Freelander Awful in Snow

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Nodge68 said:
There's definitely no drive to the back wheels. Mine would climb that gently hill without any wheels spinning.

It's not easy to convert the FL2 to 2WD, but it can do it on its own in 2 ways.
The Haldex being faulty is one way, so when was that last serviced, if it was serviced?
The only other way is for the drive to be disconnected at the spline link between the gearbox and PTU, which seems to be a common fault.

The only way to tell is to record what the propshaft is doing, when the front wheels are spinning. If the propshaft isn't rotating with the front wheels, then the PTU splines have failed.
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+ 1

I already got to see the video.
No rear wheel thrust.
It is very interesting no light of fault in your dashboard.
Please report diagnostic and fault codes (ask for codes to be recorded before erasing)
 
GrumpyGel said:
Should have got an F1. I was just watching summat else on youtube and this came up. Pretty impressive.

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I reckon the VCU derived 4x4 of the FL1 is unbeatable in slippy conditions. It's the slight slip that allows the tyres to maintain traction which really helps, and actually works when braking too, which maintains grip at the rear tyres.
 
Nodge68 said:
I reckon the VCU derived 4x4 of the FL1 is unbeatable in slippy conditions. It's the slight slip that allows the tyres to maintain traction which really helps, and actually works when braking too, which maintains grip at the rear tyres.
Click to expand...
That is actually quite right. And the other advantage that Freelanders have is that they are rarely fitted with very aggressive mud tyres, which are not much good on snow.
 
Had the cars diagnostics looked at and it seems to be an issue with the haldex fuel pump (open to ground or short circuit). Going back in Monday to get verified and looked at more but they reckon it's the oil pump that needs replacing. Strange that I get no message on the dash though.
 
When the pump fails, the terrain response is disconnected and "reduced traction failure. Special programs disconnected" appears in LCD screen.
It then records the faults p1889-14 (electrical failure of the pump) and sometimes also p1889-74 (the actuator slips). It is usually a problem with the brushes of the electric motor of the haldex OIL (not fuel) pump.
If it works again, nothing appears on the screen but the faults have been memorized. It does not illuminate any fault lights on the dashboard.
The pump can be tested simply by disassembling it and plugging in 12v power.
The pump can sometimes run until the brushes wear out.
First: Check the good condition of the oil and filter, as well as a clean pump filter and test the pump.
Looking at the brushes is not difficult but it is laborious.
 
GeogreO2717 said:
Had the cars diagnostics looked at and it seems to be an issue with the haldex fuel pump (open to ground or short circuit). Going back in Monday to get verified and looked at more but they reckon it's the oil pump that needs replacing. Strange that I get no message on the dash though.
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Haldex pump failure is typically a fault caused by lack of Haldex maintenance. The Haldex needs maintenance often, or the fluid turns to jelly, and the pump filter screen blocks up with clutch fibre, causing the pump to overheat and burn out the brushes.
20210117_183833.jpg

The Haldex needs a service every 20k miles, according to the specialist repairer of them.

Make sure the fluids in the rear diff and PTU are changed at the same time.
 
Hi All,

After getting it looked at in more depth it seems as if the Oil pump warning was just not cleared properly from the diagnostics, however i'm going to get the haldex serviced anyway to make sure. With the car in the air it was very clear that there is no movement in the prop shaft with it almost certain that the splines have gone. Currently getting some quotes to get it resolved, but looks like a costly repair for a new to me car. But at least i'l know the drive train and engine is in good nick after as i am going to get haldex serviced, all oil/fluids changed, & timing belt replaced.

I know these can wear quicker if there is uneven tires or sticking breaks. I have changed all the tires as the old ones where nackered, however they were all the same brand and had reasonably even tread depth. The parking break however is not brilliant at holding the car on any real slope, and when lifting the cover in the back to look at the cable adjustment the cables are not evenly adjusted. I am going to get this looked at at the same time, however do you reckon this could be the cause. Just trying to make sure i cover all basis to stop this happening again down the line.
 
GeogreO2717 said:
With the car in the air it was very clear that there is no movement in the prop shaft with it almost certain that the splines have gone.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's the splines stripped. Unfortunately they can often take out the PTU too. Mine has been replaced already.
GeogreO2717 said:
Currently getting some quotes to get it resolved, but looks like a costly repair for a new to me car.
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Yes. Not the sort of expense you want, after just buying an expensive car.
GeogreO2717 said:
The parking break however is not brilliant at holding the car on any real slope, and when lifting the cover in the back to look at the cable adjustment the cables are not evenly adjusted. I am going to get this looked at at the same time, however do you reckon this could be the cause.
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I replaced the whole lot, as nobody seems to be bothered to maintain these things. I found one cable had corroded, which caused binding.
I replaced all 4 rotors, front calipers, parking brake shoes and cables too, just before the MOT last week. This was after I fitted my newly reconditioned rear diff and serviced Haldex.
Just the misfire at 2k RPM to fix now.
 
Jeepers, you've taken on a lot of work/cost with this motor that you would not have been expecting.

I hope it rewards you with a good number of years trouble free motoring.

My F1 was roughly the same age as yours when I got it. Its transmission destroyed itself (with a bit of help from me probably!) after 3 years of ownership. I got to know the car quite well and put a lot of effort into putting it back together with a lot of help from this forum (crash course in vehicle maintenance) - and I have to say, it has rewarded me with 7 years boringly reliable service. Its been a really great motor as a daily work horse, load puller and taken us and visiting family and friends on lots of great trips to awesome places.
 
