Sorry Guys i know this has been covered...But
I own a 1999 FL1 and bought it without a Prop, so recently bought a prop and put it on my FL and drove home from the Garage and got a whining....So returned to garage and removed the prop.
So unsure if the whining was coming from, VCU Rear Diff or from IRD...

Any Ideas....& cheapest fix if possible s lack of cash due to fighting cancer aswell.

cheers kevin
 
It's been asked loads of times. The most likely answer is the IRD is buggered. This was the reason the props were taken off in the first place.
Unscrupulous sellers often say "converted to 2WD for fuel economy". This is utter bullocks, as a Freelander will use the same fuel as a 4WD or 2WD. What the seller is really saying is "VCU sh....d IRD so props are removed to hide it".
Cheap fix it to rebuild the IRD and replace the VCU with a new or correctly reconditioned unit.
So not really a cheap fix, I'm sorry to say.
 
The whining could just be the bearings holding the props/VCU up - but if there were not serious problems, you would be very lucky.

First thing is to check that the prop you bought is OK. There are ways to do this with it off the car - but there isn't data of what results to check for - so you'll have to put it back on the car and do the "1 wheel up test" - I can explain it - but best to google it to find out what to do - basically a 1.2m bar on the hub nut and a 5kg weight to get a time of ideally 30 seconds, but no more than 60 or (maybe) 90. If you get that result then it is safe to put the prop on a car assuming the mechanicals you are bolting it to are OK.

You must ask yourself - why did the previous person remove the props? The answer is NOT (thats a BIG NOT) to improve fuel economy - that's rubbish. They removed them to hide a fault. It may be that the previous VCU was going 'tight' and the owner had the foresight to remove it before it damaged the transmission - very unlikely. It may be that the bearings holding the previous prop/VCU up were noisy - this is your best bet - but you are clutching at straws!

It is highly likely that the props were removed because the rear diff or, more likely, the IRD got trashed due to a mismatch of tyres, unevenly inflated tyres or an overly tight VCU.

If your new prop performs the 1 wheel up test OK - then probably the cheapest way to see if there is ant pre-existing damage to your diffs is to install it and see how it performs - you got a whinning - ws that the bearings on your new prop or something else? I say this is the cheapest way - its also the most dangerous - because if there is any pre-existing damage there is a possibility it can shatter your IRD and you can then no longer run even 2WD!

You can inspect the IRD for damage. Wiggle the rear pinion - there will be some rotary movement as gears mesh - but there should be no lateral movement (ie sideways). Change the oil in it and see what colour the old stuff comes out. If it comes out looking like 'oil' (you're looking for a dark brown colour that maybe might smell a bit) - then that's a sign the IRD is healthy. However, it may also show that there is a problem and the oil was changed when the problem occurred and it was changed to 2WD. When the oil is out, you can remove the rear pinion and chack for any damage to the teeth on the inside of it and the gear that it mates to. Any chipped or broken teeth and its basically not possible to reinstate 4WD. If all the checks so far are OK, then it is likely the IRD is OK - however - short of removing it, splitting it and examining all the bearings, there's no way to be absolutely sure.

I don't know so much about the rear diff - but the same principles will apply.

Good luck. It sounds like the Freelander isn't your biggest challenge, but hopefully its one you can enjoy :)

ps - what engine does it have?
 
The whining could just be the bearings holding the props/VCU up - but if there were not serious problems, you would be very lucky.

First thing is to check that the prop you bought is OK. There are ways to do this with it off the car - but there isn't data of what results to check for - so you'll have to put it back on the car and do the "1 wheel up test" - I can explain it - but best to google it to find out what to do - basically a 1.2m bar on the hub nut and a 5kg weight to get a time of ideally 30 seconds, but no more than 60 or (maybe) 90. If you get that result then it is safe to put the prop on a car assuming the mechanicals you are bolting it to are OK.

You must ask yourself - why did the previous person remove the props? The answer is NOT (thats a BIG NOT) to improve fuel economy - that's rubbish. They removed them to hide a fault. It may be that the previous VCU was going 'tight' and the owner had the foresight to remove it before it damaged the transmission - very unlikely. It may be that the bearings holding the previous prop/VCU up were noisy - this is your best bet - but you are clutching at straws!

It is highly likely that the props were removed because the rear diff or, more likely, the IRD got trashed due to a mismatch of tyres, unevenly inflated tyres or an overly tight VCU.

If your new prop performs the 1 wheel up test OK - then probably the cheapest way to see if there is ant pre-existing damage to your diffs is to install it and see how it performs - you got a whinning - ws that the bearings on your new prop or something else? I say this is the cheapest way - its also the most dangerous - because if there is any pre-existing damage there is a possibility it can shatter your IRD and you can then no longer run even 2WD!

You can inspect the IRD for damage. Wiggle the rear pinion - there will be some rotary movement as gears mesh - but there should be no lateral movement (ie sideways). Change the oil in it and see what colour the old stuff comes out. If it comes out looking like 'oil' (you're looking for a dark brown colour that maybe might smell a bit) - then that's a sign the IRD is healthy. However, it may also show that there is a problem and the oil was changed when the problem occurred and it was changed to 2WD. When the oil is out, you can remove the rear pinion and chack for any damage to the teeth on the inside of it and the gear that it mates to. Any chipped or broken teeth and its basically not possible to reinstate 4WD. If all the checks so far are OK, then it is likely the IRD is OK - however - short of removing it, splitting it and examining all the bearings, there's no way to be absolutely sure.

I don't know so much about the rear diff - but the same principles will apply.

Good luck. It sounds like the Freelander isn't your biggest challenge, but hopefully its one you can enjoy :)

ps - what engine does it have?

A massive thank you for all that the engine in my FL is the 2ltr Series Diesel,
It drives brilliant in 2wd on motorways at 70mph and towing a caravan at 55mph
Just sounded awful when the prop was put on..
 
You have the best Freelander made - the L Series Rover diesel - will go on for ever so long as you look after the belts - make sure you look after the fan/drive/aux belt tensioner - they do fail which throws the fan belt which gets caught up around the main pulley and throws the cam belt. Look after that and you've got a fantastic motor.

Mine's an L Series that I've had for 5 or 6 years now and it hardly ever gets any problems. However, 3 years ago I did manage to trash my transmission through an under inflated tyre - so I rebuilt it with new bearings etc - but I didn't renew the IRD gears or VCU - so its been 2WD. I have got the bits together now to make it 4WD again - and really need to get around to sorting it. While its working so well though, its difficult to get the motivation to make major changes!

They're great towing machines. I haven't got a caravan, but its taken my boat over some pretty serious mountain roads without complaining. I've also broken trailer's I've towed so much with it, its towed my SII 109 home on a transporter trailer and...

20150918_164533.jpg
 
Not going to repeat what the guys have said, they know their stuff.

So best wishes in your fight against the big C, life is for living:)

Mike
 
so if the vcu is gd after the test whats the best way to test a gd IRD off the car.
Hence a replacement VCU if the test is totally different to video and mentioned results.
 

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