On of the most important things to do with a Freelander K-Series engine is to check the water regularly – a problem caught early could save you a lot of money! So you have been regularly checking your water level and all has been going well, until one day you check it and it has used more than normal. What could it be?
If all other driving conditions are as normal – that is you have not been working it harder than usual so it may have naturally used more water – then there are a few places where the water could be escaping from:
- It could be your head gasket. If this is the case you may see a leak around the cylinder head, however the water may be escaping into the oil – this would show up as a mayonnaise coloured residue within the oil, often seen on the oil tank filler cap.
- It may be that your water pump leaking through a worn seal or bearing. In this situation you would tend to find that it drips after the car has been driven. On a Freelander K-Series engine the drip would be seen on the drivers side at the front of the engine; on the Freelander K V6 engine the drip would be seen on the drivers side at the back of the engine.
- Your thermostat housing may be cracked or have worn seals. If water is escaping from the thermostat housing you would expect to see the water drip from the back of the engine underneath the inlet manifold for a Freelander K-Series engine. With the Freelander K V6 engine the thermostat housing is in the centre of the V so the water would drip into the V and then may drip out at the rear of the engine. With the K V6 engine it can be difficult to tell from where the drip is whether it is the thermostat housing or the water pump.
- The leak could be from the radiator, hence it would be dripping from, well, the radiator!
- The cooling system pipes could be weakened, causing them to split, or the clips holding the pipes have loosened and are no longer strong enough to hold the pressure of the water as it expands. In either of these situations it is a case of checking for drips from any of the cooling system pipes in the engine bay.
- There may be a leak in your heater matrix. Generally if your heater matrix is leaking you will find the foot well inside the car becomes damp.
- The leak may be coming from your inlet manifold gasket. Check for water dripping from around the inlet manifold.
- Water could be leaking into the IRD if the cooling plate has been damaged. Check the breather hose for the IRD unit – if this is the case then you will not see a drip of water as the leak is internal to the IRD unit.
- Perhaps the worst cause of a water leak is a crack in one of the cylinder liners. In this situation water would be leaking into the engine itself. Often only small quantities of water are escaping into the engine which may mean that traces of water in the oil are not obvious.
For effective cooling the Freelander K-series engine requires the red coolant to be used, and when it comes to determining where a leak is this can often be very beneficial as if the leak is dripping externally it will leave pink stains around the area of the drip.
But don’t panic, we can help!
My Freelander HS2 leaked water from the engine from a foot and a half back on the driver’s side only after driving it. We took it to a garage and they wrongly diagnosed the Turbo, then the Head Gasket (£2,000 later!) and now stuck taking it into the same garage again (Ombudsman advice) to look at it again.
From reading the 9 reasons it sounds more like it may be the seal or bearing on the hose pipe… the Coolant reservoir (pink liquid) is losing water fast after stopping (left for 45 minutes only after stopping and there was a large puddle) – do you think this sounds feasible it is the seal/bearing?
Hello Jemma,
We are sorry to hear about the issues with your Freelander.
If this is a Freelander 1 (1997 – 2006 models) then it is more likely to be a leak from the water pump or thermostat housing.
If it is a Freelander 2 (2006 – 2014) then is sounds more like a leak from the water pump or the EGR cooler.
If you are not sure which category your Freelander falls in to please let me have your chassis number (or registration number if it is registered in the UK) and we will clarify.
If you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to ask.
All the best,
Sue
theteam@freelanderspecialist.com
My coolant tank is having some oil emulsions.tried to get help they said your freelander 1 doesnt come with oil cooler.
Im worried as my car is now flashing the engine light.
Hi Delight,
Which engine does your Freelander have? If it is one of the petrol engines (1.8 litre or 2.5 litre V6) then it does sound like the head gasket has blown unfortunately.
All the best,
Sue
I have read with interest your 9 causes for my Freelander losing water.
I have 2002 KV6 model. It started with a small leak requiring a topping up of the water and coolant bottle on a regular basis.
More recently the coolant bottle showed signs of oil in the coolant bottle and now the failure of the coolant bottle to hold water at all. It seems to be running out at the rear left side of the motor which I see from your 9 causes review might be the water pump seal or a cracked or worn thermostat.
When I pour the water into the the coolant bottle it runs straight out onto the floor and is very difficult to see the actual leak, even when on a car hoist.
I would appreciate a comment with your expertise and years of experience as to what might be required. The local expertise seems to be guessing a little and finding it difficult to accurately pin point the problem My thanks Harvey
Hello Harvey,
The oil being in the coolant could be from either a blown head gasket or the engine or transmission cooler being damaged.
You will need to remove the engine cover and check the V of the engine for any coolant residue, as the most common issue is a leaking thermostat housing on the V6. If you have been using red coolant (which is what you should use with these engines) this will have left a pink residue wherever there is a leak.
You will need to change the coolant reservoir and cap to ensure the cooling system has some pressure and to help you identify the original leak.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi Sue,
My thanks for your prompt reply. I am using pink coolant as specified. Could you comment further on the water draining immediately from the coolant bottle when filled and running from the rear of the motor.? I cannot retain the coolant or pressurise the system at present until I find this leak and major water loss. Are you suggesting this would most likely be from the the faulty thermostat housing in the V which would need replacement. I have replaced the coolant bottle and cap some 8 months ago prior to this latest problem.
I note your comment re the head gasket, engine ? or transmission cooler being damaged.. It is my wife’s car but it is sounding more and more like an expensive lost cause. My regards Harvey
Hi Harvey,
It sounds as though you could have one of two issues. Either something such as the thermostat was leaking or the water pump, and, over time, this has caused the head gasket to blow, putting oil in the coolant, and compromised the header tank and cap, causing it to leak. Alternatively it could be that you have an issue with either the engine or the transmission oil cooler whereby the oil is getting into the coolant and has now compromised the cooling system and damaged the header tank and cap causing the leak in that area.
It would be a good idea to remove the engine cover to see if there are any signs of a leak from the thermostat housing in the V of the engine. It could also be worth removing the timing cover to see if there is any pink residue indicating there has been a leak from the water pump. If both of these appear in tack then the issue may be with one of the coolers.
If you could email me some photographs or video of the affected areas we could take a look at these and see if it gives a better indication of what the issue may be – my email address is sue@freelanderspecialist.com.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
Hi sue
i have a 2001 freelander td4 i was coming home from kzn and on the way noticed steam coming from the hood but the temp gauge was still ok so i stopped to see whats going on and found that the oil and water had mixed generally it indicates head gasket so i took the head off and found the 3 and 4 cylinder wet i also found out that the head gasket was replaced once before no idea when any why bought it like that so i proceeded to skim the head and replace the head gasket with a stage 3 and replaced the head bolts. but when you add the oil and water and start the car the water runs into the oil immediately wat can be the problem can it be a cracked block
Hi Armand,
It sounds like a problem with the engine oil cooler situated by the side of the oil filter housing.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
Hi Sue
Thanks for the fast response i have not had the chance toe look at the land rover yet asi was busy on my bike this weekend. so is there water running through the oil cooler and if so how does one go about to check if its the problem
Hi Armand,
It is both oil and coolant which go through the cooler, in two chambers. The issue is generally with the gasket between the oil filter housing and the oil cooler being flattened and hence not sealing the two chambers apart.
All the best,
Sue