Replacement '05 Freelander TD4 front CV joints

Kiaora from Wellington, New Zealand, everyone,

Our local LR specialist have just picked up a failed front LH inner CV joint on our '05 TD4 Freelander, with the other CVs not far from reaching the end of their life.

LR NZ will only supply complete driveshafts at an eye-watering $1400, and I'm struggling to find replacement CV joints.

Micks Garage (http://www.micksgarage.com/) have GSP Automotive parts in stock, so that's one option.

Can anyone recommend a suitable replacement CV joint that doesn't need a second (or third) mortgage to buy?

Many thanks,

Scott

Welcome to LZ and the wonderful world of Land Rover ownership in NZ

It is virtually pointless approaching LR dealers in NZ for anything related to Freelander 1 - they are not interested, the will quote ridiculous prices for parts and you'll have to wait 3 weeks while they get them in from the UK. Mind you I did get lucky and got a pair of front discs off an Auckland dealer who was fed up with them on his shelf for $50

Most people with LR (not just Freelander, but also Series, Defender, Discover & RR) will buy parts in from overseas - usually the UK. Most LR parts suppliers will ship to NZ. Shipping prices for a complete drive shaft might be quite high, but shop around for the best price. However, @htr had a radiator sent over and it wasn't to bad. They ended up sending the wrong one so told him to keep it and they then sent the right one over!

Some places to try....

Famous 4 (LZ Freelander Sponsor) https://www.famousfour.co.uk/new_parts/sections?veh=freelander
Rimmer Bros http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/SubCategory--Land-Rover-Freelander-1997-2006--m-383
LR Direct https://www.lrdirect.com/new_zealand_nz.html

There's various others. I'd suggest you don't just go by their websites, I find its better to call sometimes. I know Rimmers (who I've been using for nearly 35 years!) can set up an order over the phone that you don't have to take up at the time - you can go back to complete it.

However, in Chch there are a couple of CV specialists who will rebuild drive shafts. I've not got quotes for my Freelander so don't know if they would be able to do them, but I was quoted $180 for out Toyota Starlet.

Good luck, and don't forget to tell us a bit about yourself and car on the NZ page at https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/gday-folks.286341/

Great, thanks GrumpyGel! Already got in touch with a couple of CHCH and Wgn CV specialists. Auto Driveline in Akl also stock them at about $155 ea,

Sooooooooo after much interweb trawling, I've found GSP Automotive http://www.gsp.cn/home.jsp make Freelander driveshafts, and CV Specialists in CHCH http://www.cvspecialists.co.nz/ stock them.

Scott McIntyre said:

Kiaora from Wellington, New Zealand, everyone,

Our local LR specialist have just picked up a failed front LH inner CV joint on our '05 TD4 Freelander, with the other CVs not far from reaching the end of their life.

LR NZ will only supply complete driveshafts at an eye-watering $1400, and I'm struggling to find replacement CV joints.

Micks Garage (http://www.micksgarage.com/) have GSP Automotive parts in stock, so that's one option.

Can anyone recommend a suitable replacement CV joint that doesn't need a second (or third) mortgage to buy?

Many thanks,

Scott

Click to expand...

Hi Scott and a big hello... yet another Kiwi .. I think Grumpy is starting a club....

Just a word of caution here.. pay really really close attention to the RH inner CV joint (rh looking from inside the hippo) the CV that enters the IRD not the gearbox end. Any play in that needs to be fixed asap as it can and does cause catastrophic IRD failure. Basically once worn enough to set up a vibration, it beggars up the IRD Diff support bearing in the end case (the location where the drive shaft CV enters the IRD)
Once the bearing starts to fail the gear teeth inside the IRD are allowed to move apart and basically rip each other to shreds mostly taking the IRD end casing with it.
IRD is then totally scrap and not even fit for exchange. Apart from transmission wind up from the incorrect tyres / pressures and the VCU, this is the next real cause of IRD failure. Make sure you change that CV asap if any appreciable wear. With the one of the others being Captain Cooked and the other 3 on the way out, then definitely replace it. Of all the front CV's this is the one to religiously check whenever you get chance.
When you do the drive shafts also take the opportunity to change the gearbox and IRD oil at the same time. Well worth doing.

