Knocking noise from rear right suspension

[freemander]

Hi all,

Recently bought a 2007 Freelander 2 with just under 130K on the clock and have noticed a knocking sound from the right rear suspension. It sounds like the insides of a loose shock absorber or worn bush however all seem to be ok from what I can see or test. Under load or with passengers in the rear, the noise seems to get louder and more frequent. Any idea's or has anybody had anything similar?

[Richard93Vogue]

Thats what I would have thought too, worn shock bushes. Try getting some people to sit in it to weight it down and have a look at the bushes whilst another person rocks the car from side to side? Worth a try....
I have done the same on several cars including a Camira wagon and a Classic Rangie

[freemander]

Thats what I would have thought too, worn shock bushes. Try getting some people to sit in it to weight it down and have a look at the bushes whilst another person rocks the car from side to side? Worth a try....
I have done the same on several cars including a Camira wagon and a Classic Rangie

Not a bad idea!! Do you know if its a common problem with Freelander's, especially the earlier models??

[camel_landy]

It might be worth checking the exhaust mounts too.

M

[freemander]

It might be worth checking the exhaust mounts too.

M
Yep checked those, all appears ok. Thanks for the idea though, bit of a mystery. The knocking noise is there all the time, but is worse when there are people in the back. I'm sure its got to be from the suspension, but still remains a mystery. Very frustrating :confused:

[camel_landy]

Diff mounts would be another one to check if not already done so...

M

[BigJon]

Probably worn out struts. One of my customers Freelander 2s needs new rear struts due to knocking noises.

[freemander]

Probably worn out struts. One of my customers Freelander 2s needs new rear struts due to knocking noises.

How many K's, do you remember?? My company ute with over 150K's and is still going strong with no sign of wearing out, and that has not been looked after!

[woko]

How many K's, do you remember?? My company ute with over 150K's and is still going strong with no sign of wearing out, and that has not been looked after!
My FL2 has 150000km on it and it needs new front struts due to knocking.

[freemander]

My FL2 has 150000km on it and it needs new front struts due to knocking.

Really!! I would have thought mine would have lasted longer, I only have 130,000km on the clock and would understand if the k's were higher. The history of the car has been mostly country driving from Sydney to Melbourne and return, yet my company ute has been used for city start stop and rough roads yet still feels very tight. Would the struts make a louder knocking noise if under weight as the more weight, the louder and more frequent the noise is.

Guess the only way to tell is to take it to a specialist and hopefully identify!

[snowbound]

Yep checked those, all appears ok. Thanks for the idea though, bit of a mystery. The knocking noise is there all the time, but is worse when there are people in the back. I'm sure its got to be from the suspension, but still remains a mystery. Very frustrating :confused:

The knocking is probably the passengers in the back begging to be let out so they can ride in a real Land rover! :wasntme:

[Richard93Vogue]

Not a bad idea!! Do you know if its a common problem with Freelander's, especially the earlier models??

Mine is a 2007 with 160,000km and I have no knocking at all...but I haven't had the car for very long so I don't know much about it yet.


The knocking is probably the passengers in the back begging to be let out so they can ride in a real Land rover!
Hey! Don't be cheeky :p
I have a Classic and had a D2, now have the FL2 instead of the D2 and I love it!

[Alan7140]

The knocking is probably the passengers in the back begging to be let out so they can ride in a real Land rover! :wasntme:


Sad when people try to be funny and pull up short... ;)

Here's how Land Rover Australia themselves choose to illustrate the Landy's 65th anniversary on their FB page:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1454.jpg

and in the email they sent me on the same promo today:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1455.jpg

which, as we all know, is just a Freelander 2 with an overpriced and shortened body attached and "Range Rover" stuck on the bonnet...:D:D

[freemander]

[QUOTE=Richard93Vogue;1941871]Mine is a 2007 with 160,000km and I have no knocking at all...but I haven't had the car for very long so I don't know much about it yet.


Did you buy that Freelander 2 from the guy in Newcastle about 2 months ago?? (Just wondering)

If so, I bought my car about the same time, I've only had mine since about April.

