Hi guys

New here and in need of some help.

For a while the missus FL has been making a knocking / whirring noise
I replaced both front driveshafts which seem to cure it until last night.

We were driving along going over the dartford bridge when the car started to make a loud banging noise.

We got to our destination and it was banging very loud on full lock forward and reverse and in straight line. When stopped and try to pull away there is resistance then it will go and the banging is back.

This morning i have removed the complete rear drive assembly and obviously left the ird in situ.

The car is still making a banging noise. Not nearly as loud but its still banging. Is this the sign of a boogered ird? I take it the ird cant be removed and still be driven? All help will be greatful. As we need to get moving again and women being women shes pulling her hair out

Cheers all

I had banging on
Mine prop gone bang gone.

I see

Iv taken props off but ird still in place.

Iv just checked n/s driveshaft as thats kind of where sound seems to be coming from and there is slight play. As in i can move the shaft back and forth (towards gb and towards wheel)

Sounds like the IRD to me. Presumably it's been used with incorrect tyre placement or a stiffened VCU.
Only fix is IRD and VCU replacement, as well as making sure that the correct tyres are fitted in the correct places.

Yes I agree with #Nodge68, I recon you've cooked your IRD probably through 1 or more tyres being at the wrong pressure or you've not been running 4 identical tyres. May have been the VCU got to stiff as well - it will probably be now if it wasn't before.

When the above occurs, you get wind up in the transmission - all the bits try to rotate at different rates and the result is lots of forces applied to the IRD and rear diff - to name the main 2 areas. These forces are applied to where the gears in the units mate, which puts forces on their carriers, which puts forces on the bearings holding the carriers. The bearings wear, the gears become loose and eventually slip (the bangs!) and break teeth.

Generally this happens to the gears driving the pinion for the prop shaft to the rear axle. You can check it by wiggling the pinion flange - if there's sideways movement - its knackered. You can also check by changing the oil in the IRD - if this has happened it will come out greyish, metalic looking - an you may find some bits of broken teeth off the gears.

To fix as 4WD its probably a recon IRD and recon/new VCU, especially as its still banging. If it weren't you might have got away with new bearings in the pinion, but even then, you'd have to be lucky.

To fix as 2WD, you can probably just remove the rear pinion and replace it with a blanking plate.

Another possible reason why it is still banging is because there is damage to the splines on the gearbox output/IRD input. If this is the case, then you're definitely after a recon IRD (and you may not get an exchange value of yours) or possibly need a replacement gearbox - depending on whats gone. You'll probably also be in need of a VCU.

So there's still some work needed to find out what's wrong (and I'm assuming its not something else). To check the splines the IRD will need to be removed, and obviously that's also the case if a recon is needed. Depends if you're doing the work or a garage and how much effort (fun?) it will be or cost. Easiest thing might be to try a blanking plate and see if the banging stops. You can then choose to take a risk on nothing else being to badly damaged or whether the IRD must be removed to investgate the splines.

Good luck.

Generally the banging will stop when the props are removed - but when the gears are worn/broken there is no telling what is going on inside the unit even when the stresses of driving the rear axle are removed.

This is what happened to my Freelander - it was 1 underinflated tyre. When I removed the props though the banging stopped - but there was a 'ticking'.

I had all new bearings put in the IRD and I removed one of the gears driving the rear pinion. So it all went back together again - props, VCU and all - but without the gear in the IRD and without drive to the rear axle - so its 2WD.

I chose this route as I wanted reliable transport that wasn't going to do this again and to save the costs of a replacement VCU and crown/pinion gears in the IRD - which would have cost a lot of money to be shipped to NZ. As it was, it still cost about £500 (for parts and labour to push/pull the bearings) and I did all the removing and reinstallation of the IRD.

And you're right - you can't drive the car without an IRD!

Thinking about the splines - I think you'd have lost all drive by now and it gone 'quiet' again - so if you haven't lost drive you can probably count that out - my money is on your crown/pinion gears being fecked and the bearings in the pinion.

Lift one front wheel and put the gearbox in neutral (manual) or N (auto). Turn lifted front wheel with the prop/vcu removed and the pinion will turn. Listen for strange noises.

WARNING: chock the rear wheels when lifting front wheels.

to further investigate noises:
Take the pinion out of the ird and look at it. Also look at the crown wheel on the left of the pic below. If you put the gearbox in neutral (manual) or N (auto), and turn one lifted front wheel, the crown/pinion will turn. This will allow yer to see all the teeth on the crown wheel.

You should drain the ird oil before taking the pinion oft, or the oil will jump out when the pinion is removed - messy. Make sure yer undo the ird filler plug before the ird drain plug, as the filler plug can be difficult to undo as it's a shallow nut and rounds oft easily.


more pic's > https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/cracked-freelander-1-ird.278571/

Cheers for the replies guys.

Missus starts her new job this week so we went out and bought her a cheap tdi run around as the work needed for the freelander wont be a quick cheap fix.

She is adament that she wants to sell the FL as is. Im tempted to try and repair but dont know yet.

If anyone wants to offer prices as is then let me know. Lol ill get more details like mileage etc and pictures available

But personally i dont know what to do lol

You might be able to give it away as-is - but I wouldn't have thought you could sell it for much - at least in the UK - over here it would still be worth £1K.

If you want to see any money from it, I'd have thought you would at least want to try a blanking plate in place of the pinion. They are only a couple of quid - plus and oil to refill.

The transmission is the Freelander's Achilles Heel. I changed mine to 2WD - other than that all I've had to do is change the ABS unit and service it. In 5 years ownership as the family's main car, that's dammed good in my book. Its a few years older than yours as well.