Freelander 1 V6 Engine Replacement

Thank you so much Nodge. I would love to take you up on your offer. That still leaves me with the problem of fitting it.

I could drive the new engine down to you in my other car or, should I go ahead and replace the thermostat on my Freelander, put the new engine in the back and drive down to you so you can see the issues for yourself?

Also, you'd have to tell me everything that I would need to bring in advance (timing belt kit, gaskets, etc.) so we can hit the ground running when I get there.

look in the freelander owner club group on fb - someone might be able to help

Hi @Nodge68 The new thermostat parts have been delivered and I'm planning on having the replacement engine collected on Monday so it should be delivered the following day. Just wondered if you would like to take a look sometime or should I make in-roads to try and find someone local to help? No worries if you're too busy. Thanks.

Life is always too busy for me. This makes traveling long distances to fix cars impossible. However I'm never far from the internet, so can always help from here.
Ask me a question and I'll do me best to answer.

I understand. Thanks for all your help so far. I really do appreciate it.

I was planning on doing the thermostat job this Sunday so this afternoon I went out to the Freelander just to start it up to make sure the battery hadn't died and run the engine for 10 minutes or so, just to keep it charged. I did this whilst having the bonnet open and making sure the water level was topped up of course.

There was the usual bit of white smoke but as the car got closer to optimum temperature, more and more white smoke was plooming from the exhaust. I gently revved the engine a few times to see how it would clear but it just kept coming. Because of this, I'm thinking will the job of changing the thermo be a waste of time because before long, I won't be able to run the car anyway due to the smoking? Maybe I'll keep the new parts and put them on the replacement engine when it arrives.

I agree about not bothering with the thermostat just yet. It's sounding very much like it may have more seriously problems. Does it displace it's water out of the header tank while it's running?

Nothing comes out of that while it's running. It's only ever done that if I've filled it slightly over it's max mark. Maybe I'll do another video tomorrow morning in the daylight so you can see..

I'm curious as to how much steam / smoke you are getting. The K series, particularly the V6 does steam quite a bit due to its efficient fuel burning ability. This coupled to a long exhaust run, cools the steam vapour to below dew point, hence the steam.

I think you'll be surprised when you see it!

Also, as I'm going the whole hog with this engine replacement attempt, what would you recommend I get along with the thermostat to do the job complete?

Timing Belt Kit and Spark Plugs.. What else?

Andythedrum said:

I think you'll be surprised when you see it!

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Maybe I will. Just remember that every gram of petrol your engine burns, 1.5 grams of water is produced. Off the top of my head, if my maths is ok, your V6 will burn something like 5 grams of petrol per second, while at idle. That's a potential for 7.5 grams of water, which makes a lot of steam.

When it was running fine, I know what you mean about the steam it produces. When stationary, it threw out quite a vapour however it went as soon as I pulled away. What was coming out today is a different story! Looking forward to posting a video tomorrow, just to hear your reaction!

Mine steamed like a b4stard when it had had a few days off!

Andythedrum said:

Also, as I'm going the whole hog with this engine replacement attempt, what would you recommend I get along with the thermostat to do the job complete?

Timing Belt Kit and Spark Plugs.. What else?

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Yes. You want to change everything that is difficult with the engine fitted. So thermostat and timing belts and anything else that is difficult to change.
You will see what's involved with the timing belts if you look at my guide in my sig.

Thanks Nodge. I'll have a look now. I just got my friend to have a look in the Facebook group (as I don't use Facebook) that @themadhatman suggested (thanks for that Mad Hat man). So far had some really helpful replies as to who could help with the transplant.

davidsmith1307 said:

Mine steamed like a b4stard when it had had a few days off!

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Have a look at the video that I'll post tomorrow!

Great guide Nodge!

Andythedrum said:

Great guide Nodge!

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I hope you find someone with the necessary skills to help you out.
The engine used in the guide was the one I fitted into my Freelander. I was going to do a head gasket replacement guide too, but somehow it got forgotten about when I did a replacement. A HG replacement guide for the KV6 is on the cards, when time allows.

I really hope so too. Everything else about the car is perfect for what I need. I was driving passed some newer compact 4 x 4's today such as the Kia Sportage and the Nissan Qashqai and thought my Freelander looks much nicer.

I have a garage to do the transplant in. Can rent an engine hoist and provide all the other bits and pieces needed for the job. All I need is someone who knows what they are doing! haha.

Would be interesting to know what is actually wrong with my current engine though. Just for curiosity's sake.