Freelander Help Needed

Evening chaps,

This is my first post on landy zone but i wont mess around i need some advise with the mrs freelander!

We have only owned this car for about 4 weeks (2001 1.8) 55k

Yesterday i was topping up the screen wash and noticed there was no water at all in the expension bottle there definatly was last time i looked just after buying the car!

The car runs perfectly with no over heating or sludge in the oil ect ect any how i filled the tank back up to the max level and said to the wife try not to use the car much untill i can have a look at it! she did 3 to 4 miles in the car today and when i checked again the bottle was empty!

i have just filled it up and taking it out for 15 min with no loss and no signs of any leaks, the bottom hose seems to be staying cold which leads me to think the thermostat is at fault but this surely would never lead to the water loss?

the only other thing i noticed is when the engine is turned off there is a small swoosh noise like a little pressure releasing,

I could really do with any help or advise you can give me! Fingers crossed its not the Head gasket but i have a feeling its not due to how the car runs

Andy

Three letters

HGF

Fake Elvis said:

Three letters

HGF

Click to expand...

Though hopefully not...

Hgf?

andd306 said:

Hgf?

Click to expand...

U dunt wanna know

Head
Gasket
Failure

HGF- Nice, Im quite mechanicaly minded but there doesnt seem to be any of the normal symptoms at all!?

If there is no sign of coolant from any leaks on the engine it is almost certainly HGF. Sorry

Could the thermostat have anything to do with it?

andd306 said:

Could the thermostat have anything to do with it?

Click to expand...

I'd check the sticky above this thread from Mad Hat Man.

i was thinking if it was leaking into the oil you would see it in the oil?

If it was leaking into the engine then usually the engine would presurise the cooling system and causes it to force its way out from the tank?

Make me laugh cos i have never had a problem with my disco for 5 years and over 150k!

Give me a freelander and less than 500 miles!

Hi, I had a head gasket failure on my freelander 60k. I paid to get it done, proper job with skim and upgraded head gasket with shim. It lasted 500 miles and went again. The machanic said it was propably the cylinder liners had moved but I was suspicous. After getting someone else to look at it he found that it wasn't the head gasket but it was the inlet manifold gasket. The coolant was leaking into cyliner number four. When you are opening the expansion tank to refill, is there pressure or can you hear air rushing through the heating system (like bubble noises)?

no noise at all really when i open the cap&!

is there a test i could do to check the gasket?

get garage to put gas analyser under bonnet, start engine and put probe over the open header tank-if HC jump, you have head gasket/ dropped or tipped liner failure

Could just be the coolant cap not keeping the pressure, crack in expansion bottle. Pressure should be 0.9-1.2 bar

Some other leak in the system/Rad

Loss via inlet manifold (normally give white exhaust smoke)

I doubt it's hgf, but if it is...........it will be above the exhaust manifold, sometimes called low fat HGF, as you don't get the mayo in the oil.

Stat shouldn't be affecting the loss, not unless its leaking around the housing!

I second it's the inlet manifold gasket. Tis an easy job which can be done in about an hour but some of the studs can be a bit tricky to get to.

When the engines cold, run your finger along the bottom of the inlet manifold where in joins the head. You may have water leaking on either left or right of the head.