Land rover freelander.

Gary10r

Hi,
My wifes Freelander is just about to or has blown its headgasket(surprise surprise), a mechanic i know has said to walk away from it but it is killing me as i have just paid €800 to get it though its NCT.She loves the thing & i would spend a few quid more to get it fixed but the mechanic said its not worth it & it cant be gauranteed that it will be 100% because of its dodgy engine. Im just looking for any advice as i cant afford a new motor but if its not worth it i guess ill have to bite the bullet.(can a another type of engine go in to this jeep. its 1.8 2000 Petrol model.Thanks.

101sean

You are stuck with that engine. Has the head gasket gone before? If so, it's possible the head is warped or damaged which is why it's gone again.

Long illustrated thread on how it's done using an improved head set. Note that they get the head skimmed and as it has to come off anyway, changed the timing belt. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=22464

No reason why you shouldn't get it done, may never go again with an improved head gasket. It is vital to keep an eye on the cooling system, it's marginal on these engines.

Gary10r

101sean wrote: »

You are stuck with that engine. Has the head gasket gone before? If so, it's possible the head is warped or damaged which is why it's gone again.

Long illustrated thread on how it's done using an improved head set. Note that they get the head skimmed and as it has to come off anyway, changed the timing belt. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=22464

No reason why you shouldn't get it done, may never go again with an improved head gasket. It is vital to keep an eye on the cooling system, it's marginal on these engines.

We have it a year & not sure if it has gone before, can find out, the temp gage has not moved at any time & it is working, the wife said that the fan came on which is a first & then she felt the power steering was very heavy and then she stopped the car.The engine did feel it was overheating when i got to it.Thanks for that by the way.

101sean

If the steering went heavy then the auxillary drive belt has probably gone. I think the water pump is driven off the cambelt so that wouldn't be affected, an engine will feel hotter than normal just after it's stopped as the water no longer circulates.

Get it checked over before throwing the towel in, preferably by a mechanic that isn't going to just shake hs head and say it's not worth it!

Gary10r

Ye, i think i will get a different mechanic to look at it,just dont think he is interested in doing it,but if i was to get it done,how much aprox would it cost to get done properly.

O.A.P

Gary10r wrote: »

Ye, i think i will get a different mechanic to look at it,just dont think he is interested in doing it,but if i was to get it done,how much aprox would it cost to get done properly.

Hope your sitting down. About 1000 euros thats the head skimed, new gasket and bolts plus labour. Thats a good price by the way could cost 2 or 3 hundred more, how much does she like it?

Gary10r

O.A.P wrote: »

Hope your sitting down. About 1000 euros thats the head skimed, new gasket and bolts plus labour. Thats a good price by the way could cost 2 or 3 hundred more, how much does she like it?

Was thinkin around that price alright, she likes it alot & considering what we spent on it to get through the NCT, a grand seems ok to get it done & then have it for the next year or 2 because i dont have much more to go out & get another car, we just had our 2nd kid as well & its ideal for getting around with them.

Max Power1

Those K series rover engines are notorious for blowing the HG.

The key is, when replacing it, to replace the old HG with the new(er) steel one from Landrover.

Gary10r

Max Power1 wrote: »

Those K series rover engines are notorious for blowing the HG.

The key is, when replacing it, to replace the old HG with the new(er) steel one from Landrover.

Cheers, i didnt know that.

Max Power1

Its the same engine (the petrol 1.8 k one) as is in the rover 75. I had a 75 and learned the HG problems the hard way!

Gary10r

I got 2 prices on doing the job for €500 & €450 & thats the head skimmed an all, i was in a dealership today as i was passing by and i checked the price on a new type headgasket & they said they would be charging for 8 hrs labour,so as usual cant get my head around these quotes & prices from different mechanics......... .

O.A.P

Gary10r wrote: »

I got 2 prices on doing the job for €500 & €450 & thats the head skimmed an all, i was in a dealership today as i was passing by and i checked the price on a new type headgasket & they said they would be charging for 8 hrs labour,so as usual cant get my head around these quotes & prices from different mechanics......... .

If they will gaurantee the work your on a good thing.

caprilicious

My local landrover garage quoted me about the same a few years ago when the head gasket went on mine.