GrumpyGel said:
If he is after a manual, then I'd be wary of a TD4 - the clutches appear to need replacing at quite low mileages and the clutch slave is inside the bell housing so is a gearbox off job to replace. They are though the only option for an auto. The TD4 is a common rail, so much more refined than the L Series and also more to go wrong, but they're still OK. If your son mainly does town driving though, in auto for, don't expect much more than 25mpg.
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Um - V6?
 
GrumpyGel said:
Discounted as to unreliable and difficult to fix.
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I'd rather maintain and fix a V6 FL1 over a FL2 any day. Sure the FL2 is more modern to drive, but it's complicated and expensive, whereas the FL1 V6 is just thirsty on fuel.
I love my FL2, but do think they are far to reliant on delicate mechanical and electronic components.
 
GrumpyGel said:
Discounted as to unreliable and difficult to fix.
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I wouldn't say difficult, you just need to know what you're doing :)
Well ok, clearing airlocks in the coolant can be tricky.
And replacing the thermostat housing is a pain in the ****.
Maybe changing the relays in the Jatco box can be a tad awkward.
But, easier to work on than my Disco, but then that doesn't break very much :)
 
Last edited:
Afternoon All,

Thought i'd give you all an update on the car. I ended up changing everything at the rear for the handbrake plus 1 of the callipers as it started binding after replacing the rest.
The 4WD ended up being a bit of a mission to sort with a lot of strange questions raised.

Firstly the PTU that was removed is a recon unit, however no garage that's worked on it previously has any records of the PTU being changed and the bolts where merely finger tight. The unit itself seemed off as there was very little resistance when manually turning the PTU compared to the new unit, and the splines had sheared on the gearbox end of the sleeve, with no corresponding damage or metal residue within the gearbox side.

Then after replacing the PTU and servicing the Haldex (looked much like the picture above) everything looked good. However after a simple test drive by the garage the "Transmission fault, reduced traction" message popped up on the dash. Reading the code it appeared to be a solenoid issue, so having heard about that before from their transmission specialists the garage completely stripped the Haldex, blew out all the gunk and refitted it. This has resolved the issue however the Haldex had a couple of bolts that where not standard (random bolts) and 1 had been ground down and rounded. So although the car seems to be working i'm still a little weary about pushing it as it seems to have had a fair amount of bodging done to it previously.

If anyone has an green lanes around buxton that they know would be good first lanes to test the 4WD properly or are willing to join me as rescue then please let me know.
 
GeogreO2717 said:
Afternoon All,

Thought i'd give you all an update on the car. I ended up changing everything at the rear for the handbrake plus 1 of the callipers as it started binding after replacing the rest.
The 4WD ended up being a bit of a mission to sort with a lot of strange questions raised.

Firstly the PTU that was removed is a recon unit, however no garage that's worked on it previously has any records of the PTU being changed and the bolts where merely finger tight. The unit itself seemed off as there was very little resistance when manually turning the PTU compared to the new unit, and the splines had sheared on the gearbox end of the sleeve, with no corresponding damage or metal residue within the gearbox side.

Then after replacing the PTU and servicing the Haldex (looked much like the picture above) everything looked good. However after a simple test drive by the garage the "Transmission fault, reduced traction" message popped up on the dash. Reading the code it appeared to be a solenoid issue, so having heard about that before from their transmission specialists the garage completely stripped the Haldex, blew out all the gunk and refitted it. This has resolved the issue however the Haldex had a couple of bolts that where not standard (random bolts) and 1 had been ground down and rounded. So although the car seems to be working i'm still a little weary about pushing it as it seems to have had a fair amount of bodging done to it previously.

If anyone has an green lanes around buxton that they know would be good first lanes to test the 4WD properly or are willing to join me as rescue then please let me know.
Click to expand...
Wow, that's a sorry tale!

Some **** has really abused that motor. And you're the one footing the bills.

I hope it otherwise turns out a reliable motor for you.
 
GeogreO2717 said:
Afternoon All,

Thought i'd give you all an update on the car. I ended up changing everything at the rear for the handbrake plus 1 of the callipers as it started binding after replacing the rest.
The 4WD ended up being a bit of a mission to sort with a lot of strange questions raised.

Firstly the PTU that was removed is a recon unit, however no garage that's worked on it previously has any records of the PTU being changed and the bolts where merely finger tight. The unit itself seemed off as there was very little resistance when manually turning the PTU compared to the new unit, and the splines had sheared on the gearbox end of the sleeve, with no corresponding damage or metal residue within the gearbox side.

Then after replacing the PTU and servicing the Haldex (looked much like the picture above) everything looked good. However after a simple test drive by the garage the "Transmission fault, reduced traction" message popped up on the dash. Reading the code it appeared to be a solenoid issue, so having heard about that before from their transmission specialists the garage completely stripped the Haldex, blew out all the gunk and refitted it. This has resolved the issue however the Haldex had a couple of bolts that where not standard (random bolts) and 1 had been ground down and rounded. So although the car seems to be working i'm still a little weary about pushing it as it seems to have had a fair amount of bodging done to it previously.

If anyone has an green lanes around buxton that they know would be good first lanes to test the 4WD properly or are willing to join me as rescue then please let me know.
Click to expand...

This is all sounding very much like mine, although on different components.
There are some absolute cowboys out there, doing substandard work on vehicles which need utmost care.

Hopefully you'll get some good use out of it now.
 
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