Thread: Is my Freelander TD4 a dud???

Originally Posted by Jojo

G'day Mark
Jmake sure your viscous coupling is not shot, in which case you are left with 2WD only!

Not so - when the viscous coupling fails it locks up so you have permanent four wheel drive - unfortunately you get the transmission windup with associated failures when driving on hard surfaces.

I think you are confusing the VCU in the drive train with a cooling fan viscous coupling which does slip when it fails - we are talking two different systems and fluid types.

Garry

Having owned a D2 diesel and FL Td4 auto, I can say that there is not a lot the Freo wont do. It groaned a bit up some steep stuff but the auto makes it forgiving. Worse case you just HDC back down. Keep the revs up and you 4 wheel spin before it dies. Sand was a breeze with tyre pressure down.

I got to use it at Fiskville in a sand pit with CFA and there was one trick I learnt - IFF you stop: Reverse over the sand you just compressed. Helps to be in a straight line. Worked every time for me, but if I tried to push forward, it just dug-in. So reverse a bit so as to get up momentum. You need to keep moving on sand. (I know In know, you all know this but some of us didn't until someone taught us ) Heavy turning in sand causes dig-in too so gentle turns best. Put all this theory into practice at Robe in SA... proven.

Remember these little beasties have TC (well mostly). Even when it is raining I have no hesitation pulling right off the road out of the way of the sleepy people. Never been stuck yet and IFF I do get stuck I will be happy to call a towie. Fun to play in mud with a Freo.

Someone I met with an XE Tdi Freo manual told me the reverse gear was hopeless and even with low tyre pressure was not good in sand. But it also only had 210Nm donk. Stuffed if I know why the P0ms stuck such an underpowered oiler in the marque.