M

musky81

Active Member
Hi all
For some reason ive become uneasy after seeing some posts about viscous couplings. I purchased my freelander td4 about 3 years ago with 85k. I have no idea if the vcu had been renewed by that time. Its now got 110k. I always noticed since i had it that it required a little more push while reversing on full lock and this has never got any worse. It has been driven in snow and mud over the years and the 4wd has been spot on. Goes well on the road.
My question is ( to those with guaranteed healthy vcus). Do you still feel some tightness in the drive reversing on full lock even with a vcu thats in good condition?
 
They are slightly tight in reverse.
You should be able to reverse it on full lock both directions without hviving to use the go pedal........I have always tested mine once every week or so on a late night visit to my local supermarket.
And there is always the one wheel up test.
 
Hmm, thanks or reply. Id say I definitely need some "go" on full lock reverse. I think I better be looking at getting it changed as altho its not seized, by all my research, its probably not as it should be. The only trouble is I dont have a landy specialist ( other than extortionate main dealer) close to me and dont want to introduce problems by taking it to the wrong place. There are some good posts oere regarding it tho so may do it myself.
 
I used a specalist and they royally fu##ed it up. In future I will either do the work myself or use a garage I have used for years and trust (99% I still check the work).

If you are near Worcestershire Bell Engineering have a great rep (I have a VCU on order from them) they supply and fit VCU's for £300.
 
I purchased a brand new GKN vcu and bearings last year, and of scale of 1- 10 (10 being locked solid) for reversing or forwards its a 7.5.

How its supposed to be!!!!

p.s it was changed at 104k
 
Ive always checked most of work too. I dont have a lot of time to do things myself and have often found things not quite right and gone back to garage. Pardecs post above has put me a bit more at ease. I would be suspect if it rolled freely. Im going to have another look tomorrow. I'll post my findings. Im hopeful that the vcu was done before i bought it. Thanks all for input.
 
110k miles is far too high for a TD4. You should hand over £1000 to anyone and get them to change it for a recon unit now. If you don't this post will self destruct taking your old engine with it. ;)

Test your vcu with the one wheel up test and the turnip test.
 
1000 quid!!! Lol. Be doin it maself I think. Only one garage locally in Ayrshire I feel I can really trust. Best place to source VCU? I will do tests tomoro or monday and post resuts. If in any doubt im just goin to change it. Compared to my Td5 the freelander hasnt asked for much!! Had to laugh at the apparent lack of enthusiasm for jacking up one corner of the car. There does seem to be variation in opinion on the one wheel up test with one expert claiming that it was rubbish as with a good vcu should take a lot of force on the hub to turn the wheel.
 
Well, if you can afford £300 for the reconned bits, why not just change it yourself and be sure? That's what I did and it helps me sleep a bit better at night. All I worry about now is whether I pushed the bearing seals in too far... ;)
 
Spacemonkey... said:
Well, if you can afford £300 for the reconned bits, why not just change it yourself and be sure? That's what I did and it helps me sleep a bit better at night. All I worry about now is whether I pushed the bearing seals in too far... ;)
Click to expand...
It's a waste of money if you don't need it. My engine failed at 500 miles. Auto started leaking at 8k miles and was changed at 12k miles. Currently near 36k miles so the engine needs changed again as I'm told I'm on borrowed time as they don't work past 32k miles. So I'll save some money by having the engine and gearbox changed at the same time. Where does it end... My vcu failed approx 35k miles so the myth of the 70k rule spread by many including those with a vested interest in selling recon vcu's nearly feked up my Freelander as the dash said 35k miles so it should have been ok. Having said that recon'ers don't like our tests and if you phone round them and bring it up in conversation they int what you would call supportive of our efforts. Some even go to the extent to tell you not to take part when you buy one oft them. Many offer the post and test offer but by the time you've done that yer well on yer way to thinking you want to buy another vcu regardless. All it takes is a bit of testing and watch out for the time to increase. And if it does, remove it. If you want real peace of mind remove it anyway.
 
