Finally got another Freelander...

Got mine today at last!

Never learn.... Spent my first day of new Landy ownership dressed in overalls, lying underneath it! :lol:














Got it very cheap and straight away started work on it. Yes I have a few jobs to do, but the main things are great. The VCU is knackered but hopefully I have caught it before major drive train damage is done. The rest seems ok. Got a new VCU arriving next week so took the propshaft off today before my 200 mile round trip commute tomorrow til I replace it all next week. Changed all internal lights to nice bright white low current drain LED panels. Need to replace the MAF sensor (with Roveron etc) and check the glowplug operation at the weekend, and also replace the intercooler hoses with silicon ones and remove the EGR valve. When I first test drove it one of the intercooler hoses had a 5mm split which took all the performance away. Second test drive I superglued it together and wrapped a ton of duct tape around it in true A-Team style and it did the job and fixed a lot of the smoking. Still a bit of white smoke for the first few seconds which is unburned diesel so either glow plugs, MAF sensor or worst case it's a leaky injector, none of which are difficult jobs but meant nobody else wanted to buy it so I got it very cheap! Tyres are good and all match, but too small for my liking. Needs the bigger tyres and 40mm lift...... Going to do a full service Sunday so that will be fun.... oh, and clean out the engine tray as it contains rather a lot of the Marlborough Downs I'd say. Somebody had some fun before they off loaded it... Anyone know it???

Got a dry bearing noise coming from up front which I am hoping is the aux belt tensioner after some numpty valeted the engine bay without caution.

Got a cracking deal on a roof rack for my kayaks too. Ebay racks are about £150 used and cross bars about £50 used. I got a genuine Land Rover brand new in box rack and bar set from ebay for £75 as nobody else spotted it due to dodgy listing titles... :mg_boogie: Not sure if the rear roof section can be removed without removing the rack, but I'll try to find a way.

looks good

Nice....... Mine probably looked like that once!

Very nice ...

Compared to the other hounds I have been looking at these past few weeks, it is! Even the nuts and bolts are clean which amazed me. The stuff that needs attention is simple compared to the overall condition. The dry bearing noise is my biggest concern. Will find out what 200 miles on M-ways does to it tomorrow....

Using Diesel Rhino in it with the 3-2-1 routine to begin with to clean the injectors out etc. Very impressed with it in my VWs so far so should do it's job in the Freeloader.

Future jobs include a leather steering wheel (ordering tomorrow) and double din SATNAV/stereo as I can't play MP3s though the stock unit. Oh, and add a remote operated FBH and heated screen. Powerfold mirrors would be nice, and if I ever get flush, a leather retrim in red. Got to get the seats done in my VW van so might be able to get a deal. Has anyone added a Nationwide Trim armest on theirs????

Overall very happy with it! ONly knocked my head once on entry, so far, as I'm used to a Golf. Last time I had one I'd came from a Pajero, so forgot to duck....

Looks nice and straight, cannot fault it from the pics

Nice colour too :cool2:

Looks a nice Vessel

Mechanical s can be fixed but if its scruffy it stays scruffy IMO

Happy Motoring

Very nice. I like those alloys too. Got a set to use for the winter time. Sounds like not too much wrong with it. Good stuff.

Looking good I do like them in black!

Lemme get this right, proper LR expedition rack and bar attachments for £75? Git

git indeed lol been looking for 1 of them for months for my kayaks and camping stuff

Looks great.

Sounds like you have done/planning to do what I am doing.

Jury still out on a lift kit though. I want one, but as the FL is used daily & I cover about 18,000 miles a year not sure if it is a good idea, likewise bigger tyres.

Funny thing is my proper winter tyres are smaller !!!! They are 215/60 R16's. But only because I already have them. When it is to me to change them I will increase the size.

I like them in black, but I fancied a bit of colour as my last car was white.

SES88 said:

Looking good I do like them in black!

Lemme get this right, proper LR expedition rack and bar attachments for £75? Git

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That's how I like my women.....

englishbullterrier said:

That's how I like my women.....

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:5bwilly_nilly::laugh:

Looks very nice , whats the mileage , and by the way we are known as the monkey hangers in Hartlepool , you have been warned

Cheers one and all... No, it's not the expedition rack- I'd be so lucky- it's the standard 3 door bar set with the two crossbars but all brand new in a box for about 1/3rd used price. Still a damned good deal..

Epicuser, I do 40k miles a year and I still want a lift kit and bigger tyres- same ones as SES88 has.

