Have my 2003 kalahari freelander such a lovely car stunning color.

Think the vcu is gone or going
Symptoms
Stalls on full lock
Fine when cold when warm it hates going over 3000k rpm
And now going around a round about is makes a clicking sound from back.
Click to expand...

VCU is suspect, you could do as suggested and remove the prop shaft / VCU assembly and run 2WD over summer. That will allow time to assess the IRD. IRD drain oil and check the pinion ... If that looks good and the oil looks healthy i.e. no metallic particles, chunks ect and it's not a silvery colour but an oily brown / black then refill it. Fit a new OR recon VCU and new support bearings. enjoy.

Rear clicking: you have ruled out diff mounts and VCU support bearings. Check the rear subframe fixing points for cracking around the bolt holes. Check all rear linkages are securely done up, also check the top strut mounting nuts for tightness. Diff bearings??

Unable to rev over 3000rpm could be a number of factors. Not enough fuel - gas flow impeded [ie air filter... exhaust restricted] or electrical
A code reader would be a good starting point.
However, a new set of spark plugs could be a good investment.
Check resistance of plug leads themselves / replace?
Coil packs in good working condition.
Cam position sensor good?
Air filter clean?
You looked at and replaced the fuel pump & filter didn't you?
Is the Catalytic converter clear - it could be clogged by poor quality fuel in past usage?
You've used injector cleaner haven't you?

blue txt = easy for you to do yourself

Others more experienced will advise.
 
I have done 300 already its been comfirmed its coil packs. And vcu is going not gone. :( im high chance selling my mates got a disco for sale lol
 
DALE CARROLL said:
I have done 300 already its been comfirmed its coil packs. And vcu is going not gone. :( im high chance selling my mates got a disco for sale lol
Click to expand...
Yep you have to have deep pockets if you want a landrover. Well it will cost about another £300 on the cheap side. Might be cheaper if you recon it yourself.
 
Coil packs on MEMS3 engines can be a pain from recent experience. I've recently (in the last 6 months) changed both on my Freelander, and one on my nephew's ZR. Luckily I'd horded some parts, but they're available on the bay of fleas for not too much...

I have a Pscan if you need diagnostics, but it sounds as though you've solved the running problem now?
 
Its just coil packs i cant do them im gonna dee what offers i can get for it i know im gonna loose out i want a toy get a car and a cheaper landy slowly do it up problem is this is my work car aswell
 
Like most of us, you've jumped in only to find the consequences afterwards :)

I definitely wouldn't be so fast as to ditch a Freelander and jump into a Discovery - that is just out of the frying pan and into the fire. A Discovery will empty your piggy bank a lot faster than a Freelander.

If these coil packs are going to get the engine running OK, any problems with the transmission can usually be fixed by removing the prop shafts - but you need to tell your insurance company. You then have a decent 2WD car that shouldn't drain your pockets.

When you're ready you can then change the oil in the IRD to see what condition that's in and if its OK, then a recon VCU and you should be good to go back 4WD. Its a lot cheaper if you're prepared to get some spanners out and do things like unbolt the props and change oil yourself.

I'm sure that if you do that, you'll have an every day car and fun toy you'll be more than happy with.
 
I 100% agree with GG. Coil packs are a doddle. Sorting the VCU ought not cost the earth either. Once that's all sorted (plus a few rubber mounting bushes for the rear diff), I think you'll have a really nice car! :)
 
Last edited:
GrumpyGel said:
Like most of us, you've jumped in only to find the consequences afterwards :)

I definitely wouldn't be so fast as to ditch a Freelander and jump into a Discovery - that is just out of the frying pan and into the fire. A Discovery will empty your piggy bank a lot faster than a Freelander.

If these coil packs are going to get the engine running OK, any problems with the transmission can usually be fixed by removing the prop shafts - but you need to tell your insurance company. You then have a decent 2WD car that shouldn't drain your pockets.

When you're ready you can then change the oil in the IRD to see what condition that's in and if its OK, then a recon VCU and you should be good to go back 4WD. Its a lot cheaper if you're prepared to get some spanners out and do things like unbolt the props and change oil yourself.

I'm sure that if you do that, you'll have an every day car and fun toy you'll be more than happy with.
Click to expand...

I agree with GG. A disco is big money by comparison to a Freelander. Been there, done that!! The FL is much cheaper to maintain, once a few niggles are sorted.
Why are the coil packs £300? Genuine LR packs are about £45 each. So that's £90 for the pair. Aftermarket coil packs are half the LR price. The coils packs are a 30 minute job to change.

That is much less than one injector on the 5 cylinder Discovery.

The VCU can be removed until funds are available to replace it. ;)
 
If you suspect a dodgy VCU then test it. If it fails then whip it off immediately and drive on,you can fix it at your leisure and still enjoy your car. Lots of people take them off and never refit them.
I don't understand why you can't do coil packs. They're around thirty quid each on ebay and take a couple of minutes to swap. :confused:
 
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