vcu recon

pardec said:

sun

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Cheers might take you up on that I'm near hyde/ dukinfield...

The Mad Hat Man said:

Look you self centred arsehole.
Hippo, NI, myself and many others, have put months of work into helping freelander owners with their problems. If you can't be arsed to help yourself by at least reading the tons of stuff that we have provided on FL recalls, how to fix the common faults and the tons of threads on how VCUs work and how to test them, then you can stick you VCU where the sun don't shine and feck off to LRO where they will hold you hand like the arsewipe you are

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There's not much sun between the props I'll leave it for now

thequeenscheese said:

There's not much sun between the props I'll leave it for now

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If the turnip test (temp test named after vagrent) reveals a cold vcu then leaving it means yer driving with a potentially duff vcu. Whilst the drive train is quite strong, it won't last forever in this condition. You will have an increased transmission wind up. The additional forces will put extra pressure on the IRD, props, UJ, rear diff and drive shafts. A good vcu would normal relieve the drive train of most of these forces. It's normally the IRD and/or the rear diff that break first. Mechanically all components are quite strong but the weakest part will fail first.

How to do the test: http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/2141449-post246.html

You need a 32mm nut. I bought a 3/4 inch socket set which comes with a ratchet too. You could just buy the nut and socket convertor 3/4 to 1/2 and use a 1/2 ratchet if you have one. Failing that it's time to remove the prop or vcu. It's easier to remove it all. Help here:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f69/freelander-1-vcu-bearing-replacement-how-guide-156068.html

Trade Quality 21 Piece 3/4 inch Drive Metric Ratchet and Socket Set SS116 | eBay

Hippo said:

If the turnip test (temp test named after vagrent) reveals a cold vcu then leaving it means yer driving with a potentially duff vcu. Whilst the drive train is quite strong, it won't last forever in this condition. You will have an increased transmission wind up. The additional forces will put extra pressure on the IRD, props, UJ, rear diff and drive shafts. A good vcu would normal relieve the drive train of most of these forces. It's normally the IRD and/or the rear diff that break first. Mechanically all components are quite strong but the weakest part will fail first.

How to do the test: http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/2141449-post246.html

You need a 32mm nut. I bought a 3/4 inch socket set which comes with a ratchet too. You could just buy the nut and socket convertor 3/4 to 1/2 and use a 1/2 ratchet if you have one. Failing that it's time to remove the prop or vcu. It's easier to remove it all. Help here:

Trade Quality 21 Piece 3/4 inch Drive Metric Ratchet and Socket Set SS116 | eBay]LandyZone - Land Rover Forum

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Thanks hippo I'll be doing it shortly the vans off in for its free timing belt and this n that soon so I'll let them sort it prob get a bell recon anyhows...

Ahhh I see make shift length of wood I was thinking I'd need a strong bar or such didn't occur to me to make one one of my spirit levels should do for the 1.2m and prob have the rest of the kit kicking around


Or do we need to use the wood for an even results poll?

thequeenscheese said:

Ahhh I see make shift length of wood I was thinking I'd need a strong bar or such didn't occur to me to make one one of my spirit levels should do for the 1.2m and prob have the rest of the kit kicking around

Or do we need to use the wood for an even results poll?

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You'll probably bend or twist a spirit level.

I used a length of wood tie wrapped several times to a ratchet. The weight of the wood and ratchet does count, but the wood doesn't weight that much. The further away from the pivot point, the heavier something is. If your setup is a bit heavier then the time will be a bit quicker.

how is dear mhm I hope he has recovered we have not seen him for a while then somebody upsets him

Yu called?

I knew you could not resists sometimes it is better to sit back and enjoy the view than get upset .believe me now I have a heart problem as well I have taken that view some one who I know has said things about me that are not true very, very slanderous so I just had a word with my friend, who is a barrister job done ,it just isn't worth it

know wot yu mean . I aint upset or angry - more offended by their ignorance.

He would'nt be the mad hat man if he didnt throw his hat in maddness once in a while........ :emps1:

Hippo said:

You'll probably bend or twist a spirit level..

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Wot sort of spirit level do you have hippo? A decent quality (which I guess cheesey has) is blooming strong so that hairy arse builders don't bend them using them for things they shouldn't but do.... Same as mechanics use ratchets as hammers sometimes and screwdrivers as pry bars.

Shhh ........ Don't tell my snap on dealer I said that though.....

ZDomZ said:

Wot sort of spirit level do you have hippo? A decent quality (which I guess cheesey has) is blooming strong so that hairy arse builders don't bend them using them for things they shouldn't but do.... Same as mechanics use ratchets as hammers sometimes and screwdrivers as pry bars.

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Had an alumininiminun one years ago which I bent when using as a guide for a router. G clamp wasn't that tight but it still twisted a bit. I had a cheap one oft ebay... the box was stronger then the level. I now have a jcb one from bnq. Very strong. Would be a shame to cause damage to a good one but it's up the owner. If it's ok to use...

