hi all. we have had our freelander 2 for just over a year now and love it. it now has 55k on the clock and we thought we had a wheelbearing on its way out but alas not to be. turns out its the rear diff. it got to the point where we couldnt take it anymore so booked it into a garage, i ordered the tail pin bearing that normally goes along with all the seals etc.

well that went to the garage and they started the work. turns out my output bearings are gone aswell. the left and right ones. they are oval in shape. called land rover but they DO NOT list them at all.

has anyone come across this problem before?


land rover have said it would be a new diff as they cant get bearings to fit the diff as they come as part of the unit....

i need some help in finding a solution asap so any advice would be brilliant....

Pinion bearing is I think known as a Low Level Repair, any more than that it is a new unit
If you search on here Rear Diff you will turn up a few threads.

thanks mate.....i have the pinion bearing but its also the output bearings that are shot. i am hoping its not a new unit time as that will be hard to swallow on a car with such low milage.

its something to do with the precision needed to re-seat the bearings if I recall , mentioned on here before At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

As a matter of interest, how did you know your rear diff had a problem?

i thought i had an issue with a wheel bearing with the noise it was making. i jacked both rear wheels up one at a time but couldnt find a bearing with any play or extra noise. so i jacked up the whole rear. on spinning the wheel i could hear a odd noise coming from the diff.

i own a discovery that gets used and abused so know quite well the sound of something nasty . i did assume it was the tail pin bearing though which was a boo boo.

** UPDATE **


the garage that had the freelander in know thier stuff and have saved me a fortune. i think they must be the first place to offer the service too.

i tried calling land rover and they could not supply the said bearings for the diff unit. they could do the tail pin bearing but that was it. their answer to the other bearings being gone was " we normally just replace the whole diff at that point " )

its ok if you can afford to do that i suppose but why when there is no need. i talked it through with the garage and they said to leave it with them.....

my rear diff now has new bearings and is back to brand new. the crown wheel looked brand new still with no wear which is a good sign at 50k. its just the bearings that are the weak link..... i cannot praise this garage enough.... if you are having issues with your diff please give them a shout as they can help , when no one else seems able


( http://www.carrepairsromford.co.uk/ )

im picking up our car on sunday and cant wait

Great news mate. I will keep a note of them, they seem to do most thing and not too far from me being in Romford.

i honestly cant praise them enough mate. its a small outfit but its the knowledge that goes along way.

Did you used some non OEM wheels?
Or did you had some off-road oriented (M/T) tires fitted?

Mines had MTs fitted for the last 20k+ miles - diffs fine. OK the rest was bent and sad but will be back soon.
A LRover that can't take MTs is not fit for purpose.

Having said that the diff would have to be SERIOUSLY noisey, for me to hear it above the noise from the MTs and Queen on loud.


Will be sooo glad to be rid of the hair dressers car - only a week to go will be glad to be back to spending only £100pw on fuel. --- Saab does 24mpg on a run! Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I've mentioned non OEM wheels together with off-road tires...
It's about the weight of the wheel-tire ensemble.
A much heavier ensemble could lead to premature wear.

cheers for that Alex  Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

our freelander has only ever been on road tyres....it never had a tow bar fitted and has a full history.


i hate to say it but there is no way a rear diff should burn out like this.....its bad design or bad build quality.....and yes i am a massive landy fan

but sometimes you have to face the truth

just for interest.....

the price for the garage to remove your diff and rebuild with new bearins is £500

sending them your diff in the post is £350 + return carrage.


thats if the gears and casings are good.