a few issues

Hi all and merry xmas.
I got a 2001 1.8 freelander last week and have a few issues that i
could do with some advice with.
The drivers door will lock but not unlock with the key fob.
Both prop bearings seem to have to much play in them ( dont seem to bad to replace )
Should i change the vcu aswell ?
I drove approx 40 miles and even though the water level didnt change and it
didnt over heat, the top hose was fairly hard. i could squeeze it partially but it felt
quite hard. The head gasket was replaced 13k miles ago.
Ive got no evidence of the timing belt being changed so should i change this as a precaution ?

Might pay to replace expansion tank cap with new, make sure jiggle valve is free, door lock is probably weak solenoid, it check wiring/earths first, one wheel up test to assess vcu

Why are you touching the water system if everything is ok , do a one wheel up test for the vcu there is plenty of info on here and if that is ok then just change the carrier bearings and on the door just change the actuator

Graham 123 said:

Hi all and merry xmas.
I got a 2001 1.8 freelander last week and have a few issues that i
could do with some advice with.
The drivers door will lock but not unlock with the key fob.
Both prop bearings seem to have to much play in them ( dont seem to bad to replace )
Should i change the vcu aswell ?
I drove approx 40 miles and even though the water level didnt change and it
didnt over heat, the top hose was fairly hard. i could squeeze it partially but it felt
quite hard. The head gasket was replaced 13k miles ago.
Ive got no evidence of the timing belt being changed so should i change this as a precaution ?

Click to expand...

Hi and welcome.
VCU support bearings - are they noisey?. The OWU test will give an indication of the VCU's health. If the VCU is dodgy... replace along with the bearings.
Door lock is inconvenient but minor - put it on your to investigate / to do list for better wether.
Cooling system - Is the top hose 'hard' due to the normal pressurisation? Keep an eye on the coolant level and investigate carefully if it alters.
Timing belt - You could replace it for your own peace of mind along with the tensioner, coolant pump and thermostat - you could also consider replacing the existing thermostat with a 'remote' PRT one.

Important for VCU / IRD health / longevity: are the tyres a matched set: brand & size? All equal in inflation? Lesser worn tyres on the back?

You could consider replacing the IRD, G'box and diff' oils.

There's plenty of threads on all of the above on here and on Youtube too.

Thanks for the replies, It was the first drive i had done and i was just looking round the car and
noticed the top hose was firm.
Whats a jiggle valve ?
It had a new water pump and stat when the head gasket was done.
ill look into a remote stat, it seems like a common modification.
I wont be using the freelander till mid jan when my company vehicle goes back, so i got a while to
do some work on it.

The jiggle valve is in the inlet manifold situated close to where the dip stick is. It allows any trapped air to escape up to the coolant tank... To check that it's free and not stuck you can carefully remove the tube from the coolant tank and blow through it, or if you have the inlet manifold off have a look and perhaps give it a clean then.

Ok thanks ill check that

It's hard to believe anyone would be stupid enough to fix the HG and replace the water pump without replacing the timing belt at the same time but it's up to you. My guess is the timing belt was changed if they had the sense to change the water pump but it ain't my car.

Good luck with it, I loved the two K series I had.

Just found that the timing belt, water pump and stat was changed when the head gasket was done, it was on a
separate bill. It was all done in sept 2011 but the cars only done 1500 - 3k miles a year since.

Graham 123 said:

Just found that the timing belt, water pump and stat was changed when the head gasket was done, it was on a
separate bill. It was all done in sept 2011 but the cars only done 1500 - 3k miles a year since.

Click to expand...

Timing belt should be done every 6 years or 60k miles, whichever comes first so unfortunately is due again.
I think that is correct but a quick Google will confirm.