Hippo said:
It's a waste of money if you don't need it. My engine failed at 500 miles. Auto started leaking at 8k miles and was changed at 12k miles. Currently near 36k miles so the engine needs changed again as I'm told I'm on borrowed time as they don't work past 32k miles. So I'll save some money by having the engine and gearbox changed at the same time. Where does it end... My vcu failed approx 35k miles so the myth of the 70k rule spread by many including those with a vested interest in selling recon vcu's nearly feked up my Freelander as the dash said 35k miles so it should have been ok. Having said that recon'ers don't like our tests and if you phone round them and bring it up in conversation they int what you would call supportive of our efforts. Some even go to the extent to tell you not to take part when you buy one oft them. Many offer the post and test offer but by the time you've done that yer well on yer way to thinking you want to buy another vcu regardless. All it takes is a bit of testing and watch out for the time to increase. And if it does, remove it. If you want real peace of mind remove it anyway.
Click to expand...

really reconditioners dont like tests ?that would ring alarm bells for me ,suggests to me many arent v/cs after
 
Hippo said:
It's a waste of money if you don't need it.
Click to expand...


Not to me it isn't. I do 40 k miles a year on my commute mostly on M ways so I'd rather take preventative measures before it knurdles my IRD, diff etc. My bearings were shot and it got considerably tighter after 20 miles or so, so 200 miles a day on the motorways would soon give me an expensive bill, so I'd rather be certain. To me, £300 now is a lot cheaper than an IRD and diff later, whether is needed it or not. To me, it's worth the peace of mind. I agree with your efforts to come up with a definitive test, and applaud you for it, but I'd just rather start with a clean slate and a known quantity and then test it every few months. But I can afford the £300 (I included it in my Freelander budget to begin with) and have the tools and time to get underneath it- others may not. If you can't then do Hippos test. :)
 
Spacemonkey... said:
Not to me it isn't. I do 40 k miles a year on my commute mostly on M ways so I'd rather take preventative measures before it knurdles my IRD, diff etc. My bearings were shot and it got considerably tighter after 20 miles or so, so 200 miles a day on the motorways would soon give me an expensive bill, so I'd rather be certain. To me, £300 now is a lot cheaper than an IRD and diff later, whether is needed it or not. To me, it's worth the peace of mind. I agree with your efforts to come up with a definitive test, and applaud you for it, but I'd just rather start with a clean slate and a known quantity and then test it every few months. But I can afford the £300 (I included it in my Freelander budget to begin with) and have the tools and time to get underneath it- others may not. If you can't then do Hippos test. :)
Click to expand...

I think motorways are gentler on the propshaft than round-town trips over the same mileage because in theory the VCU shouldn't be working at all, unless your tyres are mismatched.

However changing them regularly if you can afford it a sensible option.
Personally, I'm pretty stoopid and like to pat myself on the back when I detect an oncoming failure and take the appropriate action.
 
jamesmartin said:
really reconditioners dont like tests ?that would ring alarm bells for me ,suggests to me many arent v/cs after
Click to expand...
I think they would prefer not to have their own recon vcu's tested and named online. Probably due to the chance of bad publicity. Inter-supplier disputes or devious bad advertising could cost their business income. Phoning around different suppliers is certainly interesting. They're not keen on forums and don't take kindly to our tests. Some insist it's a waste of time. 70k rule... They're more interested in talking you into sending yours oft for their more expert opinion on it. Once you've done that physiologically you've already chosen a preferred supplier and your obviously concerned. Closer to another sale... Hence why testing it yerself is such a good option. Previously I was offered the chance to test as many vcu's as I liked, old and recon, on the basis I advertised who helped and how good they are at what they do. My you tube channel is not for sale or advertising. Cheeky fekers were told to fek oft.
 
