Thread: New Member in the Family

The first things you need to do is remove those awful TDi 4 stickers and check the Viscous Coupling Unit (VCU) and check it each service or else you could be up for an expensive Intermediate Reduction Drive (IRD) - the transfer case in layman's terms but also includes the front diff.

You have the Di version - shame you did not get the top level XEDi which comes with all the fruit but yours may have been optioned.

If it has Hill Descent and Traction Control it has been optioned up - a nice set of Freelander 16" alloys with BFG ATs will set it off. I had an XEDi for 8 years and at the dame time had a D1 and it was a more comfortable drive offroad and in fact more capable than the D1 until low range was needed.

At 300,000km my suspension was as good as new - in diesel form they are a quality vehicle though much maligned because of the petrol engine issues that tainted the model - the VCU setup did not help matters.

If you want to use it just as a town car - take the drive out to the rear and just use it as 2wd then the issues with the VCU and IRD are not relevant. However it will also be fine as is if you test the VCU on a regular basis.

Note - bumpers are not black but dark grey, spray on tyre sheen works well - looks like yours have been painted at some stage which is not a good look.

Woko is the forum expert on these

Garry

Hi Garry,

Thanks for the information - mine does not have HDC.. My knowledge of Freelanders is absolutely zero - I thought that the bumpers were meant to be black!

In relation to the VCU - the rear prop shaft/VCU has been removed. One end (what I would call a normal flange that would connect to a diff) is fine - however the other end (which I assume connects to the gearbox) has an issue. The rubber cone has slop in it.. I was planning on taking some photo's and doing more research when the time comes - I did stumble across a Freelander forum that is UK based, and I was planning on asking on there because I didn't think that there was much traffic on AULRO in relation to Freelanders..

I might send Woko a PM.

Mechanically the first step is to fix the injector pump leak and exhaust leak... Then look at the VCU (which I think is fine) / rear prop-shaft...

Thanks again,
GG.

Originally Posted by grey_ghost

In relation to the VCU - the rear prop shaft/VCU has been removed.

That begs the question - why?

Normally the answer is because the VCU has failed and to prevent further damage it has been removed. Alternatively and possibly more likely the VCU has failed and and caused the bearings in the PTO (rear drive component of the IRD to fail. To over simplify, the PTO is a crown wheel and pinion arrangement and the bearings fail due to a failed VCU causing transmission windup (the VCUs fail in the locked position) and normally it is the IRD PTO bearings that fail causing the pinion and crown wheel to unmesh causing loud banging.

Interestingly the damaged bearings are normally still strong enough to work if the load from the rear drive is removed. So making the car 2wd by taking the rear tailshaft out the car all drives fine. As me how I know all this !

Now when I went through all this the parts were not available so I had to get replacement items but I believe there are rebuild kits available.

Why does the VCU fail? Well when the VCU detects different shaft speeds on its input and output shafts it starts to lock up. This normally happens when the front wheels slip so turning faster than the rear so the VCU detects this and starts ot lock send drive to the rear. However this is reactionary and by the time the VCU locks you may be well and truely bogged. To try and speed up this process and for handling reasons as well the front and rear diffs have different ratios (this is not usual on AWD cars). The logic in the Freelander was that on smooth surfaces the slight difference in ratios would cause the VCu to bind just a little and always be warmed up (hence the 10% drive to the rear wheels on smooth surfaces) so when 4WD was needed it would react quickly.

The problem was the difference in ratios in the first FL1s was too much so the VCU was constantly overloaded but not locked but fails early - lets say around 150,000km or less. This was corrected in the FL1 (series 2 and series 3) and failed VCUs are not such an issue - when my IRD failed I put in a IRD from a TD4 and all was good - and revs at 100kph dropped a fair bit which was good.

As I said the FL1s in diesel form are great but you do need to know the ins and outs - the L series diesel may not be the most powerful engine around but it is exceptionally reliable and I regularly got over 45mpg on long runs at highway speeds.

Almost the same as yours - mine was a 97 build.
033 (2)

If you have traction control you can play in the wombat holes - the FL1 was the first Land Rover to have 4 channel TC - even before RRs.
033

And you can tow your Series 1 as well - not fast but very stable
Pickup 001

Hi Gary,

Thanks very much for your input so far - it's been great.

Your vehicle looks almost identical to mine - it's a twin!

Cheers,
GG.

Originally Posted by grey_ghost

Hi Gary,

Thanks very much for your input so far - it's been great.

Your vehicle looks almost identical to mine - it's a twin!

Cheers,
GG.

Jesus mate he hasn`t scared you off with all the dooms day dribble

Garry the cv joint on the front of the rear shaft is shot thats what Tom was trying to explain to you

This was a project my self and the step son got that never really got started .

Hi Gary,

Here is the offending item with some slop in it:



Cheers,
GG

Originally Posted by rangieman

Garry the cv joint on the front of the rear shaft is shot thats what Tom was trying to explain to you

I have not heard of one of them failing but if that is the issue then all should be good - probably expensive to get new but someone like TR Spares in SA should be able to provide a good second hand one.

My point about testing the VCU on a regular basis is very important on these (doesn't take long) as it good insurance.

I had mine for 9 years and they are a great vehicle.

Hi All,

I purchased these 5 x allows from a Freelander 1 being wrecked - $300... (A bargain in my eyes, as the tyres are all in good nick):



And I put the girl into her resting place (for now anyway). It interesting the height difference between the Hippo and the Stage One V8 sitting next to it...