Freelander 1 newbie with a couple of questions.

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DJSteve

Member
Posts
12
Location
Sunderland, UK
hello everyone,
my first post here as i have just been gifted a family members old freelander 1 1.8 Xei.
firstly i want to say im not afraid of the known issues with engine nor mechanical issues in general.

but now that ive had the car a few days ive got a few little issues that i could use some advice on as i have never had a k-series engine before so want to make sure nothing terminal is damaged.

bit of background first - when i got the car it was incredibly noisy and you could hear the front drivers side drive shaft rubbing metal, drove the car home (only about 5 miles) and took a look to find that the top engine mount bolts had completely snapped in the bracket, therefore engine was sitting at a angle in the engine bay and obviously driveshaft was one of the only things supporting it.
i have now fixed this issue and i have a replacement drive shaft to go on aswell.
i have also noticed the flexi is leaking as it has rubbed against the prop due to this - this will be getting replaced asap also.

but ive noticed even when the car is ticking over their appears to be a very slight stutter/misfire. this can be felt in the car sometimes when driving but it is not massive.
i plugged in a delphi scantool and scanned the complete car for faults, their were a number on the engine but all were 'intermittant' so i saved the log and cleared them. only fault that seems to of come back after starting car is p0340 camshaft sensor.
car has been very well looked after it seems and has been recently serviced and had a fairly recent timing belt.
i have just removed the propshaft today just to get a bit better mpg mainly.

would the p0340 code cause the stutter. car seems to drive ok but im not sure its getting full power as does seem a little sluggish but i am used to diesel cars with upwards of 150bhp :)
 
DJSteve said:
only fault that seems to of come back after starting car is p0340 camshaft sensor.
Click to expand...

That's quite common, as the signal from the cam sensor gets worse over time. The ECM can detect this, and flags a relevant code. Getting a replacement will solve the issue. ;)

DJSteve said:
i have just removed the propshaft today just to get a bit better mpg mainly.
Click to expand...

If the AWD system is working correctly, then removing the props saves nothing in fuel, but often increases front tyre wear (especially if you have a heavy right foot), so you end up replacing those more often.
As long as it has 4 identical tyres, with the least worn on the back, then there's no point in running it as a 2WD, oh and make sure the insurance know if you want to use it as a 2WD, as it's a notifiable modification. ;)

DJSteve said:
car seems to drive ok but im not sure its getting full power as does seem a little sluggish but i am used to diesel cars with upwards of 150bhp
Click to expand...

Even my much more powerful Freelander 2 feels sluggish after spending an extended time driving the wife's mapped diesel VW Eos.

You have to remember that a 1.8 K Freelander has just 118 ftlb of torque at 2,000 odd RPM and 118 BHP at 6,000 RPM, and it's heavy at about 1600KG.
So compared to a powerful turbo diesel car, it will feel slow, even though a 1.8 K Freelander is actually pretty lively by comparison to the diesel Freelanders.
 
Nodge68 said:
That's quite common, as the signal from the cam sensor gets worse over time. The ECM can detect this, and flags a relevant code. Getting a replacement will solve the issue. ;)



If the AWD system is working correctly, then removing the props saves nothing in fuel, but often increases front tyre wear (especially if you have a heavy right foot), so you end up replacing those more often.
As long as it has 4 identical tyres, with the least worn on the back, then there's no point in running it as a 2WD, oh and make sure the insurance know if you want to use it as a 2WD, as it's a notifiable modification. ;)



Even my much more powerful Freelander 2 feels sluggish after spending an extended time driving the wife's mapped diesel VW Eos.

You have to remember that a 1.8 K Freelander has just 118 ftlb of torque at 2,000 odd RPM and 118 BHP at 6,000 RPM, and it's heavy at about 1600KG.
So compared to a powerful turbo diesel car, it will feel slow, even though a 1.8 K Freelander is actually pretty lively by comparison to the diesel Freelanders.
Click to expand...

yep im aware its low powered compared to my other vehicle so that doesnt worry me too much, and i cant be certain 4wd was working properly since theirs rather a lot of grease splattered above where the prop went into the ird is it at the front ?
 
DJSteve said:
yep im aware its low powered compared to my other vehicle so that doesnt worry me too much,
Click to expand...

Check everything properly, plugs, coils, leads, and replace the fuel filter, as those are never changed, as the filter is part of the pump assembly.

Search One Wheel Up Test on here, or YouTube, as this will explain how to check the VCU.

The grease is from the propshaft front CV joint gaiter, which is an MOT fail if leaking.
The CV gaiter is available as a spare part to solve the issue.
 
Nodge68 said:
Check everything properly, plugs, coils, leads, and replace the fuel filter, as those are never changed, as the filter is part of the pump assembly.
Click to expand...
wheres the pump on these, im assuming you mean in the tank?