[freemander]

The knocking is probably the passengers in the back begging to be let out so they can ride in a real Land rover! :wasntme:
So, is that why your in the Freelander 2 forum??:D

[mikehzz]

People knock to be let in, not out. They are Defender passengers trying to get in to sit in a comfortable seat. Check for desperates clinging to the back of the car...

[freemander]

People knock to be let in, not out. They are Defender passengers trying to get in to sit in a comfortable seat. Check for desperates clinging to the back of the car...


Ha Ha, good one!!!! :BigThumb:

[BigJon]

How many K's, do you remember?? My company ute with over 150K's and is still going strong with no sign of wearing out, and that has not been looked after!

Last time I saw it the odometer was over 205000km. That was 5 months ago, probably nearer 220000 by now.

[Richard93Vogue]

[QUOTE=Richard93Vogue;1941871]Mine is a 2007 with 160,000km and I have no knocking at all...but I haven't had the car for very long so I don't know much about it yet.


Did you buy that Freelander 2 from the guy in Newcastle about 2 months ago?? (Just wondering)

If so, I bought my car about the same time, I've only had mine since about April.

Yes I did get it from a guy in Newcastle. I saw it on Gumtree. Did you look at it too? Black car with tan interior.

[freemander]

[quote=freemander;1942149]

Yes I did get it from a guy in Newcastle. I saw it on Gumtree. Did you look at it too? Black car with tan interior.

No, I didn't look at it but was on my watch list though K's were a little high. I saw the guy seemed desperate to sell which would have been in your favour. I ended up holding out and bought a HSE with Tech pack for $21,500 (127K on clock). Needed a little TLC but seems to be coming together well.

You happy with your purchase?? It seemed like a good buy to what I read, just interesting to hear your thoughts.

[freemander]

Last time I saw it the odometer was over 205000km. That was 5 months ago, probably nearer 220000 by now.

Wow BigJon, that's a lot of k's. I naturally thought that if struts have gone, there would have been some associated squeaking noises as well, but I'm no mechanic!!

[freemander]

Sad when people try to be funny and pull up short... ;)

Here's how Land Rover Australia themselves choose to illustrate the Landy's 65th anniversary on their FB page:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1454.jpg

and in the email they sent me on the same promo today:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/07/1455.jpg

which, as we all know, is just a Freelander 2 with an overpriced and shortened body attached and "Range Rover" stuck on the bonnet...:D:D

Love your work!!!! :-)

[Richard93Vogue]

Yes I thought the same, kays a bit high but the price was right. I had to put tyres on it too. It has the 17 inch wheels on it being the SE version. I got Perrelli Scorpians from JAX tyres for $259 each. I ended up getting all 5 tyres done at once. At least I shouldn't have to worry about them now for a long time!
The car seems well looked after although there was only limited service history. So I searched around and found the proper oil for it and have given it an oil change and new filter. I had to make a tool to get the oil filter housing off....
I also had to put a new battery in the remote, not an easy task but it can be done for the princely sum of $9 for the battery, you just have to brush up on your soldering skills :p

Mine has had a sony touch screen entertainment/gps unit put into the dash, looks almost factory but unfortunately they didn't get the steeringwheel controls hooked up to it and it appears that the rear park sensors have been deactivated somewhere along the line.

I have put a Hayman reece towbar on mine a couple of weeks ago too. Pays to shop around. I got mine from a place called ISP at Islington in Newcastle for $645 and fitted it myself including the wiring harness and trailer CPU. It was actually the easiest wiring job I have ever done, every thing just plugs in, no cutting or soldering needed.

What are the differences between the SE and the HSE? I know the wheels are different...

[freemander]

Yes I thought the same, kays a bit high but the price was right. I had to put tyres on it too. It has the 17 inch wheels on it being the SE version. I got Perrelli Scorpians from JAX tyres for $259 each. I ended up getting all 5 tyres done at once. At least I shouldn't have to worry about them now for a long time!
The car seems well looked after although there was only limited service history. So I searched around and found the proper oil for it and have given it an oil change and new filter. I had to make a tool to get the oil filter housing off....
I also had to put a new battery in the remote, not an easy task but it can be done for the princely sum of $9 for the battery, you just have to brush up on your soldering skills :p

Mine has had a sony touch screen entertainment/gps unit put into the dash, looks almost factory but unfortunately they didn't get the steeringwheel controls hooked up to it and it appears that the rear park sensors have been deactivated somewhere along the line.

