Good evening gents, I have just joined the club, I drive a Freelander 2 TD4_e which I use to drive through muddy fields when I go shooting.

Has anyone had any problem with the clutch and gearbox becoming unresponsive on a Freelander 2 TD4_e after wading through flooded (about 40/50 cm) roads? The problem however disappeared after about one hour of driving.
The next day I had a word with my mechanic and when we checked under the vehicle he showed me that the clutch is actually open and in fact, he could see the flywheel through the gaps.
Is this "normal" for a vehicle that is intended to be used offroading to have an "open" clutch?

Surely td4e is 2wd, so not really fit for your purpose?

Hello Freelance, you are getting confused with the "eD4" version which is indeed 2wd.... I can guarantee you that mine is 4WD.
I will never ever buy a 2WD SUV!

Hello and welcome to the mad house

Welcome to the forum

nino69 said:

Has anyone had any problem with the clutch and gearbox becoming unresponsive on a Freelander 2 TD4_e after wading through flooded (about 40/50 cm) roads? The problem however disappeared after about one hour of driving.
The next day I had a word with my mechanic and when we checked under the vehicle he showed me that the clutch is actually open and in fact, he could see the flywheel through the gaps.
Is this "normal" for a vehicle that is intended to be used offroading to have an "open" clutch?

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Your best bet is to ask in the Freelander section of the forum where owner's of the vehicle hang out. This is the introductions section, which won't necessarily have owner's of said vehicle reading.

And no, you can't see the clutch from underneath the vehicle, suggesting a cover is missing. However the Freelander is designed to wade water up to 500mm, that doesn't mean water won't get in to the bell housing, because it can through numerous small holes and slots around the fixing points. Wading in any vehicle isn't good for it, but as the Freelander is basically a Ford Galaxy with slightly higher ground clearance and AWD, it's best if wading is kept to a minimum.
Driving through slowly is the way to minimise water being forced where it's not wanted.

Hi and welcome to the loony zone