Freelander Info Please

[DiscoveRay]

What to avoid on a Freelander?

I assume the K-Series petrol engine and the dodgy metal head gasket, but from when to when?

Also, heard there was a problem with the early TD4 engine? What was it?

Any other common problems?

Ray

[JeepCher53]

Ray
Some K series did have head gasket problems and should have been fixed under the agreement with Land Rover.  Check it out thoroughly first to see if this had been done and by an approved LR dealer.  I had a K series R reg and noticed signs of this happening and sold it :?
When it came to chose another one I went for the L series diesel Tdi due to all the problems FLC members were having with TD4s.  Also when I did a test drive on both, the L series wasn't as quick but it felt more solid and reliable.  I was right :D   Not had a days problem with it - love it to bits :lol:   I've asked some of the FLC members for a response and will post back to you.
Hope this helps

[JeepCher53]

Ray
Hope this helps

On  97-99 you'll get the L-seres diesel Rover unit, which was a
modernised Perkins Prima, a  little noisy, but robust and reliable.
Post 2000 (2001MY) the Freleander had the TD4 (BMW 320d basiclly) a
good engine, more powerful and torquey, but can have minor glitches
with sensors, etc. but nothing to really worry about. Any car can
have problems!

The 1.8 will be a cheaper vehicle to buy because people are frightened
of the head gasket going, this is more of a symptom than the actual
problem. It can be solved by a modification to the coolant sensor
position or similar. But just because a 1.8 hasn't been modified doesn't
mean it will die. I had two, ragged the arse off them and had no
problems!

Early models had problems on the rear diff and IRD (Intermediate
Reductiion Drive). The IRD in effect houses the front diff, receiving
drive from the g'box, driving the front end via the front diff and a
bevel drive to transfer power through the Viscous Coupling to the
rear diff.

For a sensible motor the diesel is a great choice, 35-37mpg shouldn't
be difficult to achieve and its easy enough to service. The 1.8 is
quicker off the mark, but also drinks more, 26-29mpg is about the
norm. But if its cheap enough you could save the cost of fuel, unless
the head goes and needs factoring in ;-) (From HarveyG)

[DiscoveRay]

Thanks Esther

All very useful; we also had a trawl through the forum postings on the Freelander Club Site.

We'll probably start looking around for a 2 or 3 year old TD4 with a decent spec in the next week or two. The dealers are full of them, so we should be able to negotiate a good deal.

Thanks for your help.

Jackie & Ray

[scooby]

What to avoid on a Freelander?

I assume the K-Series petrol engine and the dodgy metal head gasket, but from when to when?

Also, heard there was a problem with the early TD4 engine? What was it?

Any other common problems?

Ray

we have had no fualts with the k series engine at all but the big problem we have on the freelander is the cond" gettting into the back box above the rear box, tjc said this is a fault with them all and need to replace box about every 3yrs as it falls apart. Apart from that the freelander is a good little landie.

[iianorthants]

the k- series now clocks in at 3 out of 4 HG going on pre 02 cars, and an average of 4 a week being replaced in main dealer. if under warranty np, but if out you have to do a lot of arguing and will be a lot of time without your car (this is a method of getting you to give in early).
 but trading them in all dealers care about is condition of drive-train as anything over 60,000 miles is pushing luck. i think this was quoted as 1 in 3 failure before 80,000 miles.

diesel engine is good, but still can suffer from drive-train sames as normal

[JeepCher53]

There's a big discussion on the FLC about this today.  News about the affect this has now since collapse of Rover :(

[V8MoneyPit]

Having done a huge amount of research into the K-series 'problems' prior to buying one, the problem only normally occurs after poor servicing. It is totally critical that the cooling system is correctly bled. Because it is such a small capacity any air still in there causes hot spots. This can cause the steel head gasket to 'slip' causing more fluid loss. In turn, hot spots occur around the liners which come loose and..... bang.... all hell breaks loose.

On cars that have been properly serviced, it seems far less common for the head gasket to fail. The K-series is an excellent engine with innovative design features. But is can be a little 'on the limit' and, as such, suffers with poor servicing.