'98 Freelander Problems, Lots of.

First of, sorry if I have posted in the wrong section or not used some thing when I should have. I did look around and was told to post in this section or GC.

I have a '98 Free Lander, 1.8 XEi 5 door manual.

We have had it since 1999 and been more than happy with it, yet just recently are coming across a few problems that I would like guidance and or advice with.

I did used to take it to Stratstone for regular checks and servicing, this stopped 6 years ago after they took the car in and every day for a week, they kept calling my mother (owner) up and updating her on the cost of repairs.
It got to the point on day four, they offered to buy the car from her for £1000 so the trainee techs could practice on. As in their eyes it would never pass another MOT again.

When I collected the car, there was a £4600 quote for repairs to make it pass its MOT.
From this I took it to a friends uncle, who used to work for Land-rover UK, yet all i was charged was £30 for the MOT and a few pints.

Well back to the car, it is only on 46,000 miles, serviced regularly and all details kept in tact.

Now my friends uncle is no longer able to do the work, due to family commitments.

So this is where I am now asking for help with the followings:-
Front brakes keep binding, specially drivers side.
Coolant use is high, top-up every week. (H/G blown and fixed 2,000 miles ago.)
Creaking noise from the rear, sounds like its from the diff?
Rear door locks not open some times from the fob.
Horn from steering wheel not working, still pip's when a door is open from locking.
Warms up fast, like 5 mins and its hot.
Sunroof jammed, will open but not close.
Indash clock has gone ski wizz.
Seems to collect a lot of water in the boot safe area.

After all this, other than binning the car as its got alot of sentimental value. How can i get it sorted? Im more used to small french cars but have some knowledge of mechanics.

I just hope this forum and its members can help?

Thanks
JC

Hi There

Coolant loss and the swimming pool in the back will be from a leaky heater matrix. Try some K Seal or similar. Most people also drill a hole in the cubby hole to help water drain away (common problem).

Brake binding is because your dust seals on the calliper pistons are shot. You can buy repair kits and refurb yourself if you are handy with the spanners.

Creaking noise from the rear diff could be a number of things but the first thing to check would be all the rubber mounts to the diff. They have a tendancy of going.

Door locks will be sticky solenoids. Mines a 3 door so don't know what they are like to replace.

As for the rest do a search, especially for the sunroof thats been covered a lot in here.

Good luck

Panic not too much:

Front brakes keep binding, specially drivers side.
Strip them down and grease the sliders which allow the pads to move, undoubtedly they are seized.

Coolant use is high, top-up every week. (H/G blown and fixed 2,000 miles ago.)
Or maybe not as fixed as you think. Need to look for leaks everywhere including the footwells.

Creaking noise from the rear, sounds like its from the diff?
could be the diff mounts, some early versions suffered from a problem with a subframe mounting bolt coming adrift from the chassis rail. can be welded back in place, not had it myself but don't think it is a massive job

Rear door locks not open some times from the fob.
Solenoids are beginning to fail replacement lock assembly is the only cure, takes about an hour a side and budget £75 per lock for dealer or £35 from ebay. Not hard just fiddly.

Horn from steering wheel not working, still pip's when a door is open from locking.
Check fuse, failing that could be the rotary coupler on the back of the steering wheel UNLESS you have fitted a replacement stereo, as this interferes with the switched earth on the horn button.

Warms up fast, like 5 mins and its hot.
not necessarily bad, but could be thermostat stuck closed. Beware, as it could cause more overheating.

Sunroof jammed, will open but not close.
Common fault, LRO magazine did a write up about 6 months ago about how to strip down and repair the unit.

Indash clock has gone ski wizz.
Again, common enough fault, either find a replacement on ebay, or they can be reasonably successfully repaired at home. there are quite a few threads on here about it.

Seems to collect a lot of water in the boot safe area.
Again, really common. If it's the three door, try taking the seal of the rear door and refitting it, this sometimes cures it, or buy a new door seal. Alternatively, drill a hole in the bottom of the cubby hole.

Good Luck !

stewart09 said:

Coolant loss and the swimming pool in the back will be from a leaky heater matrix. Try some K Seal or similar.

Click to expand...

No No No

How can a leaking heater matrix which is at the front of the car, and causes wet footwells at the front, cause the cubby hole in the boot to fill up with water, especially as it is higher than the footwells ?

Don't use K Seal on a K series, there maybe lots of anecdotal evidence "my mate said it worked" and so on. It will constrict the already fine waterways in the engine and cause more overheating.

