Freelander 1.8xei 2004 Head Gasket ??

I have a Freelander 1.8 xei, 2004 with 78,000 miles on the clock.

For some time I have noticed that we had a small loss of water and now we have a large deposit of sludge in the expansion bottle. After reading threads on this forum I suspect that the head gasket has now gone. I understand that this was a big problem with pre- 2004 freelanders and was under the impression that I had the new upgraded head gasket.

Could someone tell me how to identify what series engine I have got and an indication of the likely works to repair it.

Is this a specialist job that a Landrover dealer should do or is a job that a good mechanic can undertake ?

Look forward to your replies

How long have you had the Freelander? if not that long and its history is unknown then sludge might be from a previous HGF - what is the sludge like? if oil has got into the coolant then you will get blobs that look like mayo floating in it or in extreme cases both oil and coolant will be like milky coffee. Is there any sign of mayo on the dipstick?

From memory the upgraded HG did not come out until late 2005 so if yours is original then it wont be the upgraded type.

Check for signs of coolant loss from a split hose or bad joint, leaking radiator or thermostat housing - your Freelander will have the later PRT thermostat but the original plastic housing will still be there down the back of the engine underneath the inlet manifold, mine had a leak from the rubber o ring seal there.

If it is HGF then any good mechanic will be able to do it - and has probably done many before, if you are handy with spanners its easy to do yourself but if you get it replaced then go for the MLS gasket together with the strengthened oil rail and while engine is in bits, get a new cambelt on and a new water pump

Pretty easy to do yourself. But as said mls gasket, head bolts and oil rail ( but also that the dowel hole in head have not elongated as mine did) quality radiator (depending on milage). I would get it looked at as a matter of course, but be aware that a lot gets diagnosed as hgf when it is not on a K series engine

The last one I had done cost me around £300 inc skimming the head, any decent spanner man could do it no need for main dealers .
It might be a help if you could say where you are from sombody in your area may have a good reccomendation

Thanks for the replies, we bought the Freelander in 2006 when it was 18 months old and had 18,000 miles on the clock. We bought it from a main dealer.

Looking back through the paperwork for it, it hadn't had any work done on it previously, only the services.

The sludge in the water bottle just settles in the bottom, I would describe it as mid brown coloured mud, there is no "floating mayonnaise" either in the coolant bottle or the on the dipstick. After noticing this we did take it to a mechanic and he said to keep an eye on the water levels but he was quite sure that it wasn't the head gasket as he was under the impression our model had the updated one.

The last time I drove the Freelander, the radiator hose split, I did a roadside repair, cut it and re-connected it so I could get home, and I haven't driven it since. We have never had a problem with the car over heating, the temperature guage is also fine. We contacted the same mechanic to let him know about the hose and he has advised us not to drive it again as it is "almost certainly the head gasket".

We actually live in rural France so good mechanics are few and far between.

HGF this is extremely well covered on this forum as is the fire shim upgrade and the revised oil rail.

Since you know the history of the car then it is more likely that the sludge is signs of the HG failing but needs checking to be sure, being optimistic I could just be some sludge in the coolant, not sure how ur mechanic diagnosed a HGF from a burst hose though! On the hose issue, make sure you bleed the cooling system from the 2 bleed screws before driving it again.

I suspect the mechanic diagnosed that it was a hippo and a leaking head gasket is a pretty good bet, whether it cures the fault or not. Pretty easy job, took me a day's work including getting the head skimmed, and about £150. Buy decent parts and replace the oil rail which goes in the sump. A couple of hours of work but worth it to stop it happening again. Good photo guides available on t'interweb if you need them. Good luck.