I definitely would shop around with garages & see if you could get it done for a better rate. I recently had a Nissan Almera that developed the notorious timing chain problem (I know, I really pick my problem cars! )
Local garages quoted me €300 parts + €600 labour :eek:

Yet I shopped around and found two independent (but insured) mechanics that would each do it for about €300 labour! (+ parts)

8 hours labour to do a head gasket seems really excessive for a garage. Luckily when my one went my husband was able to replace it for me, but I don't remember it taking him any more than 4 hours.
That was fixing it outdoors (no shed) and in the pouring rain (you can imagine how popular I was by the time he got finished )

So frustrating having spent so much money on it only to have to spend more on it

101sean

Trouble is a lot of dealers will charge the book time for doing job in accordance with the manual. Decent independent mechanics will quote a realistic price based on experience and time saving get rounds (unless they don't want the job :rolleyes:).

If you look at the link I posted, the head on Freelander involves a lot of stripping inc timing belt plus camshafts if the heads are to be skimmed.

Slidey

101sean wrote: »

If you look at the link I posted, the head on Freelander involves a lot of stripping inc timing belt plus camshafts if the heads are to be skimmed.

Exactly, there is a decent amount of work involved in it and thats if everything goes to plan

_Conrad_

Look, if ye like the yoke and can afford to fix it then do it, and by the way, evaluate the mechanic who said he wouldnt do it, if he's your usual one, he hasnt got a great mentality, you've already seen there are others willing to do it. People need work these days and should be willing to take it.

Dunno whay ye got a petrol one in the first place ( just teasin you really, i just like diesel a lot and can't see why people buy petrol jeeps), but ye'd be as well off fixin that rather than getting another really. And i dunno why people are so keen to get the head skimmed all the time, only if it's warped does in need to be skimmed really, lots of mechanics and garages will tell you it has to be, even if it's ok.

Max Power1

_Conrad_ wrote: »

Look, if ye like the yoke and can afford to fix it then do it, and by the way, evaluate the mechanic who said he wouldnt do it, if he's your usual one, he hasnt got a great mentality, you've already seen there are others willing to do it. People need work these days and should be willing to take it.

Dunno whay ye got a petrol one in the first place ( just teasin you really, i just like diesel a lot and can't see why people buy petrol jeeps), but ye'd be as well off fixin that rather than getting another really. And i dunno why people are so keen to get the head skimmed all the time, only if it's warped does in need to be skimmed really, lots of mechanics and garages will tell you it has to be, even if it's ok.

Unless you want to buy another HG in a few months time I would always reccomend skimming the head and doing the associated replacements. Especially if you have an engine that is prone to HGF, like the K series rover is.

_Conrad_

Max Power1 wrote: »

Unless you want to buy another HG in a few months time I would always reccomend skimming the head and doing the associated replacements. Especially if you have an engine that is prone to HGF, like the K series rover is.

It's prone to failure because the K series is a particularly a poor design (in terms of ports and channels etc and the weak design and specification fo the head gasket). The engine is also under stress in the heavy freelander, being unsuitable to power it really, lacking in torque to lug it around and operate the heavy and stiff 4x4 gearing. I will stand by my point, questioning the sense in skimming the head as a matter of course. If it (the head) is checked and found to be in servicable condition, then there's no need to "repair" it, just fit the later gasket, make sure the cooling system is also good and carry on.

There are other cases of undue panic about HGs too, the italian VM 2.5 turbo diesel, much maligned with all sorts of rumour and half truths. Fact of the matter is they had HG/cooling troubel becuase people the heads weren't torqued down right, and the HGs werent quite up to the use in 4x4s and cars rather than solid constant runnign in industrial machines and boats (they're a reworking of an industrial engine really), solution: fit the metal gaskets that have been produced, torque down heads properly, off you go.

Ford's I4 engine (2.0 8v dohc version in sierras, granadas and some transits) had HGs go, simple fix, metal HG from scorpio 16v

Gary10r

Dunno whay ye got a petrol one in the first place ( just teasin you really, i just like diesel a lot and can't see why people buy petrol jeeps), but ye'd be as well off fixin that rather than getting another really. And i dunno why people are so keen to get the head skimmed all the time, only if it's warped does in need to be skimmed really, lots of mechanics and garages will tell you it has to be, even if it's ok.[/QUOTE]


I wasnt even looking for a Jeep at the time, was just looking for a suitable yoke for the mrs to get her around with the kid & this was offered at a great price so i snapped it up,that was a year ago,so i think i done well out of it.The Jeep is in with a mechanic now so heres hoping it goes well,thanks for all replys.

Gary10r

Got it done for €450,its 2 weeks and seems ok & the mrs is happy.fingers crossed it stays like that:)

Max Power1

Best of luck! Did you get the works done in the end or just replace the gasket itself?

Either way make sure and keep an eye on the coolant levels. If you see the temperature gauge rising or need to top up coolant more often than usual id be back to the garage ASAP.