Spacemonkey... said:
Not to me it isn't. I do 40 k miles a year on my commute mostly on M ways so I'd rather take preventative measures before it knurdles my IRD, diff etc. My bearings were shot and it got considerably tighter after 20 miles or so, so 200 miles a day on the motorways would soon give me an expensive bill, so I'd rather be certain. To me, £300 now is a lot cheaper than an IRD and diff later, whether is needed it or not. To me, it's worth the peace of mind. I agree with your efforts to come up with a definitive test, and applaud you for it, but I'd just rather start with a clean slate and a known quantity and then test it every few months. But I can afford the £300 (I included it in my Freelander budget to begin with) and have the tools and time to get underneath it- others may not. If you can't then do Hippos test. :)
Click to expand...
It's good your testing but the results from the testing should give you the knowledge of the state of yer vcu. So replacement based on the 70k myth/legend or any other value wouldn't be necessary. The vcu "ages" over time but seems to stay linear prior to starting to age. So regular testing would pick up on the appearance of potential failure well before it happened. As you say it's down to personal choice but I can't help thinking it's a waste of money. Regular long trips on motorways are great for the Turnip Test as you can measure in anger the temp of the vcu after a trip and watch it change, if there's a fault with the vcu or something else it would stand out quicker.
 
Hippo said:
I think they would prefer not to have their own recon vcu's tested and named online. Probably due to the chance of bad publicity. Inter-supplier disputes or devious bad advertising could cost their business income. Phoning around different suppliers is certainly interesting. They're not keen on forums and don't take kindly to our tests. Some insist it's a waste of time. 70k rule... They're more interested in talking you into sending yours oft for their more expert opinion on it. Once you've done that physiologically you've already chosen a preferred supplier and your obviously concerned. Closer to another sale... Hence why testing it yerself is such a good option. Previously I was offered the chance to test as many vcu's as I liked, old and recon, on the basis I advertised who helped and how good they are at what they do. My you tube channel is not for sale or advertising. Cheeky fekers were told to fek oft.
Click to expand...

i only fit genuine ones so have not had chance to notice if some recons differed from std
 
brulynn said:
As VW had 4wd using a vcu well before Freelanders were invented, the following clip on youtube may be of interest Busfest 2013 Test your Viscous Coupling on VW Transporter T3 Syncro - YouTube
I have read of people using a trolley jack or similar instead of the rollers. Of course for Freelanders the rollers will need to be at the front!!
Click to expand...
Interesting video. You can have a cookie. From playing on loose surfaces I think our Freelander's have a greater resistance across the vcu under normal straight line conditions. I filmed it and the rear spins sooner than I would have guessed. So our Freelander's would drive off the roller rig a lot quicker. I tried to do a similar test but with wood. Never got round to a second attempt but will have another go. I assume the slope is used to make the vcu have to work harder (activate more) before driving the truck up the slope with the front wheels? I will have a look at our cable roller at work and see if it can take the weight. :)
 
bukko said:
I think motorways are gentler on the propshaft than round-town trips over the same mileage because in theory the VCU shouldn't be working at all, unless your tyres are mismatched.

However changing them regularly if you can afford it a sensible option.
Personally, I'm pretty stoopid and like to pat myself on the back when I detect an oncoming failure and take the appropriate action.
Click to expand...
From the testing I've done I'm convinced motorway driving effects the vcu more. I found the vcu to get hotter when driving at higher speeds, over the same distance/route. Others have tested this for me and found the same. I put it down to the vcu having to do the same amount of work, over a shorter period of time, which is why it gets hotter. I agree about the feeling good factor when you spot a fault yerself. ;)
 
Hippo said:
From the testing I've done I'm convinced motorway driving effects the vcu more. I found the vcu to get hotter when driving at higher speeds, over the same distance/route. Others have tested this for me and found the same. I put it down to the vcu having to do the same amount of work, over a shorter period of time, which is why it gets hotter. I agree about the feeling good factor when you spot a fault yerself. ;)
Click to expand...

Useful to know, thanks!
 
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