Did my 200 mile commute today and all was fairly well, nothing blew up and no doors fell off, but it wasn't raining much. Back door sometimes doesn;t drop enough, so lubed up with silicon spray and I'll check again over the weekend and do a calibration if need be. Cup holders on the dash were one of the main reasons for getting a facelift (understandable with my commute) but they are MILES out of reach. Not good for a bad back... Leg room for my dodgy left leg is fab- couldn't be better and miles better than my VW GT TDi it replaces. The clutch seems incredibly short travel. It had a new clutch/flywheel etc not so long ago so I wonder if it was bled properly? One more thing to investigate and so is the driver's main door speaker, which doesn't work- only the tweeter. My phone charger keeps falling out of the charger socket next to the gear stick so that needs looking at too. I also need to find a black power socket/ashtray panel for the back of the centre console/armrest as mine did not have it, just a blanking plate. Or I could just wire up a USB power port.... Car pulls to the left slightly so wheel alignment next week too. Rumbling/graunching dry bearing noise is awful so tomorrow I shall take the wheel arch trim off and try to diagnose which pulley is shot with the WD40 method. I've done a search and no joy, so I'll ask here: Anyone know how to change the belt TENSIONER? I'm guessing/hoping it's the aircon one but I want to be for-armed in case it's the sprung one....

Lights are bloody impressive even with standard bulbs! I remember my old Hippo was ****e in that respect.

Ian jones said:

Looks very nice , whats the mileage , and by the way we are known as the monkey hangers in Hartlepool , you have been warned

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111k and rising. Won't stay that low for long as I do 40k a year.... Hey, do you still have a monkey as mayor?:boink:

Monkey for the rear socket I just drilled a hole in the blanking panel.

Marlborough Downs..... are you in Wilts perchance???

Spacemonkey... said:

111k and rising. Won't stay that low for long as I do 40k a year.... Hey, do you still have a monkey as mayor?:boink:

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He got the elbow , but should have been hung That's a lot of driving hours , the freelander is one of the most comfortable cars I have owned

Skynet said:

Monkey for the rear socket I just drilled a hole in the blanking panel.

Marlborough Downs..... are you in Wilts perchance???

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Not bad idea on the power socket, probably a lot cheaper too..

No longer in Wilts - I was in Swindon for 6 years (dunno how that happened..) but am back down in Bournemouth area now. Have done most of the Marlborough downs and surrounding area in my old Pajeros and CRM250 dirt bike. The previous owner of the Freelander was from Devizes and I recognise the dirt all over the bash plate. I also found evidence of muddy water in the airbox. Doesn't appear to have got past the air filter, and I must admit, my Pajs did that all the time without issue.

Well, today I have mostly been fitting my Ronbox and MAF. The EGR is history, and well gunged up, so I'm just waiting for the second dose of Mr Muscle to do something in the inlet manifold. If that fails I'll try petrol as I have plenty of old petrol lying around for just that purpose. Leave to dry over night and assemble tomorrow. Cleaned the PCV filter for now, which should do until I get a newer type. Cleaned all connectors for injectors, and checked the fuses etc etc for the glowplugs. Tomorrow once the engine runs I'll get the splash guards off to examine the pulleys for the aux belts. I have replacement belts but need to know which pulley is shot first. Then a short run to warm things up before an oil change. Then tackle the fuel filter which sounds fun. Finally, if I get time, fit an inline thermostat in the top rad hose as my original is supposed to be a git to get to and is not fully closing. Got a Gates stat for a Renault 5 which I have done the same fix/bodge on other cars and it works fine.

Well, two doses of Mr Muscle didn't so much. One dose of dishwasher powder and boiling water helped after an hour, so did a second dose overnight. This morning rinsed it all with boiling water and very very good, but soaked in petrol for an hour then rinsed after a poking session with bottle brushes. Now almost fully cleaned out and about as good as I'm going to get so it's drying out the petrol now. I've popped it out in the sun on the shed roof so give it a couple of hours and it should be dry enough to refit. Hopefully not too many petrol vapours left after...

I also cleaned out the MAP sensor which was blocked and reading somebody elses tale of woe, it might account for a lot of problems. It was gunged up solid. It is supposed to have a hollow tip as it's a pressure sensor. Hopefully cleaning will have helped but I'll price up a new one just in case. The other chap had all sorts of problems and changed just about everything until he changed the MAP and all fixed! It's a tiny sensor bolted on the manifold corner opposite the EGR end.