Freelander 1 Captive nut int captive

Started the yearly servicing recently. When removing my sump guard I realised the captive front nut int captive no more. It spins round when you undo the bolt. I can’t see what’s on the other side of it, to see how it secures. I think I may have pulled it out of it’s fixing when tightening up the bolt previously. My guard is different to normal. The bolt goes through the guard, through a 30mm spacer washer, then through this captive nut mounted in the metal tube just behind the front bumper. As the nut is recessed a bit I think this may be the cause of pulling it out so it spins, as the spacer is wider than the recess hole. Its still attached but spins. Any ideas from anyone who’s had to replace the captive nut or anyone know how it fixes it? Seems to have some pointy anchor points around it. I was thinking about getting someone to put a small weld on the side of it to hold it in.


DSCN2598 OrGRc8d

mine did the same on the arb, i welded it

Yep welding looks like the best option. Anyone know what sort of price I should expect to pay to get a local welder to weld 2 of these captive nuts in the pic above? I have an electic welder but never used it before so I think I'll leave it to someone else.

practice on some scrap then weld yours, unplug yer battery first though

Depending on application and loading you can also use nut rivets in steel or alloy-same as gaylander side steps are fitted with.
Need tool to fit

Do as Freelaner sez: practice on some scrap steel first and then spot the nuts in place.

It hasn't got to be anything too serious or pretty - it just needs to hold!

Going to have a go myself. After looking at the arc welding guide and mig forum site I think I would be better buying a proper mask. The aldi one is a "hold yerself" type and has bad reviews. Would any of these be a suitable buy?

AUTO DARKENING WELDING HELMET /WELDERS MASK Solar - 4001 Red | eBay

AUTODARKENING WELDING HELMET WELDING MASK Solar Black 4001 | eBay

I need gloves and an apron too:

WELDERS GLOVES GAUNTLETS WELDING RED PAIR SWP NEW !! | eBay

NEW SILVERLINE LEATHER WELDERS WELDING APRON | eBay

Also going to get some proper 2.5mm rods as those which come with it are said to be crap. I was going to go for 2.5mm so I could try them at 70 amps and go from there. Practice first and see how it goes as peeps say arc welding int really for cars. Metal is too thin. . The captive nuts are behind the front bumper and will need to be welded from below.

i just used to wear an old cap, wet through, and sweatshirt.

warm the rods int oven to dry em out and crack on.

dunt know much about masks, the one i used ne'er gimme a flash

Perhaps I should ask if I can borrow young porky to do it.

I got a auto dimming mask for about £30 off Ebay recently. I think it was from a company called True Fusion UK, or something like that. It works a treat. It enabled me to test out an arc welder I bought in a French hypermarket for about 20 Euros a few years ago when my mower needed welding recently. It too worked a treat.

I've got 2.5mm rods and found that I needed to back it off to about 55A when welding one of the little axles back on to its 2.5mm thick back plate. You'll probably find your job will require a similar current. Maybe a bit more.

The gloves and apron you've seen will be fine. I never use an apron, mind... I'm not trying to COOK the vehicle!

Thanks all. I've ordered the bits I need. Will report back when I have a go.

Today I had a go at arc welding. Got a scrap bit of metal slightly thicker to practice on. After getting the crap aldi welder going I found 80 amps with a 6013 2.5mm rod was about right. Managed to lay some beads which look more like tooth paste. Limited power available due to available electric supply. Usual beginner holes in the metal and a few stuck welding rods and I was sort of getting the hang of it. Nothing great but enough to see a weld. Thats about as far as I got. I decided arc welding isn’t as easy as soldering so I’m not going to have a go at my hippo. I think it’s a bit difficult for a beginner as striking the metal and starting the weld could easily end with a hole in ma hippo. But at least I had a go.

So I had another look at the un-captive nuts and realised both of mine are loose. Both sort of drop down, but stay in their holes. Only one spins. So this got me wondering… Are these bolts captive or are they held loosely in some way, and are designed to drop? Have I made the mistake of thinking they should not be loose when hat how they are?

My sump guard is an aftermarket version which is a lot heavier than the original. The original has a flat end bit where it mounts into the captive nut. So the original guard would be flush to the metal the captive nut should be located in, and not flush to the nut itself (as it’s resessed a bit). Is this the way yours is?

there held often by thin steel wrapped around then or weak rivet clamping force which is fine when new ,but useless when bolts corrode stop trying to complicate stuff as freelnder people do ,if metal had been thick enough theyd just put a thread in it ,or if accessible a std nut ,cheap thats why ,not engineering ,why are lr service intervals as is ,cos its least they think can be got away with and last 6 years not best engineering practice

I just need to know if they should be captive and secure or not. It’s not complicated. Often peeps ignore complexities of Freelanders and the owner pays the price later on. If the guard drops at the front then ma hippo will try to pole-volt over it. 8mm plate. Weight is about 20kg. 2 bolts at the front. 2 at the rear. Ma hippo will need some serious repair if it pole-volts the guard. Hence why the guard int fitted at the moment for safety reasons. Would make an interesting video.

I have used chemical metal, like putty and goes bloody solid,

cox325 said:

I have used chemical metal, like putty and goes bloody solid,

Click to expand...

Ive used some of that it was 2 pack by JB Weld. Unbelievably strong !

we used to use when we fecked up drilling holes in the wrong place
it was accepted practice to use this, then re-drill and tap holes no problem.

In answer to yer question Hippo, yes they were sposed to be captive but as JM sez they corrode and effectively make yer bolt spin round forever, only cure is welding or a rivnut

Another option is rubber bushed captive nuts. I use them alot. As good as captive nuts, but useful for mis-sized holes and created a waterproof, non corrosive fitting; allows for misalignment and offers vibration proofing.


http://www.insertsdirect.com/productCategory.aspx?pc=779aab56-b012-48e9-8b98-68b8b7bbcd02

Local non garage mot place has a welder/mot fixer next door. One man band sort of place. Have told him what I need done and he says he can do it. £25+vat minimum order. Going to get him to have a look and go for that I think. If he see's it and thinks different, then I'll have to try something else. Thanks.

Quick update. Got me nuts welded. £25+vat as this is his minimum charge. Bought some dinitrol cavity wax to spray inside the tube the nuts are welded into, just incase the heat took away any paint. All is ok now. Sump guard fitted again and extra washers used too.


DSCN2636 rqrb286


DSCN2638 UmgwFOu