1999 1.8 freelander undertray

I've just got my 1999 1.8XEI Freelander and as I usually do with a new car I have changed the oil and flushed the cooling systen.

But that undertray was bit of a pig to remove.
I was just wondering the Pro's and Cons of leaving it off??

Any thoughts??
Thanks,
Adam

Welcome to Looneyzone.

hope yu have thick skin and a thicker wallet.

if yu do a search on here there are lots of threads about the undertray on a Hippoo.

I know what you mean. I left the whole frame alone, removed the two rear bolts & gently broke the plastic tray off all the way around. I then cut two pieces of reasonably thick aluminium strip about 8 inches long, bent & drilled them, then fitted them to the front of the tray & screwed them to the frame
(below the bumper) using heavy self tappers with a bolt head. Now I only have four fixings to remove & the tray is off exactly as it should have been manufactured.

with regards to the pros and cons of leaving the tray off, I suspect something that solid and heavy, and looking at where it bolts to, it is more than likely structural so I would recommend leaving it on.

george99 said:

with regards to the pros and cons of leaving the tray off, I suspect something that solid and heavy, and looking at where it bolts to, it is more than likely structural so I would recommend leaving it on.

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Not the case G99

It's purely cosmetic offering some engine/sump protection.

my neighbour used to be a bodyshop technician, he says Fl smashed up the front end bends everything.

Pros - it will help keep your engine cool in warmer weather, heavy traffic jams, keeps the crud out

Cons - A pain to remove for oil changes etc (unless you fabricate quick release bolts on the old rivets) plus your engine will take longer to heat up, more fuel used

Is the under tray on a V6 different to other models ? Because mine is held on with 6 10mm bolts, 2 6mm. bolts and a couple of self tappers. Takes 15 mins. to remove, so whats the problem?

Takes 15 mins. to remove, so whats the problem?

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My Hero.

ianda12 said:

Takes 15 mins. to remove, so whats the problem?

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The 15mins












For the full complement of bolts there should be

8x M10
2x M8
3x self tapping plastic scrivets. It's a fiddly job, dont forget the additional 15mins to refit.
It is a pain in the @rse, balancing the heavy cumbersome item, whilst wrestling with 'blind' bolt holes, esp those 4 M10 on the diagonal part of the subframe. I have to rest the back of the tray on my knees, while the last two M10 bolts are removed from the front.

The modified plastic tray with bolts and brackets instead of rivets is the best option.

It may be a pain in the ass but mine served its purpose in the floods around hull last summer - it makes a lovely raft!

rustymark said:

It may be a pain in the ass but mine served its purpose in the floods around hull last summer - it makes a lovely raft!

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Not sure what you mean Rusty, the tray makes no differnce in floods, its only for keeping the worst of the crud out.

I'm saying keep it on, but modify it, mine has an air scoop for extra air flow over the SS downpipe and IRD

Just my joke I took it off, 2 oars, nice boat!

Seriously it was useful in the flooding - you didn't know what you were going to hit bobbing around so it did exactly what it is designed to and offered some protection.

Never really had a prob removing it - i changed all the bolts for new and greased them up - admittedly it takes time to remove but thankfully its not off that often.

why not just cut a hole in it where the sump plug is??

why not just cut a hole in it where the sump plug is??

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That is a good idea for oil changes, but modding it is still best for any other furure work.

If it's not needed for structural/strength purposes why they'd make it so bloody heavy and cumbersome. Bloody landrover engineering again!! Suppose if someone did take a hippo off road it might help witha bit of protection though.

Got to agree George, no need for such a poor design at all.