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Freelander 1 rear end noise


bobjacko

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Hi All, Sorry to ask the dreaded 'what is this noise' question, but our Freelander is making a strange noise and any advice would be greatly received.

Noise seems to come from rear end, possibly nearside. It happens when cornering around a small roundabout or similar, at about 10 - 20 mph. sounds like you have hit a rumble strip or got a flat tyre ! No other noises at all.

I initially thought it was a cv joint - possibly inner and have replaced both driveshafts with secondhand items, but the noise is still the same !

Car has had a new VCU 3 months ago and has done 68k miles.

Many thanks

Bob

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Early Hippo's were known for having weak rear diffs. Ashcrofts (I think), supply tougher units. I've rebuilt a few, and it's do-able for a reasonably competent mechanic. Pinion bearings tend to wear quite badly, but the whole diff assembly is complex to rebuild, as there are several 'normal' roller bearings, plus needle rollers, seals, etc. Jack the rear wheels up, disconnect the prop, then rotate the diff flange, and feel for roughness. Diff has no drain plug, and it's glued on with RTV sealant, so be prepared for a bit of a mess :)

Les

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Thanks Les,

I was hoping that would not be the problem , but thanks for your reply - car is 54 plate so not that early ? and with nice low mileage I was hoping for a freelander that would not need loads of money chucking at it - guess that was wishful thinking !

Will have a look later and try the prop off and check for roughness. Car I got the driveshafts off has only done 65k miles so I might look and see what that is like.

Thanks

Bob

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The usual source of noise in the rear is the diff bouncing around because the front diff mount has failed. I would have to disagree with Les about the strength of the diff as in my experience it is certainly up to the task and mine has been through a couple of VCU failures so has at times been quite loaded up.

The rear diff has three mounting points - two at the back and one at the front - at the rear the two mounts easily cope with loads but the single front one fails regularly allowing the front to bounce around as load changes. Your symptoms could indicate this as the diff loads up a bit as you go around corners and the VCU will start to lock in those circumstances causing loads in the rear.

So check you rear diff mounts (give the diff a good shake and see if you get excess movement - you will see if the front mount is damaged. Also - I would also get your VCU checked as the symptoms you describe could also be a locked VCU.

Cheers

Garry

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Thanks for the replies guys, I think it may well be diff mounts as Garry suggested - I did check them first, but it does sound like something is fouling the bodywork, or hitting underneath so I suspect the diff is moving around. It is more of a jumping around sound ! On inspection there does not seem anything wrong though ! I don't think it is diff bearings as there is no noise at all in normal driving and at slow speed there is no noise - it is only between 10 - 20 mph. I would have thought there would be considerable noise at other times if the diff bearings have failed?

Still not had a chance to have another look, but will let you know when I do get to the bottom of it !

VCU bearings were new and genuine, along with the VCU when this was changed about 5 months ago, so I hope these are all fine ?

Thanks

Bob

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Hi All,  Sorry - I need to bring this up again !    Freelander is still making the same noise - I never cured it, but removed the prop & VCU for a quiet life. Having put it all back on, the noise is back again. It does sound like the diff, or another part of the transmission is fouling underneath - same noise as before, as if something is under a lot of tension and touching somewhere making the noise - When checking there is no obvious sign of anything touching underneath, or marks etc. 

It has now had a new VCU, new support bearings ( good quality ) , 2 used driveshafts , and the 3 diff mounts. Car is low mileage and good in every other respect. 

Any help would be much appreciated as it is driving me mad now.

Thank you

Bob  

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As suggested by me and others - have you replaced the diff mounts - in particular the nose mount - it carries all the weight and flogs out quite quickly - I had to replace mine about every 60,000km.

 

It bangs like crazy and it very annoying - also the mounts are a pain to change but are doable with some skinned knuckles and a lot of curing with the diff in place.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 10 months later...

Bobjacko, did you ever get to the bottom of this?  it sounds exactly the same as I'm getting, only at low speeds on large amounts of lock, like going round mini roundabouts or pulling in to car park spaces. It sounds like it's from the rear end.  I guess at higher speeds you don't get those amounts of steering lock on without rolling the car 🙂

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Rattles in the rear will normally be the front mount on the rear diff - the rear of the diff is supported by two mounts that rarely fail but the front of the diff is only supported by one mount.  These wear out quite quickly and are a pain to replace.

 

Garry

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

I have exactly the same problem on my 2000 v6 freelander ,it started with a clonk on left turns usually tas if I had dropped into a hole on the road then it became a clonk when the auto went into top and then a noise like when your snow chains are not fitted correctly and something is catching as the wheels go around. Today it went into a banging clanging from the rear end and on full lock it was as though the car was going to break in two with the bangs. I had to get home but now the car is not going to be driven until I sort this out. AA man who followed me home looked underneath but could see nothing obvious and nor can I . It is an old car nor worth much but I like it  any advice would be really welcome.

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Jack it up, ideally get it on 4 axle stands so the wheels are in the air and try wobbling and turning things for starters.

If it's that bad it could be a major part has let go, such as the diff or IRD, or it could be  something simple like a bush, a mount, or a driveshaft.

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  • 1 month later...

I have freelander 1td4 03 when put in reverse full lock clunking from rear lock sounds like something under tension same on little roundabouts not diff mounts been changed could it be worn driveshafts because they have bit of play please advise 

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