Freelander - Fun to Work On - NOT

[101RRS]

Well here I am on a cold Canberra day - removing my Freelander IRD (transfer case) and no doubt getting roids from the cold concrete floor.

Whoever designed these things should have been made to work on them - I need a young apprentice who is also a contorsionist - my arthritic joints are getting too old for this

Getting a good look at how these things are designed, made me wonder why Landrover went the front wheel drive, east west engine with a tagged on AWD system when there is clearly enough room to have made a convenional dual range small AWD with a north south engine - there is enough room for the engine to go North South and a gearbox/ transfer case system like a Suzuki Vitara - or even a smaller version of the bigger Landrovers would have fitted in. With this gear and the current traction control and hill descent, the hippo would have been a great 4WD instead of being a great softroader.

The Freelander as designed seems to be unnecessarily complex and would have been simpler to build, simpler to repair and far more reliable with a traditional layout. I don't think there is any other softroader with the east/west engine layout.

Just some thoughts while I am inside letting my roids thaw out!! 8O

Gazz

[camel_landy]

Hehehehehe.....

[Hellspawn]

Originally posted by garrycol
I don't think there is any other softroader with the east/west engine layout.


I'm guessing here but Toyota RAV and Honda CRV ???

[p38arover]

I hope you read all the warnings about avoiding damage to the CVs etc and watched the videos in nthe RAVE workshop manual

Ron

[101RRS]

Thanks fore the advice - know about the CVs - but I am more worried about damage the the body - mine that is.

Wel I got the IRD out and new one might go in tomorrow - will need a TD4 rear diff though as I have a TD4 IRD and the diff ratios are different.

Oh well - I was going to have to pull the rear diff out and replace the mountings and the pinion oils seal - so might as well make it a job lot - car will have to stay front wheel drive for a while longer while I save up.

Are RAVs and CRVs/HRVs east west too? I must admit I have never even had a close look!!

Gazzz

[PhilipA]

The Freelander was codeveloped with the Honda CRV, and they were to be released together . BMW reckoned the Freelander was not developed enough to release and delayed it a year , until they were happier that the bugs were fixed.
Therefore of course they lost a lot of the International market to Honda.
Also a good reason why it is transverse, except Honda made it work reasonable well.
The more I see of the IRD and head gasket issue , the more I think there should be a class action against Land Rover. It is unbelievable in the 21st century that a company can sell a product with 100% failure at around 100,000KM.
Regards Philip A

[Hellspawn]

Originally posted by PhilipA

The more I see of the IRD and head gasket issue , the more I think there should be a class action against Land Rover. It is unbelievable in the 21st century that a company can sell a product with 100% failure at around 100,000KM.
Regards Philip A

The Koreans do better than land rover. Their cars just manage 80,000km before basically written off as "repairs unjustifiable" due to parts cost.

Comes down to expected vehicle life and all companies plan obsolescence. Average vehicle lease is 5 yrs, less to Goverment fleets. 5 yrs at average 20,000km/yr.... 100,000km. So by manufacturers doing this we have to keep buying new vehicles as the old "wear out". As with not just vehicles but everything, by making parts outrageously expensive gives us that gentle push to buy new than fix the old. We've become a "throw away" society.

That's why I believe manufacturers allow/design failures at 100,000km which is why I own old cars. They just keep going and were designed to do that whilst cheap to fix. :wink: