Freelander 1 V6 Engine Replacement

There are lots of things easily broken, manifold breather pipe connection need extreme care.

I changed the engine on my V6 because I had a head gasket go. Rather than mess with doing the gaskets, I found a low mileage replacement engine from an MG ZS180. I had to change the sump and pick up pipe. All the engine mounts and replace the MG engine flywheel with the drive plate from the LR engine. I fitted a new thermostat and it's piping and replaced the timing belts too.
If I was doing the job again. I'd drop the whole front subframe and raising the body to allow access. This would greatly speed up the whole process as it would allow space to get to all the bolts.
My old V6 is still doing sterling service as the mother in laws hack. I now have a 2005 TD4 SE auto to play with.
My old Freelander V6 engine is going to get another life in my MGF, when I finally get round to doing it.

How long ago did you change the engine Nodge? Glad to hear it's still going strong!

Before talking about changing engine. I would remove the "noise" cover, and take many looks with a flashlight to see how the thermostat housing is looking. It might be as simple as that.

If that is the case, I would flush out the K-Seal ASAP.

Take and post what you see, it should not cost you much to do that.

I bought my V6 in November 2011 with a blown head gasket. I changed the engine over the winter along with some other jobs. I started using it in April 2012. I drove it pretty much trouble free until September 2014 when I bought my Discovery 3. The mother in law took ownership of the Freelander from then on. It's still working as it should which is good for my ears!

That's a lot of water coming out for a head gasket though!
I'd agree with possible thermostat leak. Check the heater matrix pipework too.
Can these engines **** water out if manifold gaskets give way? Might explain the steam on startup.
Are you getting bubbles in the expansion tank? Signs of oil in the expansion tank? Mayo in the oil?

Hi All,

@zefrench I'm definitely going to investigate that first. Thanks @comdek and @Nodge68 for help with that diagnosis too. I tried to get back earlier today but it started getting dark as I arrived home. Having not removed an Inlet Manifold (or the air filter housing) before, I figured I should do it on a day where I get more light. Unfortunately the car isn't in my garage yet. I have to move a few things out of the way first. Will let you all know as soon as I've taken a look.

@Nodge68 Thats fantastic to hear it's still going strong. Gives me hope!!

@davidsmith1307 Steam is coming out of the exhaust all the time. Not so much on startup. Mainly when the engine is warm. There are some bubbles in the expansion tank but not all the time. Can't tell if there's any oil in the expansion tank and there doesn't seem to be any mayo in the oil. Nor mayo in the expansion tank. If it is the thermostat housing, I'm concerned some of the plastic shards have been sucked in through the pipework and matrix. Gulp. The heating system did make some weird clunking noises just before I got back and switched the engine off. :/

I swung passed my usual mechanics / friends (ha) garage today. I asked him how much he would charge me to replace the thermostat if that is the case. He gave me evasive smart ar*e sarcastic comments as usual so I left none the wiser. I severely doubt he will be of any help with supervision when it comes to me eventually changing the engine.

Also, if I were to flush the system of K-Seal, having a head gasket failure surely that will accelerate the issue?

Thanks everyone for your input.

I'd not worry about the steam from the exhaust just yet. It's common at this time of year, especially with the KV6 engine. The exhaust has 3 cats that turn the burnt fuel into CO2 and water vapour. The V6 makes lots and lots of water vapour. This cools as it travels down the exhaust system to produce clouds of vapour at the tail pipe. My V6 always steamed like a steam engine but never lost a drop of water. If you have a head gasket that is bad enough to make the exhaust steam, the coolant would simply blow out of the header tank
Having K Seal in the system is more likely to cause head gasket failure than prevent it. Running the engine with low coolant will damage the HG in short order however.

That's reassuring to know. Thanks Nodge. From what you all are saying I'm now convinced it's the thermo housing / piping. Just gotta get in there. I'll let you all know asap. Thanks again. Really grateful.

P.S. @Nodge68 How do you know all this stuff? Are you a professional mechanic / engineer?

Andythedrum said:

P.S. @Nodge68 How do you know all this stuff? Are you a professional mechanic / engineer?

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I've worked in the automotive industry for many years. I've now retired from full time car work. However I used to specialise in building high performance engines for people who ran club rallies. I've built everything from 130 BHP 1300cc Triumph Herald engines up to 200 BHP 1.8 K series engines. I know a thing or two about the K series in 4 and 6 cylinder verities. It's a good engine, once you build out the reliability issues.

WOW! At this point I'm doing the 'Wayne's World' sketch - We're not worthy! Haha.

If the thermo housing is cracked and needs replacing, is it a big job? Can it be accessed from above and could a novice like me do it or would I need a professional?

Manifolds off
K series 1.8 are a pile of ****e, the chinese recognised block flex and ribbed k16 to N16.

Nodge is deluded about long term reliability

Andythedrum said:

If the thermo housing is cracked and needs replacing, is it a big job? Can it be accessed from above and could a novice like me do it or would I need a professional?

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Yes the thermostat is accessible from the top but it's best to remove the front inlet manifold first. The thermostat normally comes out of the block in a million tiny splinters. The thermostat and pipes are sealed into the block with an O ring. It's a crude method that doesn't guarantee long turm reliability. I make sure the block is clean of corrosion and then use plumbers silicone grease to keep the seal water tight. It works too giving a good 5 years trouble free if done correctly.

I believe (don't quote me) that you can do a keyhole-surgery style change on the thermostat by removing the battery and battery tray and going in the end of the V.
Otherwise it is a reasonable amount of disassembly to get to the stat. All documented in Rave an not too terrifying though.
Usually you can see if the stat is gone as there will be pink coolant in the V. Mine was fine - the V was just full of leaves!
Have you tried adding UV coolant dye? This made it a lot easier to trace on my one and is pretty cheap.
http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/uk/products/Workshop+Tools/Leak+Detection/Fluorescent+Dyes/RLD2
I got a kit off theBay that included a torch.

fanatic said:

Manifolds off
K series 1.8 are a pile of ****e, the chinese recognised block flex and ribbed k16 to N16.

Nodge is deluded about long term reliability

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With proper assembly, the K series can be as reliable as your average 1.8 engine

Cooling system maintenance is the key I think... Same on the V6.

Nodge68 said:

With proper assembly, the K series can be as reliable as your average 1.8 engine

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Cracking engine if looked after, compared to its pears at the time of its release it was miles ahead,lighter more powerful that anything from ford or vauxhall produced at the time for the size ( around 115) light, revy and characterful engine

LUKBENPHI said:

Cracking engine if looked after, compared to its pears at the time of its release it was miles ahead,lighter more powerful that anything from ford or vauxhall produced at the time for the size ( around 115) light, revy and characterful engine

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Powerful and economical with reliability that wasn't any worse than the Vauxhall engines of the time. At least the K series didn't suffer the timing belt issues that the Vauxhall engine did. I'm a great fan of the K series.