Recently purchased an 04 freelander with 103k on the clock. It ran but very rough.. had to feather throttle lightly for her to rev if it would at all. So far I have replaced ecu with a plug and play clone from precision ecu (they were a pleasure to deal with). Also replaced the back tires as they would not hold air (front ones in good shape). Now the engine runs great but I took it out for a test drive and noticed a few things that concern me. First a loud thumping coming from the rear and what sounds like one of rear tires dragging on turns. Is this possibly from not changing all 4 tires simultaneously? Is this a differential issue because in my research it seems it would be making more of a whining noise than the clunking it currently has. As I said the front tires are in perfect shape and the same size as rear.... different tread tho. Second I noticed a major lack of power almost as if limp mode was on but no lights indicated. This is where it gets confusing for me. I didnt know if it was engine issue or drivetrain so I put it in neutral and it still wouldnt rev. At this point I was struggling to do 15 mph so I just pulled over and shut the car off half expecting it not to start up again. It fired right up and issue went away.... for about a mile till I stepped on it and she died right out again. It would get up to about 2k rpm no further. So again pulled off the road and turned the car off and on... this time it got me home.... only to realize that my front left brake was well locked up and smoking. Are these issues related at all? I dont see how 1 locked break would hold me to 10 15 mph like it was or how turning the car off would help at all outside of maybe releasing hydraulic pressure on the pads. Felt much more engine or tranny related in the moment. As it sits in my driveway it idols fine and can tac her right up to the dingding without any hesitation... cant make sense of it and kinda nervous to drive as I am trying to avoid further damage and cost of repairs. Any insight at all would be appreciated.... many thanks
Zach G
