10
Oct
Freelanders need a little more care and attention than many modern day vehicles, but if you give it that little extra love it should reward you well by keeping away what could potentially be very costly repair bills.
So here are our top 7 tips for looking after your Freelander:
- Check your water regularly. This tip is particularly important with the petrol Freelanders but is certainly worth doing with any Freelander. Check your water level preferably once a week and before you go on any long journey and you will find you can soon tell if your Freelander is using more water than usual and get the problem seen to before it does serious damage to your engine.
- Change your viscous coupling unit (VCU) every 70,000 miles. This tip will save you thousands on having to replace other parts of the drive train because they got damage by running your viscous coupling unit (VCU) beyond its useable life. Don’t wait for any symptoms, by that time it could be too late, just bite the bullet and make sure you change that viscous coupling unit (VCU) every 70,000 miles.
- Service your Freelander regularly. I know this is important for any vehicle but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be reiterating it as one of the most important tips for looking after your Freelander. And don’t just give it a simple oil change service, the diesel model in particular has some very important filters that need to be changed regularly – if you don’t change these you could ruin your whole engine!
- Use the red coolant – no other colour! The red coolant’s composition is right for the Freelander engines, don’t put any other coolant in there thinking they are all the same.
- For the 1.8 litre petrol Freelander make sure it is fitted with a multi-layer head gasket, preferably the modified / uprated ones. If your Freelander still has the old single layer gasket fitted then don’t wait for it to blow – change it NOW, it’ll be much cheaper that way.
- Check your oil regularly. Again a tip that should be obvious for any driver but it is amazing how often we don’t follow it! Don’t just check the level of the oil, take the cap off and check there is no water getting into it (if this is the case your oil would look creamy, and you would often get this creamy residue on the inside of the filler cap.)
- Check for any oil leaks on the IRD unit (transfer box) and the rear differential. I know, especially in the winter, we don’t really want to get down on the ground and look underneath our cars, but it is certainly worth doing it every once in a while. Have a quick look at the IRD unit (transfer box) connected to the front of your prop shaft, and the rear differential connected to the rear of your prop shaft, and make sure there are no leaks.
Most of these tips will take up less than five minutes once a week on your Freelander, but they could save you thousands in unexpected repair bills!
Hi Sue,
the sunroof of my my2000 5dr FL1 doesn’t work properly.
When I open it the motor automatically stopps in its final position but when I close it the motor keeps running although the sunroof is fully closed.
I have tested this without the glas panel to make sure it is not due to a badly fitted panel.
Is there any electonic part that fails to stop the motor when the sunroof has reached its closing position?
Thank you.
Kind regards
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
Check the cog which is mounted on the motor up by the front internal light – this is what generally causes this type of problem.
All the best,
Sue
Hi Sue,
thank you for your answer.
I have checked the cog and found out that its teeth are a bit worn out.
Amazing because it is made of metal.
Is a replacement cog available or will I have to purchase a complete motor?
Many thanks.
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
You can generally get these on eBay – that is about the only place for getting just the cog.
All the best,
Sue
07809575421
Hi,
I have oil stains on my drive – i believe it is coming from the undertray near the front. It does look dark in colour, so possibly engine oil… but not totally sure.
Anyone know what could be the issue?
Max
Hi Max,
If the oil is dark and coming from the front of the Freelander then it does sound like an engine oil leak. This could be coming from one of the engine seals or one of the intercooler pipes or turbo hoses.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
Hi Sue,
after a 1.500 km drive I found some oily spots at the rear of my 2002 FL1. I followed them under the vehicle, found a greasy spot on the rear silencer and finally found oil coming from the front flange of the rear differential. Is this due to a failed seal or could it be anything worse?
Thank you.
Kind regards
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
It sounds like it could just be a failed deal, however it is as well to check there is not an external cause for the failure. If there has been an external cause it would be the viscous coupling unit (VCU) putting a strain on the driveline, this is generally caused by one of two things:
1. The VCU is past its useable lifespan of about 120,000 km; if your VCU has not been replaced in the last 120,000 km then we would strongly recommend replacing it.
2. Your tyres are mismatched (all four tyres should be the same make, model, size, tread depth remaining and air pressure) causing the VCU to stiffen when it shouldn’t.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi Sue,
thank you for your answer.
The VCU has been on the vehicle for 20k kms now and the tyres meet all your requirements.
