ok, my vcu is fine, so whats its beef ???

hi folks.....
sorry, another vcu related topic....

ill try an be brief...

last year i thought vcu was goosed, as per tight turning issues etc etc... renewed vcu, prop support/carrier bearings and had ird box split and new bearings etc put in...
all should have been good, but when i got it back it still felt overly tight on turning etc....
after a while, there developed a noise.... a hollow rotational noise when driving at slow speeds... touching brakes or dipping clutch etc did nothing to stop it, i was convinced it was one of the prop carrier bearings because the noise sounded just like a bone dry bearing....

i removed the prop at the end of last winter and ran in 2wd.... no tightness (obviously) and more importantly, no noise......

winters on its way, i have four brand new tyres on and i thought id put the prop back on.
the noise and extreme tightness is still there....

ive tested the vcu this morning using the method with a 1200mm bar and a 8kg weight on the hub nut... the vcu seems to be fine.

this leads me to think that the original problem is with the rear diff..... ???

as i say, the car made no noise with the prop removed but i gather the diff is not under any load with out it.... with the prop back on, the noise is there. it dosent vibrate, rattle, knock or anything, it just sounds like a dry bearing...roatational a hollow... it doesnt increase in pitch with speed or get any louder etc etc... its just there at low speeds...almost like i can hear the prop spinning ???

im not sure how i can test the diff. it has plenty of good oil in it.
would you agree that if the diff was tight it would present the same charactoristics as a failing vcu ???

finally, if it is the diff, what my best option.... over haul, recon, etc....

thanks, hope someone can shed a little light ...:doh:

This ere noise...

1. Is the noise proportional to engine speed or vehicle speed?

2. Does it do it wiv the egnine running, whilst driving, in all gears?

3. Does it do it at speed wiv yer gearbox in neutral? (shouldn't really do this on an auto gearbox)

4. Does it do it at speed wiv the engine orf (be careful yer dun't crash or the steering lock comes on - turn orf then turn on so the lectrics are on - but ah din't say to try this option) whilst at speed when coasting?

1. no . speed makes no differance. its most audible at low speed.... at higher speed its drowned out by road and engine noise.... if i drive along slowly,10-20mph i can here it, if i dip clutch or dab brakes, it still remains...if i where to coast along to a stop i here the noise right up till i stop. the slowing speed makes no efect to pitch of noise, volume etc....

imagine a noise like if your rear brake shoes where binding slightly, or a whell bearing was gone.. if i remove the prop etc the noise goes away completly. the vcu is fine.


2.gears, clutch etc etc engine have no impact or effect on the noise. i dont think its related in any way to engine or gear box.

3. yes..weather in gear or in neutral or coasting it does it.

4. yes, if i coast down the drive and kill the ign.. its still there untill i come to a halt.



with the prop removed, its quiet as a mosue and drives just like a normal car, no pulling, no tight turns... but with the prop on its got this noise, like a dry bearing. its very tight turning, enough that if i take the right and left turns off my drive and dipp the clutch as i go round the two bends, the car will stop. if i reverse and dip the clutch the car will stop. i believ this to be quite normal for a freelander, allthough my feels unatural, over tight and just like it CANT be right. added to that is this noise. i fell there is a problem somewhere and at this point im thinking it may be related to the rear diff.

ive checked rear brakes, shoes etc..no binding at all, and as i say,, the problem goes away when i take the prop off.

ive tested the cvu again today. using the method with a long bar on the hub nut and an 8kg wieght on it. the vcu is fine. (and its only 6 months old)

there is no noise with the prop removed, and no tightness.

its like i can here the prop turning.

( no im not a super human freak with ears like the bfg)

this is driving me quite mad now, ive spent a few quid now and i dont want to ignore this problem an end up with the whole thing shot ....

If it's happening with engine orf and in neutral then it's transmission related. I have a simular problem, in which mine makes a squeal but only when the prop/vcu is fitted. Tried the wheels orf test below with it on tick over and at speed, and couldn't pin point the cause. So I bought some chassis ears orf ebay and used these to locate the noise.



The chassis ears have 6 microphone clips. Put them in different places on the car and listern to the seperate microphones 1 at a time whilst driving. This will pin point the noise by seeing which microphone picks it up the loudest. Sound of a vcu bearing failing whilst noise is detected wiv chassis ears. In the end mines coming from the ird and I think the props are magnifying the noise level when they're fitted.