You will also mask what is causing the fault in the first place.

Man up and deal with the fault.

Don't put k seal in it or drIll a hole in your boot.
Creakinh on the back mean subframe is cracked no big deal if you. Can weld or know someone that does.

Loads if threads on here and fixes in the FAQ section.

Optimus Prime said:

No No No

How can a leaking heater matrix which is at the front of the car, and causes wet footwells at the front, cause the cubby hole in the boot to fill up with water, especially as it is higher than the footwells ?

Click to expand...

In winter with the heater on hot the warm "moisture laden" air gradually cools as it gets to the back of the car. Due to the poor circulation vent on the freelander that "moist" air condenses and collects at the lowest point in the back....the cubby hole.

I take your point about damp carpets in the front but if it is only a small leak it may not cause the front carpets to get noticeably wet.

As for K Seal, I agree and I was dubious about using it. But 3 years down the line I still haven't had to rip my dash out to replace the heater matrix long may it continue. I don't know about the K series engine but I thought the agents only react when exposed to air????

Also the brakes binding I've had this problem on lots of my cars. I always check the sliders but everytime the fault has been perished dust seals to the pistons. When crap gets into the piston it prevents it from fully returning. This on a long journey can lead to overheating of the brakes and even cracking of the discs themselves (commonly mistaken for warpped disks) which will result in a judder when braking.

stewart09 said:

Also the brakes binding I've had this problem on lots of my cars. I always check the sliders but everytime the fault has been perished dust seals to the pistons. When crap gets into the piston it prevents it from fully returning. This on a long journey can lead to overheating of the brakes and even cracking of the discs themselves (commonly mistaken for warpped disks) which will result in a judder when braking.

Click to expand...

Its more common for the sliders to stick or even sometimes old pads sticking slightly on the retaining springs but I have also had spilt dust seals on another car (not a Freelander) causing the piston to seize in the bore

I must be unlucky Mantamad, it's never ever been the "simple solution" for me!!

Had it on a Honda S2K, BMW320D, Volvo S60 and the Hippo.

Front brakes keep binding, specially drivers side.
Strip them down and grease the sliders which allow the pads to move, undoubtedly they are seized.

They have been stripped down several times with the sliders regreased, problem still comes back after a few months.
Was told it is some thing to do with the pins?

Coolant use is high, top-up every week. (H/G blown and fixed 2,000 miles ago.)
Or maybe not as fixed as you think. Need to look for leaks everywhere including the footwells.
How would I check, which areas? Ive not seen any water in the oil or visa versa.

Rear door locks not open some times from the fob.
Solenoids are beginning to fail replacement lock assembly is the only cure, takes about an hour a side and budget £75 per lock for dealer or £35 from ebay. Not hard just fiddly.
Is it like a plug and play type with simple screws, clips, nuts and bolts?

Horn from steering wheel not working, still pip's when a door is open from locking.
Check fuse, failing that could be the rotary coupler on the back of the steering wheel UNLESS you have fitted a replacement stereo, as this interferes with the switched earth on the horn button.
It has an aftermarket headunit but has been in for 2 years and not been a problem, only these past few days as it gone on the blink.

Warms up fast, like 5 mins and its hot.
not necessarily bad, but could be thermostat stuck closed. Beware, as it could cause more overheating.
Can i change this myself? Easy or just time consuming?

Sunroof jammed, will open but not close.
Common fault, LRO magazine did a write up about 6 months ago about how to strip down and repair the unit.
Any links or anyone on here care to inform me of how to do this?

Indash clock has gone ski wizz.
Again, common enough fault, either find a replacement on ebay, or they can be reasonably successfully repaired at home. there are quite a few threads on here about it.
Links again please, trying to navigate while being a new un aint easy.

John182rs said:

They have been stripped down several times with the sliders regreased, problem still comes back after a few months.
Was told it is some thing to do with the pins?

Click to expand...

Try removing the pads and pumping the pistons out a little bit (but not too far) If there are any splits in the seals the ends of the pistons will have crud on them which prevent them returning fully after braking.

It could be that when you cleaned and greased the sliders you have worked free the slight stick on the piston and it will then work OK for a month or two. It doesn't take much to prevent a piston returning fully.

If you do have split dust seals there are repair kits available and lots of "how to" guides online to help you.

hi water in the boot well means back door seal and creaking on the back sub frame means the bolts are not tight enough and your subframe is moving these need to be doen quickly or the onboard nut will come apart from the main frame and you will need to get it welded