I don´t know if it´s related, but there was sort of a whining coming from underneath the car, vanishing when taking the foot off the gas pedal.
So it seems to be no external influence.
What would you recommend to further investigate and fix it?
Many thanks.
Stefan
Hi Stefan,
The whining could be from the rear differential if it has lost too much oil from the leak. Check the oil level and replace the seal, then keep an eye on it.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Hi,
I have oil residue in my expansion tank (1.8 petrol – 44k on clock). Im not loosing any coolant and the car isnt overheating. it is driving great. what could be the problem? is it the HG or could it be caused by something else?
thanks
dan
Hi Dan,
Unfortunately it does sound as though it is your head gasket. You are not losing coolant because you do not have a leak of the coolant going anywhere, it is a leak of the oil going into the coolant. Please be aware that the temperature gauge on the Freelander does not tend to rise until the vehicle has seriously overheated, however, since you have coolant in the system it may not be overheating.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
2001freelander 1.8L petrol, when the engine gets hot it is difficult to change the shift gear
Hi Eb,
This could be the clutch hydraulics or the clutch itself. If you change the hydraulics make sure you use genuine Land Rover ones as, in our experience, the after market ones are not reliable.
All the best,
Sue
Quando a algum problema no Haldex da freelander 2 S I6 2008 qual é o sintoma queo carro apesenta se é que apresenta? Meu carro começou a fazer um ruido forte repentino quando ligo de manhã mas passa em 30 segundos mais ou menos, porém fica com este ruido durante uma meia hora e depois some, menos quando faço giro total a direita em uma saída de arrancada,o até poderia ser?
Hi Sandro,
If the haldex has a problem you should see a fault on the system check screen as it has an ECU of its own. What type of noise is it?
Please bear with us as we are currently 4x4ing with a Freelander in Morocco and do not always have internet connection. We return to work on 13th April.
All the best,
Sue
+44-780-9575-421
Oi Sandro,
Se o Haldex tem um problema, você deverá ver uma falha na tela de verificação do sistema, uma vez que tem uma ECU própria. Que tipo de ruído é?
Tenha-nos como estamos atualmente 4x4ing com um Freelander em Marrocos e nem sempre têm conexão com a internet. Nós voltar ao trabalho no dia 13 de abril.
Tudo de bom,
Sue
+ 44-780-9575-421
I have a freelander 2 2012 and just had it serviced at local garage. (Not LR dealer) now have a message saying oil service visit dealer coming up on Middle display. Tried resetting using odometer button and start stop button but to no avail. If I ignore it will it cause me any problems.
Hi Sandy,
The service light can only be reset with a diagnostic machine, which the garage should have done when they serviced your Freelander.
Ignoring it will not cause any problems but you would be as well to get it reset so it reminds you at the correct time when the next service is due. Pop back to the garage that did the service and ask them to reset it.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
pipe at bottom still cold to touch have put stuff in to skim the head gasket
Hi Michael,
You have either a blockage in the system or a problem with your thermostat. To skim the cylinder head you need to remove it, when you say you have put something in to skim the head gasket do you mean you have added a liquid such as K-seal which is supposed to sort out head gasket issues? If this is the case then unfortunately the 1.8 K-series engines hate this type of additive and it could be this which is now causing you issues by blocking up the cooling system. If you have added such a liquid we would very strongly advise you empty and flush out the cooling system as soon as possible.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
my 1.8 freelander is boiling but raditor is cold
Hi Michael,
Check your thermostat.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
My Freelander 1.8 petrol is boiling out of the expansion tank cap (even if the temp indicator in the car show all is normal) and ling water. Alle the water dissapear from expansion tank when engine is turned off. No water in the oil, but the rear silencer box fills up with water. Expect the head gasket has blown? More that may be wrong?
Hi Frode,
It sounds as though your head gasket has gone in such a way as the exhaust gasses are getting into the water rather than the oil getting into the water. Hence the water is leaking into the cylinder. It is possible it is just a head gasket issue, however, when you strip it down make sure you check if the cylinder liners appear cracked at all. Also make sure you replace the water reservoir bottle and cap as these will have been weakened due to it boiling over.
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421
water & oil leakage in my v6 2002 freelander engine.
Hello Godwin,
Can you tell where it is leaking from, or are you just loosing water and oil? Has the Freelander overheated at all?
All the best,
Sue
0780 9575 421