ALBA ALB30508A ENGINE EAR CHASSIS STETHOSCOPE KIT *NEW* | eBay

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-isenbghOOI]Land Rover Freelander 1 v6 failed vcu support bearing - YouTube[/ame]

hhhmmmm.... seriously hope its not ird related....
incidentally, there is a sqeak from the brakes but only when its wet outside...its when you first drive off in the morning but its usually gone by the end of the street. there is no squeel when you pull uip to a halt, if thats the type you mean......

the annoying thing is, i really cant pinpoint where the noise is coming from, front, back, or middle.... its just there....
the noise is exactly how i would imagine it to sound if the prop/vcu carrier bearing was knackered..... but i have no way of telling if this is what the problem is..... they were only renewed 12 month ago and the prop has only been on the car for 6 of those months... ???

i have driven other peoples TD4's and yes, they all feel a little tight to be fair... but i feel like mines a little tighter then it should be and added to that ive got this bloody noise..........!!!!

as i say, the noise doesnt sound like its coming from front or rear in particular... if i drop the window to try and hear it better, i cant hear it as well ? with the window up i can hear it better, like its resonating through the car.. but deffinaitly a rotational sound. no knocking banging ,vibration or grinding etc... just this wherring noise.... as if i was holding a screw driver against the prop and scoring it as it goes round........... once i reached approx 30mph its kinda drowned out by road/engine noise, but still there... when i slow down its there , unaffected by braking or clutch dipping ,coasting engine killing...its deffo transmission related.... as i say, ird has been over hauled, vcu and bearings renewed.... diff has oil in but thats about all i can say on the diff.... ??? if i remove the prop, its gone. if i re-fit the prop its back with the noise and tight as a nuns chuf on full lock.
i just checked out side.... if i put on full lock in fporward or reverse and let out the clutch with no revs..it will drive round in circles on tick over alone, so i guess it cant be that tight that it makes the engine want to increase its load............ but the tightness i can live with, im more concerned with this noise !!!!

its deffo one of them noises that makes you think "hmm that cant be right????":doh:

gotta sort it soon, i dont want to leave the prop on for too long with it running like this

My squeal sounds like this. It's not the bit at the end in the last vid. Thats brakes as per the note in the vid.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6rqaBgzJws]Freelander 1 v6 Squeal - YouTube[/ame]


You need to pinpoint the location of yer noise. As said either lift it orf the floor and set it driving and walk round it to hear where the noise is coming from, or buy some chassis ears and listern to it while yer driving. Noises sound different when in the car. If you sit in the passenger seat you'll hear it and think its from a different location. As you don't know for sure where it's coming from, then yer stuck. Either follow 1 of these 2 options or burn it.

you missed out the option of strapping a small person to the exhuast pipe whilst i drive along.....

seroiusly tho.... i aint got the cash to buy them there microphone jobbies mate, i will barley have the dough to fix the bloody car, again.
geting it up on some axle stands may help, ill have a go... but sods law, these things behave differently under real load.....

i was hopeing for some more specific advice on the rear diff to be fair.... is it something that will work or just be dead and seized, no inbetween.... or is it likley to make things stiff and noisly as i described if bearings in it are failing ?
if any one else here has had a similar issue please let me know.... before i go down the route of a diff overhaul......

i tell you.... id swear it was a wheel bearing knackered. only i know its not because it stops when i removed the prop. the ird,vcu and bearings are new.... the diff is the only drive train part which i havent looked at.
as i said, i originally thought the fault was the vcu and went down that route but when i got the car back with the overhauled ird, new vcu and bearings...it still felt the same. overly tight.....
i came to the conclusion that i had thrown good cash away through paranoia and reading too much into vcu isses..... i didnt even think about a problem with the diff ???? as i say, a few moths after the new ird,vcu and bearings, this noise im talking about developped. the transmission is still tight.

it must be diff related...........

can anyone tell me if they've had a similar story.....

I wouldn't use axle stands on their own. I used me hipporamps as they have better support. Supporting the metal underneath. My axle stands are only to stop it tilting when I get it/out. Also a bit of safety margin. Nail some blocks togther and test it. Just don't run it for too long in gear spinning the wheels as the enigne won't get the cooling it needs while stationary. At least this way you'll get to know where the noise is coming from. The noise may be different when not under the same load, but you'll be surprised to find it's not far off. You've spent enough already and I think it may be a fault magnified when the prop is fitted. Bit like mine does.

