1999 1.8 Rear Propshaft

[bobthebiker]

Hi looking at buying a low mileage 1999 Freelander, have been told the rear prop has been removed due to viscus unit problems!! is this ok or does it spell transfer box problems? is it likely i will be able to just replace the rear prop? :huh:

Thanks Bob

[Blippie]

It might be fine - a lot of VCUs seem to be removed due to paranoia and not definite problems.

A replacement VCU will be at least £200 from a breakers - it could be a good haggling oppurtunity when you buy the car.

Cheers

Blippie

[FridgeFreezer]

Not a problem unless you want to off-road it really, use it as a bargaining chip (the full RRP is more like £500+), the transfer box (IRD) and/or rear diff may or may not be a bit ropey but with the prop removed that part of it's not doing anything anyway. As Blippie said, a lot of people misdiagnose the normal state of the VCU as faulty, so it could even be absolutely fine.

You can get them recon'ed for ~£200 (someone posted a link here recently).

[bobthebiker]

Hi Thanks to you both, have now gone for a even lower milage 2001 ES model which has everything in place and working, 12 months tax & mot for only 400 pounds more but iám sure there will be more questions in the future

Thanks Again Bob

[2002 freebie se]

I hope it's alright to chime in here with a question.

I have an American spec Freelander 2.5 (V6), and I've been having a problem with my propshaft. I took it off and brought it to a shop to see if it can be repaired. Apparently its very, very expensive to replace (I've been quoted $2500 - 3000 for a new propshaft assembly). But I've been wondering if its alright to leave it off.

I've yet to see anyone state that there's any possibility of damage to anything without it. While I know the traction capabilities of 4X4 would no longer be in the cards, I just want to make sure its no problem if it takes a long time for the shop to come up with an economical solution. Or if I just leave it off indefinitely, I want to know that there wouldn't be a problem down the road.

Thanks for all who can give me any feedback here.

[bobthebiker]

Hi Freebie I´ve been told on other forums plus elswhere that it is ok to drive with rear prop removed in fact it improves MPG!!

Bob

[2002 freebie se]

Thanks, Bob. That's what I thought but just wanted to ask and make sure. I appreciate your response.

[FridgeFreezer]

Mine's done 10,000 miles with no rear prop and still working fine

[v8bertha]

Mine's done 10,000 miles with no rear prop and still working fine

Mr Fridge has even taken his offroad without the rear prop IIRC, and still managed to get further and less stuck than me!!

As already confirmed, there is no danger of damage to other componants by removing the prop.

Mr Freebie... To replace the entire propshaft would probably be prohibitively expensive. There are lots of companies here in the UK that will sell you a recon viscous unit (the bit in the middle of the prop that causes all the problems). By comparison these are very cheap and fitting is not a major job for somebody with a modicum of spannering ability!

Good luck

Dan :-)

[2002 freebie se]

Thanks, V8Bertha, and to all of you who have responded to my questions.

I've decided to repair it but leave the propshaft off, in case I decide to replace it later. The shop I found said they could just repair the affected part of the propshaft for $250 American, so, I will just do that but leave it in the garage for now. I do notice, as some have mentioned, an increase in fuel efficiency already.

I really appreciate all the feedback you folks have taken the time out to give. Thank you all again.

[2002 freebie se]

Just an update. I took the driveshaft off and brought it down to a driveline shop. They were able to repair it by replacing the front about 14 inches of the first section.

The original piece was patently overengineered, utilizing an expensive to replace, rubber-booted, "plunge" type "slipping spline" mechanism. Interestingly, the other sections of the driveshaft are connected by simple U-joints.

Before:

After:

Original, complete driveshaft:

As you can see from the 'after' shot, the simple utilization of an inelaborate U-joint setup easily replaces the original, high maintenence design.

Notice the round connector (to the transmission) is much thinner on the new piece, compensating for the additional length of the new part. The overall length remains the same, down to the millimeter.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Hopefully this will help anyone who may have the same issue.

Good luck.