Starting fine, but won’t move backwards or forewords?

Afternoon all,

I have a 2006 Freelander 1 TD4.
Of late, once I’ve started it up from being sat for a while, when I release the handbreak and put it in reverse it sometimes makes a ‘clonk’ sound before it actually goes in reverse.

Today, it wouldn’t budge at all! It feels like the handbreak is on, but it’s not.
Won’t move forwards or backwards.

I had a look through the back wheel arch to compare both sides (I am NOT car savvy, so don’t really know what I’m looking at!).
Please excuse this description, but the spring looking thing (suspension??), that meets some sort of cap thing coming up to meet it, on one side there’s a gap between these two bits, on the other there isn’t.
I have no idea if that is relevant, but thought I’d mention it!

Grateful for any help or advice anyone can offer!

Is it an auto or manual gearbox?
Does it have 4 identical tyres fitted?

Can you post pictures of thing you are describing?

Is it Auto or Manual?

It could be the rear brakes siezing up, they do have a tendency to do that especially if left for a while or if they get damp. Might be worth jacking a rear wheel and see if it rotates at all - with only 1 wheel lifted, it shouldn't move much because of the 4WD system but you should be able to rotate it a little with not much resistance. Suppose you should try them both. When mine have been siezed, they tend to release with a big bang though, not a clonk.

Is it making a grinding noise when it won't move?

Hi, sorry its manual. My teenage boys had another look while I was at work and it seems the back left wheel is locked. All the others are moving, but that one isn’t.
It also looks like that one has more of a gap between the top of the tyre and the wheel arch. Pics attached (I hope!).

The offending one could you not remove the wheel while both raised and use a soft hammer around the metal to release pads grip. As for height issue could be the spring hydraulics being contaminated and need replacing.

I'd get the wheel turning and then strip down the rear brakes both sides and renew. The drums, shoes springs and clips are quite cheap. The cylinders are surprisingly cheap as well - but looking at the condition, you'll almost definitely be into new pipes from cylinders to hoses as well that knock the price up - but worth changing the cylinders if you can stretch to it. I've been through the process within the last couple of months.

This is what I paid for my '99 car and it includes drums, shoes, springs, clips and cylinders. There's some other bits in there as well like filters, inter cooler hose and a gasket...

ERR5542 ERR5542.M8 Qty 1 NZ$7.50
ESR4103 ESR4103.Z8 Qty 1 NZ$3.87
PNH101720 PNH101720.C8 Qty 1 NZ$13.39
SDC100130 SDC100130.Z8 Qty 2 NZ$56.42
SML100070 SML100070.C8 Qty 2 NZ$26.94
SMN000010 SMN000010.L8 Qty 1 NZ$5.84
WAL100120 WAL100120.L8 Qty 1 NZ$6.72
SFS000061G SFS000061G.M8 Qty 1 NZ$85.16
SMN100250 SMN100250.L8 Qty 1 NZ$24.03
Subtotal NZ$229.87
Shipping NZ$146.76
Total NZ$376.63

I also got a refund of $27 on the shoes as they didn't have the make I requested in stock and (with my say so) changed to another supplier. That's with LRDirect.com (in the UK). Prices are shown in NZD which is basically 2x£ (so parts were about £115) - you'll need to add VAT but shipping will be a lot less! Don't go by my part numbers - they'll be different for an '06. My rear brakes had failed a WOF (MOT), they were perfect after renewing them

I can't help with the ride height issue.

Tell your lads to jack up the car on the seized side, support it safely, remove the seized wheel and hit the drum with a large hammer (with handbrake off) until it frees. It won’t be able to spin right round, but it should move back and forth a bit. When I say hit, I mean really hit - make it ring. No delicate tapping.

Your rear brakes need a strip down, clean up and adjustment, that’s all. A common Freelander problem.

As for the wonkiness, you might have a broken spring on the lower side.

The different hights of the wheel could be a red herring, if it's parked on uneven ground. It sounds like a rear brake has stuck on. Best bet is to take the wheel off and tap the drum with a hammer. The rear brakes will need a proper rebuild to get them working correctly.

I just put mine into reverse and put my foot down and bang then its ok but a friend of mine hits the wheel hub with a hammer and that works

As above, a common problem especially in this wet weather which tends to swell all the dust and mud accumulating in the drums. I normally find giving it a bit of reverse-and-right-foot does it, too, which makes my poor brother wince, him being an ex-LR designer and all (snigger snigger).

Ours used to seize up regularly, no matter how often I popped the drums off and oiled that lever. I backed off the shoe adjusters two clicks each and it hasn’t happened since.

DevonGuy said:

reverse-and-right-foot

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Ever FL owner has done the ‘vroom, vroom BONGGGG!’ routine in the morning!

I suppose another problem may be that the shoes have been replaced at some point and the brakes reassembled incorrectly. It also appears to be a common occurrence, as that most wonderful "Think Before You Post" (Freelander brakes are not self adjusting) thread highlighted

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/think-before-u-post.304769/

The really helpfull thing to do is every week put the pressure washer on and put it into the rear drums but as you get older and back and hands play up you easily forget about doing it especially in the cold

teddywood1 said:

The really helpfull thing to do is every week put the pressure washer on and put it into the rear drums but as you get older and back and hands play up you easily forget about doing it especially in the cold

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I'm not absolutely convinced that's a good idea!

Maybe an air hose.

DevonGuy said:

As above, a common problem especially in this wet weather which tends to swell all the dust and mud accumulating in the drums. I normally find giving it a bit of reverse-and-right-foot does it, too, which makes my poor brother wince, him being an ex-LR designer and all (snigger snigger).

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Your brother has a lot to answer for lol.

Mine was seizing when I left it on the handbrake overnight. What I did was put the handbrake on as normal, then back it off one click and leave the car in gear, first or reverse, depending on any incline. It has never seized again. I have just replaced all the rear brakes and drums, so I will see if that has sorted it.

My handbrake works twice a year. Once when I test it before the MOT, and again at the MOT. The rest of the time it stays in the off position.

Stuart hall said:

Your brother has a lot to answer for lol.

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He worked on the td5 engine, but it still makes him shake his head with embarrassment.

DevonGuy said:

He worked on the td5 engine, but it still makes him shake his head with embarrassment.

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Why? I love my Td5! The 5-cylinder purr sounds so much better than the Transit Tdci rattle. Never missed a beat in over 100k miles, except for one incident with the *cough* oil-in-loom problem... I think mine has the metal head dowels, though...

Isambard Kingdom Brunel would perhaps NOT have put soft and melty bits where hard, metal tubes were previously deemed suitable.