The Mad Hat Man said:

yu better start learning then. Read the FAQ for starters.

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The Mad Hat Man said:

General rant

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The Mad Hat Man said:

General rant

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You've said enough times that "we" don't really know all there is to know about the VCU and views are "speculation" - so presumably there is more info to be had? Does that not also mean the current info on here might not necessarily be right? *note* remove previous sentence, it is likely to antagonise. *note* what the hell, ignore previous note.

I've read tons of (your's and others) stuff on here about the VCU - I couldn't tell you word for word which post says what. You get a general understanding that may change as you read/learn more - hence my comment " I'm not so sure heat plays a part at all." - it was in reference to what I'd read and my thoughts. You obviously don't agree - and you're probably right. My reason for thinking that though was from your repeated comments that the fluid in a VCU must be Newtonian. Not knowing what that means, I read around to try and understand it (so I don't need my arse wiped). Reading these...

Newtonian fluid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Non-Newtonian fluid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I still don't know exactly what it means - but I think it means that a Newtonian fluid is one where its viscosity does not change given varying factors such as sheer stress and temperature. Therefore I concluded that heat would not play a roll in the operation of a VCU.

Ultimately I'm beginning to think that all the talk on here is over complicating what is a bloody simple bit of kit that just needs a bit of stiff fluid in good condition in it to work. That fluid looks like it might have been identified in this post. If it is not what the commercial reconditioning guys put in VCUs - I'd be suprised.

In your posts you've had Austen at Bell coming back slating the 1WU (sorry) test and saying testing can only be done on a work bench as they do - which is obviously bollocks because, so long as your brakes aren't dragging, its the same thing. Once again, and as you responded - over complicating things.

All your (and others) effort on this forum is read and appreciated. You may not get thanks thrown at you from all angles, you may not know that people read it, but I'm sure they do. The people you're slating are not 1 posters who ask what tyres to put on then go away to oblivion not contributing - they're active members keeping the forum alive and healthy. Who knows they may be the MHM's of the future - oh no, that's scarey - more than 1 MHM!

The Effect of Heat on the VCU
As the chart below depicts, at 110 degrees centigrade, the VCU silicon fluid viscosity increases dramatically, thus engaging the VCU. Since temperature is a cause and not just an effect of VC engagement, it seems probable that the "engagement temperature" of a "cooked" VCU (a VCU where the fluid has been ruined by prolonged overheating) is lower than for a non-cooked VCU, and that with cooked VC fluid, the VC engages at the higher end of normal VCU operating temperatures, with the result being that the VC is always engaged at the higher normal operating temperatures even if the wheels are turning within the 6% threshold for engagement. This puts incredible strain on the entire drive train.



You didnt think this was a valid and specific statement then?

yu are correct - we dont know everything about the vcu, but the cost per mile is sufficiently low to change it regularly about every 70K miles; and the ease with which the 1wu test can be carried out makes it the first choice if any doubt about the drive train.

The only things we don't know about the vcu are:

the exact fluid version used (grading etc)
the exact amount put in
if the spec for the vcu changed over the years (only LR/GKN know this)
if the v6 vcu is identical to the spec of the others, or not (only LR/GKN know this)
official limits of activation at differing ratio's (LR/GKN want it to operate like this at this ratio - only LR/GKN know this)

There's a lot of info online. Over the years our knowledge has grown as we learn. The noticeable thing is the depth of explanation. Not everyone gives the full explanation. Most give a related explanation.

Unfortunately it always ends in an argument. What test is best or how the vcu works. Reconditionners only come on ere to advertise their business in order to make money from us. They tell us our tests are crap but perform the same tests themselves to impress customers. They have their own guess (they don't own Freelanders themselves) at what the vcu should be like (GKN/LR hasn't released the spec to anyone) and don't actually know the answers to the above. They will guess but can't categorically state with definitive proof. We have has some interesting owners join who understand the chemicals involved, and have links to the VW world who seem to be further a head than we are, but our infighting kills off any progress with this.

I dunno Hippoo, i reckon we aint done too bad.

The Mad Hat Man said:

I dunno Hippoo, i reckon we aint done too bad.

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Yep. The theory is there. The ideas are there. The test methods are there. We have some results too. We may not be able to refill our own vcu's yet, but as a guide to help others... it's all there for them to use.

Hippo said:

The only things we don't know about the vcu are:

the exact fluid version used (grading etc)
the exact amount put in
if the spec for the vcu changed over the years (only LR/GKN know this)
if the v6 vcu is identical to the spec of the others, or not (only LR/GKN know this)
official limits of activation at differing ratio's (LR/GKN want it to operate like this at this ratio - only LR/GKN know this)

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Has anyone asked LR those Qs? I've put them forward to my best (only!) contact at LR - will see if its classified or not!