Have I made a costly mistake?

I jumped the gun. Thought this was part of a head gasket change.

As you were! Nothing to see here.

lol, I stupidly remarked a while back that I was missing out on all this K Series fun and needed to get myself one. So have.

It had "DO NOT START ENGINE" scrawled on it, so I started it and its screeching like hell. not exactly sure where its coming from cos the screeching is so bad I turn the motor off after a couple of seconds - done it 3 times now.

My initial thought was water pump, so looked for it on the fan belt, and obviously couldn't find it. Rave tells me its all integrated to the cambelt - bloody brilliant! Anyway, I'm not sure this Freelander is ever going to go on the road again, so don't want to be dishing out on new pump and belt kit till I know its a goer... But the screeching could be the belt tensioner anyway and down my local scrap yard is a Rover 216 with the bits still on it (I know cos I had the ECT off it for my boy's T Series last weekend - but it didn't fit). K Series bits look interchangeable between 1.6 and 1.8 so its looking good. Then find K Series switched from manual tension to auto in '99 and the 216 is pre 99 and mine's a 2000. grrr.

Plan C required, what ever that might turn out to be.

Right well the work is done. The car is back together minus the undertray, which I will put on after a test drive later. Fingercrossed. I started it up, no issues. Started on the turn which is better than before. No bangs or crashes so I'm assuming all is well with the timing and cambelt.
So so far I've fitted the new standard thermostat (will upgrade soon), new plugs, HT leads and caps, new rotor arm, new distributor cap, new temp sensor, new cambelt, tensioner, water pump, new alternator belt, new power steering belt. New oil and filter, fresh coolant, new air filter, new reservoir and cap
Here's hoping we don't have the same issue as we started else I may get a ear full off the wife about buying a heap of scrap and we should of bought something else. Blah blah blah

Only a few more bits to swap and you can tell your wife that you have a completely new car

GrumpyGel said:

lol, I stupidly remarked a while back that I was missing out on all this K Series fun and needed to get myself one. So have.

It had "DO NOT START ENGINE" scrawled on it, so I started it and its screeching like hell. not exactly sure where its coming from cos the screeching is so bad I turn the motor off after a couple of seconds - done it 3 times now.

My initial thought was water pump, so looked for it on the fan belt, and obviously couldn't find it. Rave tells me its all integrated to the cambelt - bloody brilliant! Anyway, I'm not sure this Freelander is ever going to go on the road again, so don't want to be dishing out on new pump and belt kit till I know its a goer... But the screeching could be the belt tensioner anyway and down my local scrap yard is a Rover 216 with the bits still on it (I know cos I had the ECT off it for my boy's T Series last weekend - but it didn't fit). K Series bits look interchangeable between 1.6 and 1.8 so its looking good. Then find K Series switched from manual tension to auto in '99 and the 216 is pre 99 and mine's a 2000. grrr.

Plan C required, what ever that might turn out to be.

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The parts aren't that expensive. You can have my old water pump if you want, I dunno if it's working or not, just decided to hedge my bets and replace it

Adam Gorsuch said:

The parts aren't that expensive. You can have my old water pump if you want, I dunno if it's working or not, just decided to hedge my bets and replace it

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Lot of postage to NZ

davidsmith1307 said:

Only a few more bits to swap and you can tell your wife that you have a completely new car

Click to expand...

Oh yeah that will go down well.
On question, I left it ticking over for 10 mins and the coolant pipe along the front got hot but the coolant in the res was still cold. I put fans on and the heating worked fine and I could see coolant moving in. I remember reading it takes a while for them to heat up properly. Well hopefully it will all go well after. Drive later.

Just make sure it is properly bled. May be worth a quick bleed now the engine has run a bit.
Airlocks are lethal! Don't want to be doing the head gasket this weekend...
Coolant going into the reservoir is a good sign though. Unless it is full of bubbles!

Will do, my drive isn't flat it's hard to tell if it's done properly. No bubbles

Adam Gorsuch said:

The parts aren't that expensive. You can have my old water pump if you want, I dunno if it's working or not, just decided to hedge my bets and replace it

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lol, that's really nice of you Adam

David has raised the problem we have getting parts from the UK! Mind you, might 'pop round' and pick it up, while I'm at it I could drop in on my uncle in Hornchurch and take in a game at Upon Park

That would be fine apart from having to see West Ham

davidsmith1307 said:

That would be fine apart from having to see West Ham

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That's why my son's just got back from London, he had to go this summer if he wanted to see West Ham at Upton Park. He doesn't remember when we went before moving here, he was to young. You can take the boy out of London.....

A girl my daughter was at primary school with in London, went on to study engineering at Hull and got a job waitressing in the exec boxes for the Tigers.

I went to Hull to study engineering and ended up back there after a spell in Oz. Fortunately I avoided waitressing and the Tigers.
Charlton Athletic 'til I die!

My wife went to hull to study psychology. Wish she hadn't as she try's to analyse me all the time! I know I have no soul. Don't need reminding. She's obsessed with some nasty **** called chip spice.

Should of got your son to buy a load of parts to bring home with him.

Anyway further problem found. Don't know why I decided to look but I did anyway. I had an inlet manifold gasket that I bought by mistake ( I was thinking exhaust) anyway I thought I've read that they perish so as I've got it I'll fit it too. Took off the inlet manifold and found it shagged. So thought ok well that was a good idea, maybe I should have a look at the thermostat again as last time when fitting it was a pig but now it's easy to get too I can have a look see. Well opened it up and found it there as I left it. Got to thinking about my earlier post about how it was hot on the front pipe but cold in the tank. And how my tank had gone pop last time, thought have I bought a duff thermostat.... Well guess what. Even in boiling water on the stove it don't open!!!! Raging. Well at least it won't be hard to fit the new one. Just got to get one now. The local factors has closed down and I'm relying on halfrauds stocking them. If I had the spare 80 notes I'd buy the upgrade. Ahh

Who made the stat? Not Britpart I hope.
On the K series the cooling is vital. OEM or genuine parts only. Nothing from Britpart!
At least if you bought the upgrade you's only have to buy it once and may put off further failures. Still £80 though, a bit more than £10 for a normal one.

Not brittpart, said on the box oem or higher. Bought at europarts but I've chucked the box. I've tested it again and this time it opened just took longer than I would like. Gonna get a new one anyway

Had that sort of [problem with an expansion tank cap for my old Disco. It was shagged so got a new one and it was even more shagged than the old one!

Help help, I've forgotten which way the thermostat goes in. Need to get his fitted. Remember it's the standard one. Does the spring end go in to block side or the pipe side?

The side that the housing cover bolts thread into, not the side that the bolts just go through.

Well took it for a test drive, all went well, system heated up nice and didn't overheat. Pressurised nicely. Ran much better than before. Sounded smoother and a lot quieter. But then again the amount of work I've done and the amount of new parts I would bloody well hope so! Next job is to change all the oils in the gear box and anywhere else.