Freelander K Series (gulp) may have accidently purchased!
Discussion
This will I suspect wil be a fairly slow one, also only interesting to idiots (so I should be in the right place).
When I passed my test at 17 I was lucky enough to be able to pinch my dad's work car to hurtle around in - a blue 1.8 Freelander. Yes thats right, a K series! That little car went everywhere (including in to the lake in some woods near Longleat when I forgot to turn). It had the head gasket fail (amazingly only once) and a clutch go but somehow surived ok. I also used to pick my now wife up in it and ferry her about the place, on one such trip picking the idiot up from Bristol Temple Meads which was as far she she could get towards going home from Cornwall having run out of money. She got rescued.. I got my first speeding ticket.
Years and years later she had a little black TD4 freelander and it did pretty well until something let go and the engine ate itself. So much for the Diesel being more reliable but she did love it and has kept mentioning them since!
She spotted a bright yellow 1.8 3dr yesterday and wanted it - despite the engine being dead (Head Gasket Failure) and I said sure why not. I am nice like that.
Except what actually happened was I jokingly put a best offer in on ebay and it was accepted instantly. Whoops.
So now to collect a dead Freelander and see if can be coaxed back into life and try some of the suggestions to stave off the next head gasket failure!
And before the normal landrover people start chanting "should have got a Td4 / Discovery / Defender / economy sucks / head gasket fails" we already have a Defender, we have had a TD5 disco (loved it, really unreliable) and other landrovers from Series 3 to Disco Sport. I fully expect failure but this doesnt have to be used for long journeys (an X5 4.4 takes care of that) and should be mildly amusing to mess about with. Also I didn't think the TD4 was all that having had one, my dad had one as well and both went wrong quite often.
So here is the disaster waiting to happen:
Good news is I MOT checked it (after buying it) and actually the history is not bad! Interior sounds all good, its a later pre face lift version so its got AC and the hill decent etc. Sounds like it was all fine before it went pop so could be worse.
Step 1 will be pursuade a mate to come help me pick it up! Then we can do a proper inspection and see whats what. I will be looking mostly for any rot underneath and the prescence of the VCU (part of the 4x4 setup) which people remove if it breaks making them 2 wheel drive. Should probably look at the engine as well really.... Hopefully its salvagable with a flush out to remove the oil/water mix that has inevitably happened and then put the uprated gasket on with new bolts etc. I also found mention of a better oil rail design from Land Rover which will go in and a remote thermostat set up which sounds better.
Either that or it will sit waiting for a while then get scrapped....
When I passed my test at 17 I was lucky enough to be able to pinch my dad's work car to hurtle around in - a blue 1.8 Freelander. Yes thats right, a K series! That little car went everywhere (including in to the lake in some woods near Longleat when I forgot to turn). It had the head gasket fail (amazingly only once) and a clutch go but somehow surived ok. I also used to pick my now wife up in it and ferry her about the place, on one such trip picking the idiot up from Bristol Temple Meads which was as far she she could get towards going home from Cornwall having run out of money. She got rescued.. I got my first speeding ticket.
Years and years later she had a little black TD4 freelander and it did pretty well until something let go and the engine ate itself. So much for the Diesel being more reliable but she did love it and has kept mentioning them since!
She spotted a bright yellow 1.8 3dr yesterday and wanted it - despite the engine being dead (Head Gasket Failure) and I said sure why not. I am nice like that.
Except what actually happened was I jokingly put a best offer in on ebay and it was accepted instantly. Whoops.
So now to collect a dead Freelander and see if can be coaxed back into life and try some of the suggestions to stave off the next head gasket failure!
And before the normal landrover people start chanting "should have got a Td4 / Discovery / Defender / economy sucks / head gasket fails" we already have a Defender, we have had a TD5 disco (loved it, really unreliable) and other landrovers from Series 3 to Disco Sport. I fully expect failure but this doesnt have to be used for long journeys (an X5 4.4 takes care of that) and should be mildly amusing to mess about with. Also I didn't think the TD4 was all that having had one, my dad had one as well and both went wrong quite often.