Nodge68 said:
Search One Wheel Up Test on here, or YouTube, as this will explain how to check the VCU.
Click to expand...
will do, mainly took the shaft off to see if it helps mpg and because i want to get the shaft checked properly as it has got a lot of marking on the engine end from rubbing the exhaust so i want to get it checked for balance etc - have had unbalanced props cause mayhem on other cars in the past and i would rather not experiance it again haha

Nodge68 said:
The grease is from the propshaft front CV joint gaiter, which is an MOT fail if leaking.
The CV gaiter is available as a spare part to solve the issue.
Click to expand...
yep thats what i suspected. hence half the reason i removed it
 
DJSteve said:
wheres the pump on these, im assuming you mean in the tank
Click to expand...
Yes it's in the tank. It's a BMW system, so you can use the BMW locking ring tool to release and refit the pump locking ring, alternatively the ring to be tapped round with a suitable hammer and punch.

DJSteve said:
will do, mainly took the shaft off to see if it helps mpg
Click to expand...

It doesn't make any real difference to MPG, other than the reduction in the propshaft's weight from the vehicle.
A few owner's have tested the MPG with them removed and installed, the results showed it improves efficiency by about 0.2 MPG. ;)

DJSteve said:
want to get the shaft checked properly as it has got a lot of marking on the engine end from rubbing the exhaust so i want to get it checked for balance etc -
Click to expand...

I've never come across an out of balance propshaft on a Freelander, they are short and very stiff, so shrug off damage well, it's designed for off road use. ;)
The VCU bearings are known to fail though, either the rubbers collapse, or the bearings go noisy.
 
ok on a related note, ive cleared all the stored codes on the cu and only code thats come back is the camshaft sensor (i have one ordered to pickup tuesday) and fan circuit2 ?. also when i rev car i can smell fuel. dont know if this is just because flexi needs done or if car is running rich as it does seem to be using more fuel than i would expect. dont know if this is just because of the cam sensor or not. no other codes are stored so i am not even sure where to go from here - going to get new plugs this week aswell as the coils look near brand new
 
How much fuel is it using?
An exhaust leak can upset the ECM, but only because air could potentially cause the cat to function poorly.

The 1.8 does about 28 MPG average, which isn't bad considering the Freelander is heavy, and not exactly aerodynamic.

If you feel its down on power, and less emotional than it should be, then it might well be worth checking the cam belt timing, as it's very easy to get it 1 tooth out, which allows the engine to still run, but not at optimum power or economy.
 
Nodge68 said:
How much fuel is it using?
An exhaust leak can upset the ECM, but only because air could potentially cause the cat to function poorly.

The 1.8 does about 28 MPG average, which isn't bad considering the Freelander is heavy, and not exactly aerodynamic.

If you feel its down on power, and less emotional than it should be, then it might well be worth checking the cam belt timing, as it's very easy to get it 1 tooth out, which allows the engine to still run, but not at optimum power or economy.
Click to expand...
id say its possibly low 20s - high teens . i got roughly 40 miles from id say about 2/3 of a quarter of a tank - not exact numbers i know haha but i havent done proper mpg calcs yet.

how would i go about checking timing, i have the upper timing cover off already from fitting the replacement engine mount bracket


speaking of which
did any freelander come with any sort of trip computer and /or cruise control? im assuming no
 
Download Torque onto your phone and buy a bluetooth ELM327 dongle that fits into diag socket.
This will give mpg average and instant.
 
Oh and cruise control was an option on the TD4 and V6, not sure about the 1.8.
Checked spec - TD4 and V6 automatic only
 
DJSteve said:
that makes sense, i doubt the mems3 ecu supports cruise
Click to expand...

Unfortunately no, MEMS doesn't support CC.
Only the automatic box FL1s had CC as an option, as the automatic box ECM (TCM) had the ability to send the necessary CC commands to the engine ECM. The 1.8 was never available with the automatic box though, auto was for the TD4 and KV6 only, so only those 2 engine choices had CC as an option.

DJSteve said:
was more interested in a trip computer to be fair but ive never seen on on any freelander as far as i am aware
Click to expand...
No trip I'm afraid.

The Freelander as a model didn't get a trip computer, until the Freelander 2 came out, which is a completely different vehicle altogether.
 
Nodge68 said:
Unfortunately no, MEMS doesn't support CC.
Only the automatic box FL1s had CC as an option, as the automatic box ECM (TCM) had the ability to send the necessary CC commands to the engine ECM. The 1.8 was never available with the automatic box though, auto was for the TD4 and KV6 only, so only those 2 engine choices had CC as an option.


No trip I'm afraid.

The Freelander as a model didn't get a trip computer, until the Freelander 2 came out, which is a completely different vehicle altogether.
Click to expand...

thats what i expected, its all good that doesnt worry me too much,

what does worry me is the fuel economy, averaging about 60-75 miles on quarter of a tank. also got a fairly constant smell of fuel while running, now i know the exhaust flexi will be the cause of some of this but i am still at a loss what else could cause such a smell, even went looking for any vaccuum lines but their does not appear to be many on this engine. getting cam sensor tomorrow so can rule that out then, also noticed today car will not rev past 5000 rpm at all.
 
andyfreelandy said:
Download Torque onto your phone and buy a bluetooth ELM327 dongle that fits into diag socket.
This will give mpg average and instant.
Click to expand...
well thats a no go on my car, torque never connects to the ecu. neither would my topdon smartdiag mini either though. only diag ive managed to get to connect is delphi on my laptop.
 
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