How long did your VCU last before failure?

  • Up to 70000 miles

    Votes: 12 19.7%
  • up to 90000 miles

    Votes: 9 14.8%
  • up to 110000 miles

    Votes: 10 16.4%
  • up to 130000 miles

    Votes: 10 16.4%
  • still going strong over 130000 miles

    Votes: 20 32.8%

  • Total voters
    61
Then yu get complaints coz peeps dont answer a "reasonable Q" or just post :search:.

Yu is learning ;)

Maybe its just too easy to sign up and start posting - I've seen other forums with more directions given when joining. Could just be me being a bit bored with the whole Freelander thing of course or generally turning into a moaning git.
 
Maybe its just too easy to sign up and start posting - I've seen other forums with more directions given when joining. Could just be me being a bit bored with the whole Freelander thing of course or generally turning into a moaning git.
again.................Amen ;)
 
The VCU is the viscous coupling between the front and rear prop shaft that has something to do with transferring drive to the rear wheels when the front wheels loose traction, it's made up of a number of plates in a sealed unit with a viscous fluid, as the fluid heats up due to friction it thickens causing traction to the rear wheels, ( hope i got that right ) lots off posts and info including a sticky at the top of the page on how to test/check your VCU
A failed VCU can cause failure in the rear diff or IRD so worth checking regularly :D
Use the search function for loads of info :D
 
So there is! Ive been a bit of a mong and totally missed that! Cheers! Had a good read and off to check mine now! :)
 
Right so I now have a cheap infrared laser thermometer to do the "turnip test" :)

2001 TD4 72,000 with original VCU , 4 matched tyre all tread within 1mm front/back .

journey from work 7 miles mostly at 30mph with traffic

outside temp - 6.2 c
IRD - 52 c
Rear diff-16c ? ( wet so could not lay under car to get at properly )
VCU- front section 12 c rear section 19 c


Will try when dry & after longer run at higher speed .

Now 73,000 did the turnip test today after a 15 mile run on back roads back from the coast @ 30-60 mph .
Air temp- 25 c
tyres- 40 c
VCU - 38 c
Not a clue what this means but there you go :confused:
 
my dads was bought with 110k on the clock vcu was kanckered amazed it drive so well!

as for the comments on being a service item my only issue with this is the cost of replacement vs vehicle value.

its not a cheap item that by the time it needs replaced simply the market price of the car cant justify changing it hence why( to the disgust of many on here) there are mre and more aged 2wd freelanders
 
Now 73,000 did the turnip test today after a 15 mile run on back roads back from the coast @ 30-60 mph .
Air temp- 25 c
tyres- 40 c
VCU - 38 c
Not a clue what this means but there you go :confused:
It means the temp of the liquid inside the vcu is getting hot through slippage, and dissipating out of the metalwork. that's what should happen. Slippage is good. It's not getting too hot which is good anorl. ;)
 
my dads was bought with 110k on the clock vcu was kanckered amazed it drive so well!

as for the comments on being a service item my only issue with this is the cost of replacement vs vehicle value.

its not a cheap item that by the time it needs replaced simply the market price of the car cant justify changing it hence why( to the disgust of many on here) there are mre and more aged 2wd freelanders

So will this Freelander go to the scrap yard when it needs new tyres then?
How little do you think it's worth?
One thing I do know that market value will be less with without the VCU. ;)
 
So will this Freelander go to the scrap yard when it needs new tyres then?
How little do you think it's worth?
One thing I do know that market value will be less with without the VCU. ;)

I wont argue that point but as the car is worth approximately £600 I can't justify a new vcu when it will never be used off road. All the other faults have been fixable for very little costs. For what my parents use the car for I would rather spend a tenth if the cost of the vcu and fix things like the abs and the windows etc. Just saying as these cars get older the value drops to a point where people are unwilling to spend big money on them that's all. To put it in context his p38 has over double the mileage if the freelander yet its drivetrsin is fine just everything else!
 
I wont argue that point but as the car is worth approximately £600 I can't justify a new vcu when it will never be used off road. All the other faults have been fixable for very little costs. For what my parents use the car for I would rather spend a tenth if the cost of the vcu and fix things like the abs and the windows etc. Just saying as these cars get older the value drops to a point where people are unwilling to spend big money on them that's all. To put it in context his p38 has over double the mileage if the freelander yet its drivetrsin is fine just everything else!

Are you sure your parents Freelander is worth only £600? Down this way at least even a MOT'd rough Freelander will sell for over a £1000 even an old but half decent one will sell £1500+. ;)
 
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well I am bringing it down your way then!

nah its a rough 3 dr 51 plate with 123k on the clock best price offered £650 trade in most dealers wont touch it full stop in fact one was more interested when i told him iot had been turned into fwd he thought ti was a selling point!
guess prices are very regional but no this is not a good example and just for the record it did get 4 new tyres i reckon that why the vcu was fecked oversize tyres differetn front to rear!

I am not slagging the little car just saying its a scrapper in most peoples eyes so not worth spending money to make 4wd when my parents have no need for the off road ability they just wat a 4x4 style car and the freelander fits the bill.

as i said earlier i understand the opposition to making them fwd but was the freelenader not designed to be fwd with very limiuted rear drive and only when slippage occured? dont quote me on that btw am certainlky not an expert!
and if fwd is so bad for a freelander why are LandRover selling them that waythese days? for some people the freelander in fwd still meets their needs thats all i was geting at sorry if i had got dragged into a debate lol
 
well I am bringing it down your way then!

nah its a rough 3 dr 51 plate with 123k on the clock best price offered £650 trade in most dealers wont touch it full stop in fact one was more interested when i told him iot had been turned into fwd he thought ti was a selling point!
guess prices are very regional but no this is not a good example and just for the record it did get 4 new tyres i reckon that why the vcu was fecked oversize tyres differetn front to rear!

I am not slagging the little car just saying its a scrapper in most peoples eyes so not worth spending money to make 4wd when my parents have no need for the off road ability they just wat a 4x4 style car and the freelander fits the bill.

as i said earlier i understand the opposition to making them fwd but was the freelenader not designed to be fwd with very limiuted rear drive and only when slippage occured? dont quote me on that btw am certainlky not an expert!
and if fwd is so bad for a freelander why are LandRover selling them that waythese days? for some people the freelander in fwd still meets their needs thats all i was geting at sorry if i had got dragged into a debate lol

If you have been offered £650 trade in then that equates to around 50 to 60% private sale price, so in a private sale it would be worth around £1100 to £1300 ;)
As you say you can buy lots of 2wd versions of 4wd cars these days, the Freelander 2 being one of them. The Freelander 1 was developed as a full time 4wd with a drive bias to the front and with automatic engagement of the rear wheels. Most other proper 4wd vehicle's of the time needed manual intervention to engage the 4wd. The Freelander unlike it's competition very good on and off the road.
 
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