Is the 1.8 really that bad?
- Thread starter Guitarjon
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Nodge68
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The failure rate if the K series was a lot lower than the press would have you believe, a few percent at most
But you should be ok with the TD4.
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The failure rate if the K series was a lot lower than the press would have you believe, a few percent at most
But you should be ok with the TD4.
Bloody hell! I didnt know that.
bugsb
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but trueThe failure rate if the K series was a lot lower than the press would have you believe, a few percent at most
But you should be ok with the TD4.
seen it many a time when a person told its your head gasket when in fact its expansion cap or inlet manifold gasket or to many short trips so you get a built up of condensation or the jiggle valve all very simple to fix
the bad press seemed to get into mech's heads or for the money any water or over heating it has to be the head gasket
most are the mech's that dont bleed the system as it should be this is 60% of the problem on the mgf/tf same engine as the freelander you get 2 miles down the road engine over heats and lots of steam you then get towed back to be told its the head gasket when it was there fault in the first place and its still not the head gasket
Ron
teddywood1
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yes, a lot of people do not know to blow down the small tube coming of the header tank, to open up the valve, but given chance I would remove it.
Nodge68
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My god there's more than a few folks who don't think the K series is as bad as the press say!!
You should see some of the French rubbish i get to fix, 40K miles and needs a HG!! Utter rubbish
You should see some of the French rubbish i get to fix, 40K miles and needs a HG!! Utter rubbish
bugsb
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i have had 4 scenics all around the year 2000My god there's more than a few folks who don't think the K series is as bad as the press say!!
You should see some of the French rubbish i get to fix, 40K miles and needs a HG!! Utter rubbish
the 2.0 i wish i had kept
the 1.4 had a valve burn out
the other 8v older models one had a clucth gone but was an easy fix
the other head gasket
but the electrics on them are c**p
i still have my kangoo van and wish i had kept my vaux van
i had to buy a can clip to be able to keep up with electric faults
the 1.8i rover engine is a doddle to work on over the renault cars
at the end of the day each maker of car has its own type of faults once you know what to keep an eye out for then you keep on top of them
still learning on my new to me freelander but i will get there
Ron
every engine has it's problem, its taken 8 months of work on my 300tdi to undo 8 years of neglect. I know it's not had any fresh oil in 4 years...
With the 1.8 freelander, my step dad owned one, had 3 head gaskets done in 9 months. A work mate also has one, from the look of the works receipts etc, it is still on it's original gasket. It certainly hasn't had one in the last decade.
Take the rough with the smooth. The TD4 seems to be an ok choice though.
With the 1.8 freelander, my step dad owned one, had 3 head gaskets done in 9 months. A work mate also has one, from the look of the works receipts etc, it is still on it's original gasket. It certainly hasn't had one in the last decade.
Take the rough with the smooth. The TD4 seems to be an ok choice though.
Nodge68
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The engine design has a lot to do with it's longevity. The problem with lots of modern designs is the need to reduce engine weight, this generally means using the wet liner. The problem with wet liners is they simply don't like air in the cooling system as there isn't enough mass to the cylinder walls. The K series was ahead of its day but lots of engines now use wet liners and also suffer head gasket failure. I've done loads of Citroën and Peugeot head gaskets at stupidly low mileages but because they're not British made it doesn't get in the press!
Well I got an email from the seller/ garage of the 1.8 in question after I sent an email on Sunday evening stating it was a great car but I had my concerns over a couple of things. They said for my own piece of mind they would replace the water pump and gasket before I got it which to be honest was a good offer. It was relatively low millage 52 plate with 77k on. It was a very clean car. If it had the td4 BMW engine in I'd have snapped their hand off!
If anyone is interested its from cloverleaf cars in sheffield. It did have a brake issue which they said they would be sorting anyway but hadn't had it in long, the rest was great.
If anyone is interested its from cloverleaf cars in sheffield. It did have a brake issue which they said they would be sorting anyway but hadn't had it in long, the rest was great.
WLJayne
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I've always said that if you can do your own HG changes then the 1.8 is a good bet, cheap to repair and maintain. I wouldn't trust any fecking garage to do a 1.8 HG, doing a really proper job on it takes time and care which only an enthusiatic DIY mechanic is going to lavish on the job most likely. I've seen some massive showers of ****e with HG jobs - my rocker cover was sealed with bathroom silicone FFS!! It had blocked a few oilways and was a really **** job.
It aint perfect, but mines been reliable thuse far since I did the HG and EWP. I need to retorque the headbolts as it's still letting a very small amout of gas out into the coolant, but I think that the torque specs are sketchy at best. Felt loose as feck when I did them and that's probably why it's lekaing a bit. My head is likely abit warped due to the ass-f**king that it's had from previous f**ktards.
