K series to L series engine conversion?

first off, sell it and buy another is not an option, I've never seen another in this spec and condition with 67k on the clock

I may be starting a business in a few months and I need a car/van, don't want to have 2 (cost) but can't cope with 26mpg, plus in daily use I don't trust the HG

My "solution" is buy an L series mot failure (I know where there are several) swap over the engine, loom, tank etc etc and have me a low miles diesel, despite me hating diesel with a passion.

Is it possible?
Will I loose tc, hdc, abs etc?
Should I just lpg it?

First off - someone with sense - ditch the K and go with L

Secondly, you'll hate it. If you don't like diesels, you'll hate a L Series Freelander with a passion. I absolutely love mine, but if you don't like diesels because they are noisy and sluggish - then they are 2 definite traits of the L Series. They're performance and refinement once you're up to 20mphish is fine, but below that they are slow unless you give it plenty - then they're noisey, smokey and will burn more money. So city/town stop/start driving can be tiring, on the open road they're fine.

However - it will give you economic reliable transport.

I'm sure the easiest option by far will be to get an L Series with decent engine/box and bodywork - then take the bits from your high spec and put them onto the L Series. Even down to taking the suspension axles etc over if you want - although the front springs may be different.

If you take a petrol and convert to diesel over here you need to have the vehicle certified for the different setup - $$$. I don't know what insurance companies think of those types of conversion either. LPG needs certification as well and regular additional warranty/certification checks.

Your solution makes sense, just stripping a very good car doesn't to me, but I will need better mpg

I know my idea is crazy, I need to look around at the state of them, as it's for work a TD4 is out of the question, far too many "my td4 broke" threads on here

What year is your K Series?

All do-able. The L-series is very tune-able too. Good idea? Honestly? - who cares what the rest of us think!

I like the 1.8 K. But the fuel consumption isn't great. Part of that is gearing. Part of that is weight of the car. Part of that is aerodynamics. And part is the power delivery of the engine. Some tuning upgrades on the K-series actually improve fuel consumption - although not necessarily by the amount that would make the car an affordable daily runner.

LPG might be an alternative option.

rob_bell said:

I like the 1.8 K. But the fuel consumption isn't great. Part of that is weight of the car.
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Is that why you were doing your best to rip unnecessary bits of the car off on Sunday?

Project Shed Dan. Shed as much weight as I possibly can! LOL

A K series with that mileage will either need a HG soon or has just had it replaced but if we assume it will need replaced soon then that will be around £200 if you do it yourself (a weekends work).
1.8K series should get around 30mpg, a diseasil around 40. These might be wrong but the difference should be around 10mpg
At current prices Petrol 120p, Diesel 122p so a fill of 50 litres will cost £60 for petrol or £61 for Diesel.
The Petrol car will drive around 330 miles or 18.2ppm
The Diesel car will drive around 440 miles or 13.8ppm
That means for a car being driven 15k per year the petrol will cost £2730 and the diesel £2070.
If you add the cost of the HG then the Petrol car will cost almost £1k more to own over the year but that ignores all other factors.
Is it worth the hassle? Only you can say.

It's a 2002, did the HG when I got it about 5.5k ago

At the minute I do 5k a year, if I end up going the way I think it might I will be doing 15k+

Calculated mpg with 2 tanks is 26 and I think that will be a problem, I will be towing a small trailer as well

Every diesel I've looked at has been a dog, starship enterprise mileage, not running right but might be an easy fix for someone who knows (td4) or all 3

Mine owes me less than £1k including HG, full service and a new clutch, its an SE with full leather, all electric windows, tc, hdc, abs and I've added stuff like bullbar with spots, headrest screens for the kids etc

I don't really want to stick the bits on another car as it's a shame to break it, hence my plan

I can live with sluggish as long as it's economical, my LPG plan would probably cost more than the L series swap and I was going to take my time and add an oil cooler, but used as a daily and towing I reckon the HG could go again

Keep rpm below 3k rpm until warm, keep the heater on hot to allow full bypass flow until fully warm and then use it as though you stole it and the K won't let you down.