So here is the disaster waiting to happen:
Good news is I MOT checked it (after buying it) and actually the history is not bad! Interior sounds all good, its a later pre face lift version so its got AC and the hill decent etc. Sounds like it was all fine before it went pop so could be worse.
Step 1 will be pursuade a mate to come help me pick it up! Then we can do a proper inspection and see whats what. I will be looking mostly for any rot underneath and the prescence of the VCU (part of the 4x4 setup) which people remove if it breaks making them 2 wheel drive. Should probably look at the engine as well really.... Hopefully its salvagable with a flush out to remove the oil/water mix that has inevitably happened and then put the uprated gasket on with new bolts etc. I also found mention of a better oil rail design from Land Rover which will go in and a remote thermostat set up which sounds better.
Either that or it will sit waiting for a while then get scrapped....
Back in my buying bangers at the local auction and punting them on for a bit of pocket money days, I bought one of these in Nightfire Red.
I was glad to get out of it with only a small loss in the end - the back window was an issue - dropped down and wouldn't go back up. Inevitably, the HGF managed to go in it's short time with me as well. I must confess, I just dumped some K-Seal in it and punted it on sharpish.
Best of luck!
I was glad to get out of it with only a small loss in the end - the back window was an issue - dropped down and wouldn't go back up. Inevitably, the HGF managed to go in it's short time with me as well. I must confess, I just dumped some K-Seal in it and punted it on sharpish.
Best of luck!
PistonBroker said:
Back in my buying bangers at the local auction and punting them on for a bit of pocket money days, I bought one of these in Nightfire Red.
I was glad to get out of it with only a small loss in the end - the back window was an issue - dropped down and wouldn't go back up. Inevitably, the HGF managed to go in it's short time with me as well. I must confess, I just dumped some K-Seal in it and punted it on sharpish.
Best of luck!
Hope it wasn't a yellow one....I was glad to get out of it with only a small loss in the end - the back window was an issue - dropped down and wouldn't go back up. Inevitably, the HGF managed to go in it's short time with me as well. I must confess, I just dumped some K-Seal in it and punted it on sharpish.
Best of luck!
I spent a couple of days at Gaydon in 2000. They were fiercely defensive of the Freelander. They said that it was a better off roader than most others at the time. It just had an image problem. I would suggest the Freelander is more capable and closer to the landrover brand than the Evoque.
Having used pretty much all types of Landy (never driven a 101 sadly) they all are better at different things really. Mud plugging through the forest then a Defender/Series. Towing a massive load around all the time and dragging it up and down muddy slopes get a Disco, Comfort and luxury as well good offroading Rangie! In the snow I would take a little freelander over the defender any day, and in a soggy field!
THe evoque is basically the Freelander 2 with a less useful shell on the top of it.
THe evoque is basically the Freelander 2 with a less useful shell on the top of it.
There are plenty ways to stop the HG issues available now, so hopefully its just that and not a liner slipped, but cant fault what you have bought and they are dreaded because of HG issues make them VFM, even if you buy one and do the gasket change and use it , they are great things.
Yes.. Was it yellow??
I agree about the design and a bright colour is a joy amoungst the sea of black, grey and silver on the road at the moment. Nothing wrong with those colours except there are far too many!
Should be picked up on Wednesday and yesterday went to Portsmouth to pick up an engine hoist from ebay. Engine stand next! I think since there is a chance the engine is toast anyway and its easier to work out or the car I might as well lift it out and see where we stand
I agree about the design and a bright colour is a joy amoungst the sea of black, grey and silver on the road at the moment. Nothing wrong with those colours except there are far too many!
Should be picked up on Wednesday and yesterday went to Portsmouth to pick up an engine hoist from ebay. Engine stand next! I think since there is a chance the engine is toast anyway and its easier to work out or the car I might as well lift it out and see where we stand
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