T

tomfreelander

New Member
Hey all, pleasure meeting you. I recently purchased a 2001 Freelander td4 gs which is running like a dream, but I was made aware that the prop shaft has been removed for some reason by a previous owner. Luckily enough, I've managed to get my hands on another prop shaft and am thinking of getting it refitted as I would prefer to have it all wheel drive again. Can someone give me more information on the pros and cons on the subject and should I just leave it as it is? Also, I've noticed that the central locking isn't working right as when I press the unlock button once, the drivers door unlocks( as it should) but when it's pressed twice, only the drivers side doors unlock and not the passenger side doors or back door. The key wont unlock the back door either, and yet everything locks solid when the lock button is pressed, so what could be the problem with the central locking all? Finally, I've noticed beneath the front window wipers and through the vents, there is a pretty worn out looking filter( I presume it's to stop heavy debris passing through). Can the filter be bought and what would it be called? Thank you for your time.
 
Not too sure about the rest of the issues but as for the prop shaft I'd be very careful once the prop is fitted, it may have been taken off to alleviate a transmission issue so my advice would be to get the car's transmission thoroughly checked over by a mechanic familiar with Freelanders.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to elaborate for me! Lol
 
Welcome to the site!

Don't forget to introduce yourself in the "Introduce yourself" section (or whatever it's called); most members here are perverts and like to give new members a good look over before they give them any advice ;)

The keyhole in the back door is not for opening the door, it's for closing the tailgate window.

When you refit the prop shaft, do a "one wheel up" test before you drive anywhere (search this site and you'll find it). Then if it looks ok, take it very easy until you're sure the IRD and rear diff are ok.

Afraid I know nothing about the central locking though :(
 
Heya britishwardog, cheers for your reply. It looks like a fairly straight forward job to reinstall it but I'm not going to take any chances on doing any damage so will be taking it to a reliable mechanic in the next week or 2. In all fairness, without it in, it is running so smooth considering the age and mileage on it(216,000) but I hope to get some more info on how much of a difference does it make to MPG Installed/uninstalled. If it was only a minor difference, then it will be getting installed as I would prefer it AWD but if it's gonna cost a fortune to run, then it's staying the way it is. Pleasure meeting you and thank your for your time.
 
Hahaha, heya bukko, pleasure meeting you. I'll fire my way over to the "introduce yourself" section when I post this. Ahh, I didn't know the back door keyhole was for the tailgate window so thank you for that. I wont be refitting the prop shaft myself but will be leaving it to a mechanic to be on the safe side but again, thank you for the info :D
 
The prop shaft will most likely have been taken off because the VCU is on its' way out. A faulty VCU will cause transmission wind-up. You can feel this when in 1st or reverse and try idling it F or b'wards with the steering either on L or R lock. It will very likely want to stall or you will need to give it some light throttle to get it to move.

A good VCU will move freely without much / any throttle.

If a faulty VCU is left in place it puts the IRD [your transfer box off the gear box] and your diff' under great pressure and can cause one or the other [ or both ] to fail - very expensive.

VCU failure / IRD damage are related to tyre size. All tyres should be the same brand and identical in tyre model and size and inflation. Differing sizes including uneven tyre pressures makes for undue stress on the transmission system.

If you can only afford 2 tyres it's recommended that these be fitted to the back.

Best to consult a workshop that is familiar with FL1 / LR to get a definitive answer.

A company called Bell Engineering can test your VCU and if necessary supply a replacement at reasonable cost.
 
htr said:
The prop shaft will most likely have been taken off because the VCU is on its' way out. A faulty VCU will cause transmission wind-up. You can feel this when in 1st or reverse and try idling it F or b'wards with the steering either on L or R lock. It will very likely want to stall or you will need to give it some light throttle to get it to move.

A good VCU will move freely without much / any throttle.

If a faulty VCU is left in place it puts the IRD [your transfer box off the gear box] and your diff' under great pressure and can cause one or the other [ or both ] to fail - very expensive.

VCU failure / IRD damage are related to tyre size. All tyres should be the same brand and identical in tyre model and size and inflation. Differing sizes including uneven tyre pressures makes for undue stress on the transmission system.

If you can only afford 2 tyres it's recommended that these be fitted to the back.

Best to consult a workshop that is familiar with FL1 / LR to get a definitive answer.

A company called Bell Engineering can test your VCU and if necessary supply a replacement at reasonable cost.
Click to expand...

Heya htr, pleasure meeting you. Thank you for some great advice. I have noticed that the two front wheels are of the same brand with the same threads( both in great condition) while the back two are both of different makes and thread so essentially having three different makes of tyre and thread installed, so it could well be the VCU is on it's way out which I really hope it's not. I will be getting it serviced from a reliable mechanic to see exactly whats what with it and not face forking out a fortune on repairs as I've only had it two weeks and so far it's running really smooth. Thank you for your time and fingers crossed it wont work out to be a money sponge :D
 
In some ways, you've got nothing to lose I suppose :)

The only way you can make things much worse is if the VCU your installing is knackered. Its difficult/awkward to test them when they're not installed, so the best thing to do is install it and do the 1 wheel up test - see cFaq section. If its OK, nothing to worry about. If its looking stiff, it may be that its just been sitting somewhere for a long time - I don't know if it would do this, but probably worth not writing it off immediately - I'd run the car up to temp, then let it cool for a bit and do the 1 wheel up test again - see if the results change. Try not to make too many tight turns on your test drive though. Plus make sure all your tyres are identical make & model and reasonably even wear.

However, the above is probably immaterial! As after you've installed it, as soon as you try to move, its likely you'll find out why the prop was removed in the first place. You'll probably find the the IRD or diff is knackered.

