Anything which causes the rear propshaft to turn at a different speed from the front propshaft will cause the two sections of the VCU to turn at different speeds, and that will tend to make it start locking up.
Turning ANY corner, will cause this to a slight amount, but in normal driving the difference in rotation should be so slight that the VCU doesn't respond by locking up. But, on full lock, especially going on full lock backwards, and quickly, the VCU could easily start to cut in. You might notice this in heavy steering, and a bit of tyre noise and a feeling of drag.
Moral: take it easy doing full-lock manoeuvers in a Freelander.
CharlesY
Thats the kind of good news we like to hear.
Going do the tippex test tomorrow just to be sure. Believe I have to mark the 2 propshafts and not the VCU as some have done.
Just so.
The VCU is a VISCOUS Coupling Unit, like a viscous coupling fan.
In the VCU, the design allows the two sections of it to rotate at different rates. There are a whole lot of discs attached to each shaft, and they are interleaved one for one, close together, with silicone goo between them. If one shaft rotates slightly slower or faster than the other, the goo gets pulled, and provided that happens very slowly it will let the discs move at different speeds, even though it drags a little bit. But if teh speed difference increases, the sllicone gunge inside starts (instantly, by the way) to refuse to move quickly, and so it causes a huge drag between the two sets of discs, almost but not quite acting like a single shaft. This effectively creates a strong drive to the other shaft AS LONG AS THE FRONT SHAFT IS TURNING FASTER THAN THE REAR ONE.
This is a bit of a problem because in effect it means there will be no 4 wheel drive unless at least one of the front wheels is actually slipping.
It may be a bit late by then to apply 4-WD.
CharlesY
i posted some pics. which may help on this thread
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/vcu-again-52387.html
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/vcu-again-52387.html
Northern Irelander
Well-Known Member
CharlesY - great explanation, with the 0.8% difference between early IRD/rear diff ratios, the rear wheels have an extra revolution in 120 revolutions. Does this mean the VCU is spinning / slipping, 3degrees in every 360degree rotation?
Optimus Prime
Well-Known Member
surely thats the diff that allows that, the vcu only deals with power to the rear as a pair
Not so.
The back wheels are not normally driven, and so you will never get into a situation of spinning one or both back wheels unless first the FRONT wheels are spinning after losing grip, or in the event the VCU is seized solid of course.
Going round corners should never cause enough shaft speeds differences to make the VCU lock up. The VCU is designed to allow that much variation so that in normal driving the car is front wheel drive.
CharlesY