Here are some pics of the type of failure that occurs when the main diff gear teeth are allowed to move apart due to the bearing starting to collapse. This type of failure is usually inner CV related but can be caused by wind up damaging the crown wheel support bearing on the intermediate shaft in the IRD - this leads to movement of the intermediate shaft and hence gear meshing until the unit goes bang in big style then it is good night Vienna.
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/l-series-no-drive.301325/

Nice to see another NZ Freelander on here. Shame it's not an L series lol

Have fun and again welcome to the club.
Joe

edit, - oh, another place in the UK that is good and ships world wide is
http://www.island-4x4.co.uk/
Talk to Sam if needed. (sounds like you can get sorted locally but good to have backups)

Well, folks, two GSP driveshafts have found their way to our local LR dealer for fitting. Thanks for all the suggestions/comments so far!

And, our Freelander 1 is about to be upgraded to a Freelander 2. Just bought a 2012 Td4...Wow, what a great truck! Can't wait to get this thing off road to where it belongs

Since we are on CV joints, what is the danger of buying something like this? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LANDROVER-FREELANDER-FRONT-REAR-CV-JOINT-NEW-97-06-/130539294777 anyone know ?

At that price it doesn't have to last long does it

However, I don't know how that unit could fit all the different Freelanders because there were different hubs & ABS pickups used over the years.

So an update on our driveshaft and CV joint replacement.

The GSP driveshafts and CV joints fit and work perfectly, so if a workable solution to not paying $1 gazillion in getting LR OEM parts http://www.gsp-europe.com/en/products

There is, however (and there's always a 'however') our local Landy fixers had kittens trying to get the ABS sensors talking to the car's e-brain to stop the ABS warning light coming on. They cracked it in the end, so all is fine with our Freelander.

They probably took the warning light bulbs out !

Ha, that was my suggestion

So, an update to the update on our driveshaft and CV joint replacement.
The GSP driveshafts and CV joints fit and work perfectly, however, the interaction between OEM and GSP didn't work terribly well...
The pesky ABS light going on was due to the sensors in the wheel and new outer CV joint not talking to each other (maybe because one is English, the other Chinese). In the end, after about a day of trying to get everything to work, the Landy fixers had to put my old outer CV joints onto the new shafts to get everything working. And they tried everything.
Also needed new wheel bearings, and two seals (at NZ$250ea) replaced.
All-in-all, it would've been about $500 cheaper going with the NZ$1400 OEM shafts.
The mechanics think that as this Freelander was one of the later Freelander 1s, it may've been cobbled together with bits from the 1 and 2 as a few things don't seem stock Freelander 1 parts, or Landrover had a few suppliers feeding the factory with various improved/changed parts.

However, what a difference it makes! Comparing what the LAndy feels like now with what it did, that worn inner joint was making life hard for the wee truck.

But we're selling this newly-fixed wonder of Land Rover technology for a Freelander 2...

You were warned about the ABS issues!

I think your mechanics don't know what they're talking about! They just didn't know there would be a problem before they suggest you order the bits (or let you order them) - and then couldn't fix if efficiently once the problem came to light!

You will have a Teves Mk25 ABS ECU as fitted to all Freelander 1s in the last 4 or so years of production - and it will use normal hub ring and sensors. I may be wrong, but I'd be amazed if there is any 'hybrid' F2 stuff on there.

Every which way you look with Freelanders - if you buy cheap, you buy twice - or in your case - buy lots of other bits and mechanics time.

Its great you've got it back on the road - but such a shame you've been 'shafted' (did you see what I did there!) by another supposed "Land Rover expert"!

If they thought this F1 was difficult to fix, wait till you give them an F2 and tell them there's some 'juddering' from the back axle!

Bahaha with your shafted, GG The lads at ToyShop used this as a 'lets edumakate ourselves on Freelanders' opportunity, so didn't bill a big chunk of the labour. so I've pinged their observations back to GSP for GSP's edumakation. While it's been a bit of a wallet-denting process all round (OEM parts or not, it worked about the same as NZD1400 for the driveshafts), Wellington has a garage that knows Freelanders a little more.

All I have to do now is get to know our 'new' 2012 Freelander 2!

I see you have your F2 for sale.

Sure do

https://trademe.co.nz/1209790177