UKC

My friendly mechanic has told me that the viscous coupling unit is packing up. Apparently the cheapest option, and apparently a lot of people do this anyway to improve fuel economy, is to dispense with the prop shaft.

Has anyone on UKC with a Freelander done this and are there any serious down points?

In reply to mypyrex:

Very common on old Freelanders. Does reduce the consumption a tad.

The only (obvious!) down side is that it ain't got 4WD no more!

It's up to you whether that matters.......

In reply to Oceanrower:




That's what I thought. I don't go off road and will just need to remain aware of it in winter conditions.

In reply to mypyrex:

It's amazing how much difference it makes, smoother and better acceleration.
Some recommend a blanking plate for the IRD unit when you dispense with the proposhaft, but I've never encountered any problems. There are a couple of caveats though.........
Firstly, I've only run a Freelander without a prop for a short while. Otherwise you need to change your V5 and tell your insurance provider that you've modified your vehicle to 2WD.
Secondly, recon units are around 200 quid and easy to fit which is why the prop was only off for a short while.
If you do fit a recon unit, make sure that all your tyres have approx the same tread depth otherwise you'll start wearing out the new unit. Freelanders are pretty sensitive to this.
Hope this helps
Paul

In reply to mypyrex:

Had a couple of Freelanders for company cars in the past.
Propshaft on in winter, off in summer, no problems or worries.