It aint perfect, but mines been reliable thuse far since I did the HG and EWP. I need to retorque the headbolts as it's still letting a very small amout of gas out into the coolant, but I think that the torque specs are sketchy at best. Felt loose as feck when I did them and that's probably why it's lekaing a bit. My head is likely abit warped due to the ass-f**king that it's had from previous f**ktards.
I have 2 a 5 door and a three door. After rebuilding both cars body and engines i would say the engines are good. They develop build up on the exhaust valves after about 70k as do most motors. This causes rough idle and stalling most are not fixed and people give up on them. The timing belt is the other cause for rough running. It is possible to install the timimg belt incorrectly even with a cam locking tool. The key is to have no slack from the pulley to the right hand cam sprocket. I use bits of rubber pipe to keep the belt in place during fitting. Loads of motors run rough and drink petrol because of the above issues. I have just rebuilt an engine over the last few months with bottom end bearings, piston rings, all new valves ect. Used all good parts Payen gasket etc and it runs really well. Most engines need a major service after 100k, the k series is no different, after that its all good
. After rebuilding both cars body and engines i would say the engines are good. They develop build up on the exhaust valves after about 70k as do most motors. This causes rough idle and stalling most are not fixed and people give up on them. The timing belt is the other cause for rough running. It is possible to install the timimg belt incorrectly even with a cam locking tool. The key is to have no slack from the pulley to the right hand cam sprocket. I use bits of rubber pipe to keep the belt in place during fitting. Loads of motors run rough and drink petrol because of the above issues. I have just rebuilt an engine over the last few months with bottom end bearings, piston rings, all new valves ect. Used all good parts Payen gasket etc and it runs really well. Most engines need a major service after 100k, the k series is no different, after that its all good
teddywood1
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my wife's engine is good now "touching wood" as I said she had the head gasket done and a new timing belt and other bits and bobs . I make sure it has a service and I always check the water and oil every week and the same on my car a 2006 td4 auto hse I have even got the daughter and son in-law to check theirs every week ,it pay in the end, when the wife car's head gasket stated we had it done immediately ,no putting any of this waste of time gasket sealer ,and by having it done strait away there was no complications.
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Nodge68
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You are doing exactly what you should
I've had 2 1.8 Freelanders the first had had new engine from LR along with the PRT I drove it for 40K miles without a problem, next I had an L series which was problem fee (no surprise there) . My last 1.8 I got cheap as it was loosing water but as i loved the colour and spec (50th anniversary model) I went to town on the engine giving it the full monty to stop any future HG issues which of course it never had. It's still vital to check the coolant and oil weekly as it says in the owners manual.
Hippo
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1.8's are less reliable when compared to the average car engine, regardless of them being fitted in Freelanders or Rovers. They don't have a bad name for nothing. They don't all fail miserably. But you have to admit being above average failure rate is a problem and could have been solved betterer. They chose not to. The result of this was bad publicity and Rover being laughed at, amongst many other problems. Peeps wanted to support Rover as a british company regardless of parental ownership. But that support only goes so far. Financial support by risking your money purchasing a Rover is the ultimate support they could give. Sales dropped.
It may be acceptable to some to need to fix or repair their vehicle weekly/monthly etc but the majority don't want the hassle or cost. Owning a 1.8 means your chances of failure is above average which is a risk peeps don't want to take, regardless of being able to fix it themselves or put it in a garage for repair. They're not all bad. But the average 1.8 needs more spent on it to keep it going than the average car engine, which is a problem for owners. Sad but true.
It may be acceptable to some to need to fix or repair their vehicle weekly/monthly etc but the majority don't want the hassle or cost. Owning a 1.8 means your chances of failure is above average which is a risk peeps don't want to take, regardless of being able to fix it themselves or put it in a garage for repair. They're not all bad. But the average 1.8 needs more spent on it to keep it going than the average car engine, which is a problem for owners. Sad but true.
apart from doing the hgf 2 years ago, i've spent nowt on the engine
it's as reliable as any other engine i've owned
Hippo
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Your lucky then.apart from doing the hgf 2 years ago, i've spent nowt on the engine
it's as reliable as any other engine i've owned
Brack
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Is the 1.8 really that bad - well mine's reached 120k miles in it's 15 years - had it misbehaved too much in that time then it would probably have been scrapped long before I came along and bought it - so it's a no from me
that's what MHM says tooYour lucky then.
i'd like to think that if they're maintained and kept an eye on they'll reciprocate by behaving themselves.
but who knows