LPG could be the answer for you I think.

rob_bell said:

Keep rpm below 3k rpm until warm, keep the heater on hot to allow full bypass flow until fully warm and then use it as though you stole it and the K won't let you down.

LPG could be the answer for you I think.

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I keep it below 3k on the motorway anyway

Me too. Starts to really guzzle fuel above that...

Kayos said:

It's a 2002, did the HG when I got it about 5.5k ago

At the minute I do 5k a year, if I end up going the way I think it might I will be doing 15k+

Calculated mpg with 2 tanks is 26 and I think that will be a problem, I will be towing a small trailer as well

Every diesel I've looked at has been a dog, starship enterprise mileage, not running right but might be an easy fix for someone who knows (td4) or all 3

Mine owes me less than £1k including HG, full service and a new clutch, its an SE with full leather, all electric windows, tc, hdc, abs and I've added stuff like bullbar with spots, headrest screens for the kids etc

I don't really want to stick the bits on another car as it's a shame to break it, hence my plan

I can live with sluggish as long as it's economical, my LPG plan would probably cost more than the L series swap and I was going to take my time and add an oil cooler, but used as a daily and towing I reckon the HG could go again

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A lot of guys here really love the L series and some have tuned them very cheaply to give around 130hp so they don't have to be slow but it seems a bit sad to tear apart a nice going motor for a few mpg.
Although if you will need to tow much a K series isn't the engine to do it. Probably make more sense to keep looking for a clean diesel and sell it when you find one.

Yeh I thought 26 seems rather low - I know @htr got 35mpg out of his K Series when he came up here last - but that is open road 5th gear for hours at a time. Around town maybe not so hot.

If you're going to be towing, the diesel is fantastic. I've put the boat on the back, 5 people and 100kg tent in the car and kitchen sink type camping and biking gear in the boat and it hardly notices that it not just me in the car.

Kayos said:

its an SE with full leather, all electric windows, tc, hdc, abs and I've added stuff like bullbar with spots, headrest screens for the kids etc

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An L Series will almost certainly have the ABS, TC & HDC - it wasn't standard on all models but 90% on them have it fitted. The seats and everything you've bolted on can quite easily be swapped over.

The thing that might be more difficult to achieve is the electric back windows. You'll definitely have to swap the consoles (between front seats) to get enough switch positions - but I'm not sure what changes will be needed to the loom. When I changed consoles on my L Series there was no wiring/unused connectors ready for the larger console and window switches - so I'm not sure if any of the loom bits will be there from switches to CCU to back doors. Similarly, I don't know it the CCU from a front leccy window only car will control back windows - presumably its the same and will either just work or need a config setting (Hawkeye?)

I have a K Series parts car that has electric back windows and I've thought about putting them in my L Series (so would have to investigate all the things above), but our kids are grown up, don't travel with us much these days, the back seats don't get used much (ooh arh) and it'd just be another thing to break! So I haven't swapped them over. I have taken over the console, roof rails, 1 of the seats, drinks holder (but took it out again as a waste of time!) and a couple of other bits.

Having swapped stuff over - you could then sell the K Series car - what you have taken off probably won't have devalued it much - they're not worth lots these days and its the low-milage bit that will be of value. I think I can see where you are coming from though. My L Series isn't in perfect condition (unlike yours by the sounds of it) but I wouldn't want to swap it out, I like my car

It sounds like you have time. Keep your eye out, scan eBay and Gumtree - you never know, some old fella may just be retiring from driving and selling off his low-mileage, unmolested L Series Anniversary model with all the bells and whistles

Kayos said:

It's a 2002, did the HG when I got it about 5.5k ago

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If the HG was done right, using a modern quality gasket and applying the knowledge known now it will not fail, unless you cook it (like any other engine).

Tony Reeves said:

If the HG was done right, using a modern quality gasket and applying the knowledge known now it will not fail, unless you cook it (like any other engine).

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If done right it should last 40k to 60k miles. If done on the cheap or half assed (not suggesting it was, just sayin') then could go again anytime.