I have put a Hayman reece towbar on mine a couple of weeks ago too. Pays to shop around. I got mine from a place called ISP at Islington in Newcastle for $645 and fitted it myself including the wiring harness and trailer CPU. It was actually the easiest wiring job I have ever done, every thing just plugs in, no cutting or soldering needed.

What are the differences between the SE and the HSE? I know the wheels are different...


Sounds like you may have picked yourself up a bargain. I'm new into the Land Rover family and have been looking and studying for a while. I was nearly going to buy an Freelander 2 SE a few years ago but due to the old LR reliability scared me off so I went Japanese. That was then and this is now so after further research, decided to take the plunge. I didn't want to go new cause I wanted to use it off road (plus the extra $$), who wants to scratch a new car anyway. I wanted something with a few extra options and that's where I saw the car in Melbourne advertised for $26k. It was advertised in "good condition" so decided to take the plunge and head down. Well, new tyres ended up being bald, the small scratch ended up being a dent in the front guard and bumper and a knocking noise in the rear over bumps. It was black with a black interior, not my favorite choice but made him an offer. Picked it up for $21,500.

The car was optioned up with what they call Technology and Lighting pack which includes HID active headlights (ability to see around corners) for both main and high beam, blue tooth, front and rear sensors, navigation with digital compass, umpteen speakers with pro logic surround sound, memory power seats, bigger wheels and 2 x personal audio control for rear passengers. It also has puddle lights but think that's standard in the SE. Not sure what else is different as I haven't really taken a lot of notice with the SE so there maybe a few other changes but I think that's the main points. These options were the main reason I went for the car as very few come with standard navigation for this price

The car needed a good clean and being a company car, seemed like it never saw a car wash or detail in its life. I scrubbed it up, replaced the tyres and repaired the damage and gave it a good service. Downfall was when they did the service, they found that the previous mechanic had not changed the oil filter which basically fell apart in his hand. My mechanic gave it a good flush and is good as new. He advised to give it a good run and return it back for another flush.

I haven't taken the car to have the suspension sorted though my mechanic feels its nothing serious. He hasn't had a good look but feels confident he can have it sorted, he's not a LR mechanic. I was hoping to give him a few idea's before he starts looking hence my post on the forum.

Apart from that and I think a very minor power steering leak through a hose buried deep down in the motor, the car seems to going well.

You seem to know a little about LR's, have you had much to do with the Freelander 2?? They seem to go on forever, I was worried amount of K's in my car as most of my cars I've owned have been well below this amount. Apart from the knocking noise, seems very reliable and tight and capable small 4wd.

[Richard93Vogue]

This is my first plunge into a newer LR. Only had older cars till now, but yes this is my 5th Land Rover. I researched the reliability of the Freelander 2 a lot before I took the plunge too, as I know that the 1st Freelander was somewhat less than perfect in the reliability stakes. From what I was reading on the UK forums the FL2 seems to have benefitted from Volvo and Ford technology. The Si6 petrol motor is a Volvo motor and was used in the FL because Ford owned LR and Volvo at the same time back then (Not now though). When I started taking covers off to service it the FoMoCo (Ford Motor Company) logo shows up pretty quickly.

I'm not sure about my headlights turning automatically, but there is a dial on the dash that lets me aim the lights up and down.
I wanted the SE because of the smaller rims/taller rubber, supposed to be better off road and easier on your rims.
Puddle lights, are they the ones in the doors or the ones in the mirrors? I know I don't have the one's in the mirrors and not too sure about the doors either for that matter.

We took ours for a drive up to the Myall Lakes National Park this week, nothing serious but it handles the dirt roads superbly. Didn't want to take it on the beach though.

