Still trying to find my noises on transmission, primarily a loud whine when in overrun on m 2003 freelander - ever since a LR garage replaced the VCU and bearings..
Now, im not sure if they put the correct pre-load on the rear diff when they put the new spacer and oil seal into the pinion...but it is still leaking and I have noticed movement laterally in the diff as shown below:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZosbWtTkfEs"]YouTube - Freelander diff movement[/nomedia]

Would you guys guess this is my prob too?
Options: Change rear diff nose bearing - this an easy job?

Looks much too wobbly!
With that amount of movement the bearing must be making a noise and no seal is going to hold the oil in.
How did they manage to change the seal and put the pre-load on without noticing that amount of movement??
Looks like it needs setting up properly if you're lucky and possibly a new bearing and crown wheel to pinion adjustment if not?
Not done a FL so not sure if carrier for crown wheel adjusts inside housing.
Needs opening up anyway.
Think you have found the cause of the noise at least.

TD John said:

Looks much too wobbly!
With that amount of movement the bearing must be making a noise and no seal is going to hold the oil in.
How did they manage to change the seal and put the pre-load on without noticing that amount of movement??
Looks like it needs setting up properly if you're lucky and possibly a new bearing and crown wheel to pinion adjustment if not?
Not done a FL so not sure if carrier for crown wheel adjusts inside housing.
Needs opening up anyway.
Think you have found the cause of the noise at least.

Click to expand...

thanks John
well I had it in for a new VCU and I said to them change diff seal as it's leaking slightly, when I got it back I heard a whine in transmission and diff was leaking badly!! I told them to redo the seal and they also put a new collapsable spacer in this time...got it back and now it's making two whining noises and still ****ing out oil!!
I'm not going anywhere near that Landrover garage again-it's clear the tech doesn't know what's he's doing!! is there anyway I can set it up or adjust pre-load etc? failing that I'm driving it to freelanderspecialists in Methwold on Saturday to have a look-hopefully they can adjust it or fit new pinion bearing..

don't know where I stand with original garage though-they just say my old stiff VCU would have caused diff damage and fitting new VCU just made fault more apparent!?

You really shouldn't be driving it.

Either it hasn't been tightened correctly or the pinion bearings are knackered. The seal is probably knackered again now as a result.

Nothing to lose now so if it was me I'd remove the nut and flange, remove the seal and the outer pinion bearing to examine it. If it's shot that's why you have all that play and you'll need a replacement diff or a rebuild.
If it looks OK maybe it's down to it not being tightened (the spacer has to be progressively crushed to remove that play) correctly and hopefully the inner bearing will be OK also. You could then try to fit a new seal and spacer.

I'd say that they the incorrectly fitted diff flange bolt (as I said in your first post) after the seal replacement and this has wrecked the bearing. Just refitting a newseal and new crush washer has done nothing. I'd ask them to suppply you witha new diff

austen said:

I'd say that they the incorrectly fitted diff flange bolt (as I said in your first post) after the seal replacement and this has wrecked the bearing. Just refitting a newseal and new crush washer has done nothing. I'd ask them to suppply you witha new diff

Click to expand...

I hear your thoughts and I'm in agreement-trouble is proving it though!

hmmmm..i think im having similar problems.....

i had my vcu and the bearings which carry the props renewed and also at the same time, had the ird box removed and all the bearings replaced....

the car since then seems to make a noise like i can hear the prop turning....??? it was ok at first , but say 20000 miles on and its started....
touching the brakes doesnt alter the noise, and ive had the car back to the garage for them to check as i said things "felt tight".... they said everything was fine.....

the thing that got me to change the vcu,bearings and have the ird done was the way the car felt so tight to drive.... it now seems worse....hahahha

i know its in the charactoristics of a vcu drive train for it to feel tight when your on full lock but really, in revers especially, the car will come to a halt when you even begin to turn unless you give it some decent revs... really, to the point were it just feels soooo bloody unnaturall....

anyhoo, the long and short of it is that the car still feels stupidly tight, and if i coast, i can hear the prop turning....if i slow down,so does the noise....right down to when i stop, so does the noise....

this is the most hatfull car ive ever owned...hahaha

is the noise your hearing coming directly and obviously from the rear diff, or do you just get a noise like im getting.... ?

What bearings did you have fitted to your vcu, britpart? Or OEM

well I met nobert and sue today from freelanderspecialists.com
nice people, took it for drive and got underneath it with them..
looks like deffo play in pinion bearing-not sure on cause but probably not torqued/assembled correctly. left it with them to drop diffand check for wear etc and replace what's needed before taper roller pins have a chance to shower the crown wheel with ****e!!
will let you know how I get on and at what cost the diff overhaul is...I told them to overhaul only if it's a lot cheaper than just fitting a new one

2001ytd4 said:

What bearings did you have fitted to your vcu, britpart? Or OEM

Click to expand...

not sure mate, if i look at them, will oemones say lr on them?

even if they were pattern ones, they've only done around 2.5k...? would they last as little as that ?
the parts came from my local lr parts centre (l.r speke liverpool) they said the vcu was made by the same company that makes the lr oem ones (is it hardy spicer..? ) and i cant recall weather the bearing where oem or pattern....
is tehre any way of me checking is this is where the noise is from...without strapping myself to the bottom of the car...hahaah
the noise it makes does sound like it could be one of them prop carrier bearings....

honest to god i just wish i could enjoy owning this car... it does what i wanted it to do, it even drives nice....it just keeps making noises, leaking oil, and feeling tighter then a nuns crotch when im turning at low speeds...

(all me oil levels are fine, oil leak is a tiny drip from between gearbox and ird....gggrgrgg friggin freelander....) hahah and im led to believe mines a goodun...!

Well my truck is ready to pick up tonight..I had a bearing about to go in the rear diff so they dropped diff, overhauled it with new bearing, re-fitted..£500...gulp!
BUT....There is still a whine on overun!!!!
I've been told it sounds like it is coming from the IRD unit - looks like my tight VCU shagged the rear diff and with it some bearings or crown wheel in the IRD.
Im going to run it for a few weeks to see what noises materialise, if they get noisy i'll drop the props until I can take it back for an IRD overhaul - Thats another £600 that I cant afford at the moment, only paid £3200 for the truck and ive already spent £2100 on the bloody thing....Its not worth spending anymore unless i run it for the next 10years!
So - shall I just blank off the IRD and run in 2wd mode...thats looking like a favourable option at the moment.