Freelander. Td4 2003 manual

hi all looking for advice. Car is based in France so trying to arm myself with info before engaging in conversation in French.
Car moved worked fine this am. Drove up a modest snow covered track. Parked car left the engine running for 10 mins. Selected reverse no problem moved the car maybe 3mts thought I’d run into ice snow as car wouldn’t move. No funny noises etc selected first moved forward then reverse no probs turned car around and went to move off. Car stalled I restarted the car moved off thought I’d heard something underneath (metallic). Checked under car nothing caught carried on maybe 200 mts. Had to re park. When I went to movie the car ten mins later it crunched and stalled. It went into reverse no probs. But wouldn’t go forward. Clutch works and bites gears (all ) can be selected.
I’m leaning toward drive shaft front wheels
Any further advice. Also how easy is it to remove drive shafts for towing purposes

It sounds like the IRD has gone. Has the car got 4 identical tyres?

I've no experience on this - I was wondering if the gears in the IRD are mating turning 1 way but jamming going the other - OP needs to be careful not to fracture the casing - although I'm suprised it didn't go already if it is gears jamming. Fractured case means no 2WD option and no swap value for a recon.

Was also wondering if there's a shaft (that's thrown a bearing) in the gearbox used for forward gears that isn't for reverse?

Also has there been any vibration from the FR driveshaft? Been stories of that taking out the IRD as well.

Nodge68 said:

It sounds like the IRD has gone. Has the car got 4 identical tyres?

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No it hasn’t. Only had it two weeks. 4 new ones are on order!,!

GrumpyGel said:

Also has there been any vibration from the FR driveshaft? Been stories of that taking out the IRD as well.

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No vibration. In fact I’ve been impressed at how smooth it all was. Occasionally I stalled it but put it down to getting used to the car. I’ve only had it a couple of weeks.

ridemassif said:

No it hasn’t. Only had it two weeks. 4 new ones are on order!,!

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Sounds like you're a bit late!

GrumpyGel said:

Sounds like you're a bit late!

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Yep. Ok so if it’s ird is this generally a big job. I’ve had a quick look on line but is it worth doing.

It looks like you are in a bit of a predicament as it does sound like the IRD has gone. You'll obviously need to get it lifted to a place where you can work on it or a garage - it doesn't sound like working on it outdoors will be much fun given you are on snow.

First thing I'd do is a 1 wheel up test - this will tell you if your VCU is servicable. If not - you'll have the cost of that to start with - and it is highly likely you will.

Next I'd drain the IRD oil - I expect it will come out looking very grey/silvery which will be the bearings ground down and suspended in the oil. That will be the indicator that a recon IRD is needed.

I suppose you should do the same with the rear diff - as it could also be that that is stopping it going forward - and could also have been badly damaged if it is the IRD that's gone.

Next I'd remove the IRD and turn the input shaft by hand to see if it locks in 1 direction - that would obviously confirm that it is the IRD that's stuffed. If it doesn't I'm not sure how you go about checking the gearbox. With the IRD off, I'm not sure if it is advisable to start the engine and try first gear, I believe the IRD forms a seal for the gearbox's oil - it doesn't drain with the IRD removed - but not sure what will happen if you turn it.

So I would think you are into a recon VCU and IRD - for prices check...

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

You are looking at the thick end of £1K for those. I'm no expert mechanic, but I managed to removed and reinstall my IRD. It is mainly just a lot of bolts and a reasonably heavy box. If you have somewhere to do it that you can get the car to that's sheltered and you have a bit of space under the car (I luckily have an inspection pit in my garage and wouldn't do the job on axle stands) it is 'doable' without experience. If you want/need to give it to a garage that's additional cost for you to consider.

Whether its worth doing is up to you. You could take a gamble on 2nd hand IRD and VCU from a breakers - both are very likey to be in poor condition as it is a primary reason for Freelanders ending up at the breakers yard.

If its the rear pinion gears in the IRD that are jamming - you could remove the pinion and put a blanking plate on (they're cheap on eBay) and run the car 2WD. You can do that without even removing the IRD from the car. I'm not sure how you check which gears are causing the problem - but that might be a first step anyway just to see if you can get the car mobile quickly. When my IRD went I was not confident that the remainder of the unit was in a good enough condition just to install a blanking plate. I got a rebuild kit (new bearings, seals and cooler) and had them fitted even though I'm running 2WD now. The kits are about £150 but getting the bits installed cost a lot more - however, I think I was taken for a ride there by the workshop that did it!

It would be interesting to hear other views. They are just mine.

Good luck, and don't worry if you need advice if you choose to take the job on, there are plenty here who have been there and can offer support!

The cheapest route is remove the pinion and run as a 2 WD. However if you need winter transport, that's not an option.