freelander clunking

Could it be the viscous coupling unit on it's way out? What age and mileage is the car?

year 2000 and theres 115,000 on the clock. Is there a way to check the coupling ?

thanks for the info

Hi

Check the rear bushes on the diff housing, sounds like you've got a broken one.

Nige

Sorry forgot to mention, I replaced one at the front and side today, as I suspected that to be the problem.

Had a look at the vc, the outer ring on the "balancer" is loose, but my guess is there is a unit nearer the front of the driveshafts, just out from the gearbox, I noticed signs of oil leakage. Dont know nit is though.

atb Ian

The unit you describe sounds like the i.r.d, these usually groaning, creaky sound at low speed on full lock, and you'll get a crack going from forward, then straight into reverse. If it is have a look at this link, this guy describes the whole thing a lot better than I ever could.

Nigel

Thanks for the info and link Nigel, Tyres are ok from when I remember checkling recently. I reveresed the car out my drive and it made a loud clunk, and seemed like a brake had locked on for a couple of seconds. It really sounds like the IRD, and from reading the link sounds damn dear. I'll have a closer look tomorrow morning, any known way to test, or is it better to remove and open up to view. atb Ian

Sounds like the IRD, It's quite expensive, best thing to do, it have a look on ebay, do a search for freelander ird, there's a few companies, offering repair kit's or even exchange IRD's. Best thing is get it confirmed by a dealer, before going to any expense.

If it's any consolation, mine's on it's way out too.

Nigel

Thans Nigel for your help,

best bet at this time seems to be to remove the unit tomorrow and have a look at it to see if there is anything obvious internally. If so then its a repair kit, if so then i'll need to hunt out a good assembly diagram to help me along.

What symptoms is yours displaying, mine has shown evidence of oil loss, and only yesterday noise, then today real noise. Didn't seem to give much warning.

good talking to you

atb

Ian

About the same as your's, got the clunk, not heavy, but with the groaning, on full lock. and surprise, surprise, a weep of oil out of the pinion shaft seal. Trying to put the job off, but I know the inevitable.

Let me know how you get on..

Regards

Nigel

Oh Yeah - leave me to be the guinea pig :-D I have a workshop manual on cd, just about to see whats involved in removing the IRD, so that I can have a closer look and see if there is any physical damage. Had hoped someome would have posted things to look for or better still and 10 pound bush replacement. ok i'm away to plan a lift to work for this week, and order a large can of hand cleaner. If you want to mail direct change the ddot and you'll find me. a.t.b. Ian

Just a thought. When parking overnight after a wet journey, my TD4 rear brake shoes 'lock on' to the inside of the drum, and release with a 'clonk' when the wheel first turns. Sometimes I have to engage forward and then reverse in order to 'rock' the shoes free. Once they ARE free, there's no further problem for the rest of the day.

I've stripped and greased what CAN be greased, but with no lasting effect. I guess there's rust forming on the inside of the drum (I live down a muddy lane, and there's always filth flying around in wet weather).

This may not be what's happening in this particular case, but I'll throw it in for what it's worth.

GRAEME ALDOUS Yorkshire

Thats the problem isn't it, you buy some precios new item like a freelander and worry about every untoward noise, whereas I struggle on with a vintage series, and if it didn't make peculiar noises I would be worried.

I don't know about the long term durability of Freelanders and the amount of abuse they can stand and still be serviceable, but even when I get some horrible noise out of my series (which indicates something is wrong for sure) I can still get some mileage out of it to get me home..

I suppose this all comes from never having owned any car from new, and everything I have owned as a consequence being well worn in.

yet - in some cases it's a fine line between worn-in & worn-out