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/hipporamps-how-to-guide.257760/

wont be a wheel bearing hippo, surley... ? removing the prop would make no differannce to a duff wheel bearing, it would make noise regardless wouldnt it ??

i myself suspect the rear diff or the vc bearings. im not sure how i can check the vc bearings either except for play...? they were renewed 12 month ago but i cant recall if they were oem or not ? it could be one off them or both...
secondly, im sure theyre aligned but if they werent.......hhhmmm that could wear them out pretty quick i guess ?

finally the bearings in the rear diff.... allthough, with no prop on its silent...? would it be ? are some of the parts in the rear diff moving still when the prop is off? i would imagine so, but im guessing.

anyway, what teh frig are hippo ramps?

Is the exhaust rubbing on the propshaft?

Opps was thinking diff bearings. Oh well... will nip back un change it.

HippoRamps: lengths of wood 2x4x24inch and 2x4x12inches all nailed toghter to make blocks 6x12x24inches. Wiv ramps to get yer hippo on them. I use them to lift it orf the ground to make a free wheel lift (like the pic earlier) so I can turn wheels if needed. Stronger than any other ramp. Puddings got some too.

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/hipporamps-how-to-guide.257760/


EGR3kqR

edge said:

Is the exhaust rubbing on the propshaft?

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no my mate, wish it was somthing so obvious.....

hippo, so to t=get them blocks under the car i take it you just jack up one corner at a time and slide those bad boys in under the chassis somewhere ?
and ive just binned two whopping great 4x12" joists out aswell....

I have exactly same noise you describe ever since I had new VCU and diff oil seal changed. tried overhauling diff to no avail so brought a new diff to no avail. changing VCU support bearings for genuine ones and the noise went away for 3months. got noise back again now so I'm super confused!

myzeneye said:

hippo, so to get them blocks under the car i take it you just jack up one corner at a time and slide those bad boys in under the chassis somewhere ?
and ive just binned two whopping great 4x12" joists out aswell....

Click to expand...

I lifted the front end to get the blocks under, then lifted the rear to get blocks under. Used some spare 2x4's as packing. Wheels are off so you don't need to lift it so high for the wheels to clear the ground. Front is under the big metal bar behind the engine. Rear is under the subframe at either side. Axle stands to stabilise. Bit of ****ing about doing it but it's the bestist safe way for a diy'er to do it. When in first gear the traction control is likley to operate. So put it in second gear instead. You'll need to do your own method statement... and risk assessment...


freelift1 NF4hUIy


freelift2 TmCdHa3


freelift3 rjGfoCZ


hippofree onTLF6R

were the vcu support bearings pressed on or hammered on? and could the ird have been cobbled together rather than shimmed properly for meshing etc.

Sounds like it could be the diff pinion bearing or incorrect meshing of the pinion and crownwheel. The other gearing inside the diff (sun and planet gears) are under constant load even if you remove the rear drive train so the noise would be there all the time.

freelance said:

were the vcu support bearings pressed on or hammered on? and could the ird have been cobbled together rather than shimmed properly for meshing etc.

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dont know if they were pressed or hammered on, the garage did them... ird was overhauled by them too, all the bearings inside renewed, gearing etc..was fine... they're a proper and reputable gearbox speacialist so i guess they know what they're doing...
why dont i take it back your asking ??? well, in short, its a mates garage, and as such normal customer relations go out the window.... he's humoured me with putting prop on and off a billion times, repairing a small oil leak from where ird plugs into gearbox etc etc... he's probably as sick of me and this car as i am.....

what differance would hammered or pressed on bearings make ?
i had given thought to them being out of line or something but again, they look right enough ? how can i tell ?

joe27979 said:

I have exactly same noise you describe ever since I had new VCU and diff oil seal changed. tried overhauling diff to no avail so brought a new diff to no avail. changing VCU support bearings for genuine ones and the noise went away for 3months. got noise back again now so I'm super confused!

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this is obvoulsy, mega interesting.......
so what, are you just living with the noise again ?
did you hammer on or press your bearings onto the vcu or prop ? (as asked in another post)
can any one else say why this would happen.
i do feel my noise could well be the vcu support bearings too, but what would cause them to fail like this... prop alighnment ? how do i check it

please, some one give this some thought and put me and joe out of our misery.....