Freelander poorly

Hi guys,
I'm new here, but I really hope somebody could help me.

A few weeks ago I noticed a regular knocking sound coming from under my freeloader. I was driving the vehicle home and as I went around a roundabout, the car made a really loud bang. I crawled home and started trying to diagnose the problem.
I've replaced front wishbones, bearings and CV joints, but the violent banging is still there.

It's not a regular knocking, it is a really loud bang that seems to come from underneath, visual inspections reveal nothing and I can't keep throwing money at it as a process of elimination. It happens when driving and I can now feel it through the floor. It also happens if I dip the clutch and allow it to freewheel a little. In fact, even people passing by can hear it as I go past.
I'm afraid to drive the car due to this and I am hoping somebody may have experienced this, or have a clue what it could be. When I say it's a violent bang, I mean VIOLENT.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

P. S. Would it be worth taking the props off to see if it still occurs in 2WD mode?

It is almost definitely your IRD gone fubar - its the gears slipping. Easy to test by removing the props and seeing if the noise goes away.

Have you been checking the VCU and tyres? ...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/tests-new-freelander-owners-should-do-on-their-car.312863/

If removing the props stops the noise, it is almost certainly the IRD - the gears driving the rear pinion slipping. See if there is any lateral play in it. Simply driving with the props removed is fine as a 2WD vehicle, but you will run a risk of those gears jamming and blowing your IRD case (as well as a possibly hazardous situation). You also need to inform your insurance company to see if they will continue your insurance with a modified vehicle.

Davey50 said:

I've replaced front wishbones, bearings and CV joints, but the violent banging is still there.

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Randomly changing things that can't cause violent banging is a waste of time and money.

So it's pretty obvious to us that your IRD is fubar. So now you need to identify what caused it to fail. Normally it's because of incorrect tyres being fitted.

This causes the VCU to stiffen up, overloading the IRD, which eventually throws in the towel.

So you need to replace the IRD, VCU and fit 4 identical tyres.

Or remove the propshafts and fit a blanking plate to the IRD. Then tell your insurance company, as removing the propshafts is a modification that they're not keen on.

GrumpyGel said:

Simply driving with the props removed is fine as a 2WD vehicle, but you will run a risk of those gears jamming and blowing your IRD case

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Assuming the IRD case hasn't already split.

Many thanks for the advice guys. I knew somebody here would help.
I'll do the e prop test today and then get the cheque book out. I'd hate to kill my freelander as the only other car I've enjoyed this much was my 1979 mini.
There are marks on the propshafts and vcu that suggest they have been changed by a previous owner, but no marks on the IRD.
Many thanks again for your advice, I'll keep you posted on the results.

Does it happen constantly or when you go over bumps in the road, Have you checked the centre rear diff mount to rule that out?? What was the results of the OWU test?