Props are never removed to save fuel - it doesn't effect MPG noticeably whether you run 2WD or 4WD. Props are always removed for a technical fault reason. The reason maybe that the VCU support bearings were worn/noisy. If so this hasn't caused damage to the transmission and the car would be sound to put back to 4WD. This though is unlikely as they are cheap and easy to fix. The more likely reason is that the VCU has basically siezed with age/use, or the car has been run with mismatched tyres or under inflated tyres. This destroys the IRD at the front or diff at the rear. Removing the props removes stresses from the broken bits, so the car can still be run - although there are still some implications if the units are not flushed to remove debris - and possibly other implications if teeth are missing on the crown/pinion gears - eg lock ups.

Good luck.
 
tomfreelander said:
Heya htr, pleasure meeting you. Thank you for some great advice. I have noticed that the two front wheels are of the same brand with the same threads( both in great condition) while the back two are both of different makes and thread so essentially having three different makes of tyre and thread installed, so it could well be the VCU is on it's way out which I really hope it's not. I will be getting it serviced from a reliable mechanic to see exactly whats what with it and not face forking out a fortune on repairs as I've only had it two weeks and so far it's running really smooth. Thank you for your time and fingers crossed it wont work out to be a money sponge :D
Click to expand...

Don't even attempt to try running it 4WD with tyres like that - definite absolute - no no.

There was a thread someone put up where he bought 4 new tyres - all same (well known) make and type/model. After installing them, the car ran terrible - suffering the problems HTR describes above about wind-up.

It turns out that although they were 'exactly the same' - they were in actual fact from 2 different batches with a change in manufacturing between the 2. It was enough to put his Freelander in imminent danger of transmission failure.
 
GrumpyGel said:
In some ways, you've got nothing to lose I suppose :)

The only way you can make things much worse is if the VCU your installing is knackered. Its difficult/awkward to test them when they're not installed, so the best thing to do is install it and do the 1 wheel up test - see cFaq section. If its OK, nothing to worry about. If its looking stiff, it may be that its just been sitting somewhere for a long time - I don't know if it would do this, but probably worth not writing it off immediately - I'd run the car up to temp, then let it cool for a bit and do the 1 wheel up test again - see if the results change. Try not to make too many tight turns on your test drive though. Plus make sure all your tyres are identical make & model and reasonably even wear.

However, the above is probably immaterial! As after you've installed it, as soon as you try to move, its likely you'll find out why the prop was removed in the first place. You'll probably find the the IRD or diff is knackered.

Props are never removed to save fuel - it doesn't effect MPG noticeably whether you run 2WD or 4WD. Props are always removed for a technical fault reason. The reason maybe that the VCU support bearings were worn/noisy. If so this hasn't caused damage to the transmission and the car would be sound to put back to 4WD. This though is unlikely as they are cheap and easy to fix. The more likely reason is that the VCU has basically siezed with age/use, or the car has been run with mismatched tyres or under inflated tyres. This destroys the IRD at the front or diff at the rear. Removing the props removes stresses from the broken bits, so the car can still be run - although there are still some implications if the units are not flushed to remove debris - and possibly other implications if teeth are missing on the crown/pinion gears - eg lock ups.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Heya GrumpyGel, pleasure meeting you. Thank you for all your advice. It seems that the best option would be to work on replacing the rear tyres first before working on replacing the prop. the prop I have ready to install was owned by my brother in law and the reason it was removed was due to his engine failing and he believed by removing it, it would reduce excess strain on the engine so it looks good that the VCU is in good condition and by looking at the entire prop, it seems in great condition overall. There seems to be a lot of mis-information regarding saving on fuel by removing the props here in Ireland as a lot of people have done it for that exact reason, and not for any mechanical failures, so I hope I'm one of those owners that have bought one for that reason, and not facing forking out a fortune on repairs. I wont be doing the work on it personally and will leave it to qualified hands. so far, it's running great without the prop but I want it running AWD as thats why I bought it in the first place, but if it is going to cost a fortune to repair to have AWD then I will have to leave it as it is. Thank you For your time and it's a pleasure meeting you :D
 
GrumpyGel said:
Don't even attempt to try running it 4WD with tyres like that - definite absolute - no no.

There was a thread someone put up where he bought 4 new tyres - all same (well known) make and type/model. After installing them, the car ran terrible - suffering the problems HTR describes above about wind-up.

It turns out that although they were 'exactly the same' - they were in actual fact from 2 different batches with a change in manufacturing between the 2. It was enough to put his Freelander in imminent danger of transmission failure.
Click to expand...

I wont be installing the prop until the rear tyres are replaced after reading from your own post and other members posts, even though they are in great condition, but after reading what you've said, would it be safe enough to replace the two rear tyres, then get the prop installed to see if all is ok mechanically, and leave the two front tyres on it as they are in great condition and a matching pair, or will I have to buy all four matching tyres to reduce the risk of further damage?
 
tomfreelander said:
I wont be installing the prop until the rear tyres are replaced after reading from your own post and other members posts, even though they are in great condition, but after reading what you've said, would it be safe enough to replace the two rear tyres, then get the prop installed to see if all is ok mechanically, and leave the two front tyres on it as they are in great condition and a matching pair, or will I have to buy all four matching tyres to reduce the risk of further damage?
Click to expand...

You should be alright replacing the 2 rears with the same make/type as on the front.
 
Wot GG said.

And remember - if you only replace 2 tyres, put the new ones on the back!

Best of luck with that prop :)
 
bukko said:
Wot GG said.

And remember - if you only replace 2 tyres, put the new ones on the back!

Best of luck with that prop :)
Click to expand...

This^^^^ but only fit the exact same tyres that are on the front. Same make, type and size. This is very important ;)
 
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