New Freelander with a possible problem

Hi, I have just bought a 1999 K-series Freelander. And I know nothing about them

When I put on full lock at very slow speed it comes to a stop, a mechanic said a bearing may have gone in the trans axle. Does that sound right.

Cheers Jason

Tomcat36 said:

Hi, I have just bought a 1999 K-series Freelander. And I know nothing about them

When I put on full lock at very slow speed it comes to a stop, a mechanic said a bearing may have gone in the trans axle. Does that sound right.

Cheers Jason

Click to expand...

its normal ,dont worry , slight tight vcu , check out tipex test [its a basic rule of thumb test] but me i would not bother you will only fret.

Thats good, it has new sealant around the box.

What is a VCU ?
Dont know what a tipex test is either.

viscous coupling unit,it's in the middle of the car between the front and rear props.

Mings right but it shouldn't stop the car dead, you should feel a bit of resistance.

Welcome to Landyzone. May I reccomend you peruse the FAQ, it will help you alot. There's an excellent artcicle on what the VCU does here. There are also a few things you should use the search box to look for, I would suggest you read up threads on:

- Head Gasket Failure (and prevention thereof)
- VCU testing and replacement
- IRD Failure
- Coolant loss/ leaks
- Tyre care
- Diff mounts
- 2wd vs. 4wd/ propshaft removal

There will be alot of stuff in there that I promise you will scare the pants off you, however if you read up and understand what you may be faced with in future then it will be far less scary and expensive. We're a freindly bunch (if you can bear the ribbing and banter) so just ask us if you're unsure about anything - but every comceivable problem has been addressed and dealt with over the years and the forum is full of amazing information. Also, highly reccomend the Hayne's manual for the 1997 - 2003 model Freelander, even if you don't want to get your hands dirty it will help you understand what your mechanic is talking about (if he even knows.)

Tell us a bit about yourself , why did you buy a freelander? Are you enjoying it ?

Will.

Hello, welcome to the forums. How many miles has your Freelander done?

If it's more than 70K I would highly reccomend visiting someone like Bell Engineering and getting a recon. VCU fitted if it has no record of being replaced; if it's tight then it's suggesting it's probably getting to the end of it's servicable life. It will cost you a couple of hundred quid but the piece of mind it gives is well worth that. A VCU with more than 70K can possibly cause IRD (like a transfer box, sits alongside the gearbox) and diffs. to fail and that potentially would be expensive to fix.

Like Mingo says, when you read all the VCU stuff it sounds v. scary! But don't be scared, it's not going to simply go bang and destroy the IRD etc! When I first got my Hippo (not that long ago) I posted this about my VCU;

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/yet-another-vcu-thread-what-would-you-do-186247.html

Have a read of it, it may answer quite a few of your questions.

Thanks for the info, I have emigrated from the UK 4 years ago and brought my Rover Coupe, MG TF with me so I thought I would buy a Freelander to stay British as the Aussie's dont like 4 cylinder cars.

Are most parts bought from Rimmers Bros ?

I have bought parts from Rimmer Bros and have never had a problem with their service and the prices are pretty good. Lots of other places to shop around though .

Will.