[freemander]

This is my first plunge into a newer LR. Only had older cars till now, but yes this is my 5th Land Rover. I researched the reliability of the Freelander 2 a lot before I took the plunge too, as I know that the 1st Freelander was somewhat less than perfect in the reliability stakes. From what I was reading on the UK forums the FL2 seems to have benefitted from Volvo and Ford technology. The Si6 petrol motor is a Volvo motor and was used in the FL because Ford owned LR and Volvo at the same time back then (Not now though). When I started taking covers off to service it the FoMoCo (Ford Motor Company) logo shows up pretty quickly.

I'm not sure about my headlights turning automatically, but there is a dial on the dash that lets me aim the lights up and down.
I wanted the SE because of the smaller rims/taller rubber, supposed to be better off road and easier on your rims.
Puddle lights, are they the ones in the doors or the ones in the mirrors? I know I don't have the one's in the mirrors and not too sure about the doors either for that matter.

We took ours for a drive up to the Myall Lakes National Park this week, nothing serious but it handles the dirt roads superbly. Didn't want to take it on the beach though.


Yeah, I've read a lot about the development and it sees that Ford/Volvo has done a superb job at what appeared to be an average car to what it is today. Tata have done a great job on the D4 ad looking t the further development of the Freelander will leave our cars for dead. Nice looking vehicle, like a baby RR!!

I know the up and down head light switch your talking about. No mine are like eyes turning left and right matching as you steer the vehicle. Impressive on a dark road but I live I Sydney so....
As for puddle lights, yeah, mine has both, under the mirrors and in the doors. Puddle lights come on once you flick the remote, lights the side of vehicle without opening the doors, then when you open the doors, it lights up like a xmas tree, nice touch.

I'm heading up to Lithgow tomorrow for a trek with some guys from the forum (upcoming events). Looking forward to trying it out but not looking forward to getting stuck lol. Have been told that its quite capable so tomorrows the big day. Hopefully will return in one piece with no red faces.

[Richard93Vogue]

Hey, well I hope that you have a good time at Lithgow. I am sure your car will not fail to impress you! I expect to see some photos :p

From your description of the puddle lights, mine does not have them. The cornering head lights would have been a great option to have as we will be doing a lot of country driving later on, but I guess as the saying goes, if you've never had it, you won't miss it :D

[Meken]

Wow - that technology pack cost about $8k new in 2008. (I know because we ummed & Arred about it on our new hse at the time.) trick was back then unknown to us at the time - you couldn't get any aftermarket gps units to work in with the canbus system...

Trailer - does the Hayman Reece wiring turn off the rear sensors? I just paid over $800 for the oem wiring kit - but it activates the trailer stability adaption to the stability control so if you get trailer sway it will try to stabilise for you and turns off the rear park sensors - bug doesn't work with led lights so you need another box ;(

[WillD]

Hey,

Check your rear diff as well. Ours was making a similar noise that you describe but from the left hand side- mostly when low speed turning (i.e. different wheel speeds).
if it is the diff then it will be $$ to fix.
otherwise they are such good cars!

[freemander]

Hey,

Check your rear diff as well. Ours was making a similar noise that you describe but from the left hand side- mostly when low speed turning (i.e. different wheel speeds).
if it is the diff then it will be $$ to fix.
otherwise they are such good cars!

All has been investigated and sorted, culprit, one worn shock absorber. Quiet as a whistle now and running like a dream!!

[freemander]

[QUOTE=Meken;1998595]Wow - that technology pack cost about $8k new in 2008. (I know because we ummed & Arred about it on our new hse at the time.) trick was back then unknown to us at the time - you couldn't get any aftermarket gps units to work in with the canbus system...

I found out some useless information when I called Land Rover the other day, I found out that my Freelander was an original "media car" back in 2007 and was featured as a "technology of the future" vehicle for the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane motor shows and media write ups. I was wondering why I haven't seen other Freelander's with the HID adaptive headlights or "lighting package", bluetooth, premium surround sound and navigation package/s all wrapped up in one vehicle. Was told its an original vehicle for that time, would have been worth a tidy sum back then.