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
2003 td4 with 177,000 miles, all the tyres are changed as a set and i'm generally driving on country roads at 40-60 mph, VCU is probably engaged every day on some gravel roads/lanes . I'd be interested to see if the high mileage units have something in common. 140k of the above mileage in the last 5 years !.
 
the high mileage vcu's will have actually been used off road to a greater extent, so they have had a workout to keep them healthy.
ones that never leave tarmac and never need to be engaged may suffer as a result.

so get your Freelander on some slippy stuff regulary ;)
 
the high mileage vcu's will have actually been used off road to a greater extent, so they have had a workout to keep them healthy.

I'm also thinking FL models after 2000/2001 or whenever the IRD ratio was changed would have longer lives?
 
I'm also thinking FL models after 2000/2001 or whenever the IRD ratio was changed would have longer lives?

I think that was the general idea ;)

but they're other factors like the main one....newer tyres on the rear etc.....
and just wether they have been taken care of generally
 
Just curious to see how long various VCU's have lasted :)

- please note when i say failure i mean failure (it was going wrong) rather than it just being changed for peace of mind when the old one might still have been ok.
treat it like a sevieable iterm change at 70k-80k
 
treat it like a sevieable iterm change at 70k-80k

I can`t see what the mileage has to do with it.

How long is a new VCU going to last if the tires are mismatched,which seems by the posts on this forum to be the main cause of transmission problems.
 
Also many in the poll don't know that the vcu that failed on them is the original one, so it didn't do 150k. It probly did 2 x 75k.
I think the original vcu's were made by GKN and stamped with this.

True - i'm 100% sure mine is still original, having had the car from new. At 130000 miles i'm getting a little nervous, since although i can't find any signs of failure or strain on the drivetrain, because of what people here have said / experienced, i'm given to understand it could fail at any moment now (possibly overdue?).
The only way to know is to test it. Please carry out the “One Wheel Up Test” and enter your results in this fred over ere: http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/vcu-torque-test-results-109486.html to enter the competition to win a prize.

and ere’s my results which tells you how to do the test: http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/2141449-post246.html

Sadly the One Wheel Up Test tests the vcu only, and doesn’t give a full picture of your Freelanders set-up. For some time now I’ve been monitoring my vcu’s performance. I’ve messed about with tyres etc and become good friends with my vcu. To the extent I firmly believe the Turnip Test should also be carried out. Put your Turnip Test results on the same results fred above.

What’s the Turnip Test? It’s simply a measurement of your vcu’s temperature before and after a trip. We need to know both temps, distance travelled and at what approx speeds (like 20% 30mph and 80% 60mph). Also we need to know ambient temp of the air. I measure the side of the car in the shade to do this. Turnip Testing should only start with a Freelander which hasn’t been used over night, as that means everything is at ambient temp, as a datum to work off. Why measure the vcu’s temp? It tells you if something is wrong like tyre problems or the vcu itself.


Mines on 141,000 miles
It doesn`t feel that tight. I have done the wheel up tests etc.
I often check the temperature after a run and it is only just warm, mostly transmitted from the front prop shaft.
I wonder if the fluid inside either degrades gradually, or is cooked when the gearing alters drastically, after tyre changes etc.
Does this quickly ruin the VCU ?
Does a lot of town driving with lots of tight turns wear the VCU quicker?
Mines been used for a lot of long distance commutes on fairly straight roads.
Does this kind of use prolong the life ?

I shall soon be changing mine as I feel its worth the reassurance after 141,000
miles, not that I am paranoid or anything.
Please post results in the fred as mentioned above. You could win a prize.

I can`t see what the mileage has to do with it.

How long is a new VCU going to last if the tires are mismatched, which seems by the posts on this forum to be the main cause of transmission problems.
Your right mileage has little to do with failing vcu’s. A Freelander with a bad set-up of tyres will cause it’s vcu to suffer more than a Freelander with a good set-up. If more peeps did the tests above then they would realise just how important the tests are. Especially the Turnip Test. As said I've been doing a lot of tests on my vcu for a while now. It's well worth doing the tests.



Oh, and mines an original vcu on nearly 33k miles. Second engine and second auto gearbox but that weren’t the fault of the transmission.
 
Turnip test I like that.

Much briefer and polite than,"That daft **** from next door is under his Freelander with a thermometer again.

Has anyone else parked up on the side of the road for a feel (VCU obviously) or is it just me.
 
Turnip test I like that.

Much briefer and polite than,"That daft **** from next door is under his Freelander with a thermometer again.

Has anyone else parked up on the side of the road for a feel (VCU obviously) or is it just me.
I've stopped many times to check temp and even had others pull over to see if they could help as they thought something was wrong. :pound:
 
The only way to know is to test it. Please carry out the “One Wheel Up Test”

I've been meaning to do that - as soon as i get my hands on a 32mm socket i'll get onto it.

Will a normal digital medical thermometer do the job? :D
 
I've been meaning to do that - as soon as i get my hands on a 32mm socket i'll get onto it.

Will a normal digital medical thermometer do the job? :D
Yes. I have a cheap infra red thermometer from maplin. They sometimes come up is the sale cheap. You can use a medical one i f you like. You just need to make sure you hold as much of the heat sensing tip against the side of the vcu, as you can. Try to put it against the vcu and hold a screwed up tissue over the thermometer tip to keep the heat in and gain a betterer measurement quicker. Be careful not to touch the eggsource tube as it's about 170 degrees on mine.
 
I've stopped many times to check temp and even had others pull over to see if they could help as they thought something was wrong. :pound:
I've an infra red thermometer which makes temp reading quick and easy. It's worth measuring the rear diff temp too as this will give a guide of the torque it's transferring ;)
 
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I've an infra red thermometer which makes temp reading quick and easy. It's worth measuring the rear diff temp too as this will give a guide of the torque it's transferring ;)

Where from and how much.
I have seen some on Ebay for about £25.
Any good.
 
the high mileage vcu's will have actually been used off road to a greater extent, so they have had a workout to keep them healthy.

carnt follow your logic - surely a high mileage motor maybe used alot on motorway runs - therefore little ort no off roading?
 
just summat I was told..........if they have been made to actually do the job they were designed to do, it apparently makes them last longer....parently
 
just summat I was told..........if they have been made to actually do the job they were designed to do, it apparently makes them last longer....parently

I heard that if they were worked hard once in a while it was good for them! Can't remember where tho:)
 

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