WildChild

New Member
Need your advice. My 2000 Diesel Freelander started overheating on the highway, town driving it would be fine, no loss of water. Soon as I got on the highway it would start loosing water when I traveled at the speed limit. It would push water out the plastic bottle at a rapid rate and overheat.

I then replaced the cap as a process of elimination, still same result. So then I replaced the Radiator as it could be a block. Now it seems to be ok but yesterday I went on the highway again and I see traces of water escaping from the cap and by the pipe at the bottom of the plastic bottle (Water runs) and she lost about 200mils of water... could this be a HGF or could this be the plastic bottle that could be brittle and need replacing?

If anyone can give me advice I would really appreciate it!
 
Hey Teddy - yeah there are, like tiny hairline cracks around the top of the bottle. Dont see how this could cause the leak through the cap though?

Maybe its also worth mentioning there is brown gunk floating in the header tank and when the water escapes it has brown water marks... however this could be because they never flushed the system properly when they replaced the radiator?
 
It sounds like it could be a blown head gasket. I also understand that the L series engine can suffer head failure (Son in Law who worked for Ford/LR) a search of the Forum may bring up a few more suggestions.
 
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Searched the forum but couldn't find any real substance.
I am guessing it could be HGF due to the excessive overheating which I believe was caused by the Radiator initially. I am just trying to see if it could be anything else before I go through the expensive exercise of doing Head Gaskets. Worst part is this engine was rebuilt from top to bottom less than a year ago!! :Cry:
 
oh man :( get the water tested (think they call it a sniff test) can tell if the gaskets gone by whats in the water....finger crossed...
 
it could also be your thermastat not opening or a airlock when it is near hot undo the thumb screw on the top heater pipe and she if just water comes out or air and wait until water comes out mine was cracked around the screw thred on the top bottle and it looked as though it was coming from the cap but looking at it more intence proved the bottle
 
hello,
Since the engine has been rebuilt for such litle time I assume the water and oil pumps have been replaced to so I would start to change the expansion tank (its the cheapest hipotesis) and clean the system properly, the brown marks are probably only rust due to you using water, refill the system with coolant.
run it arround for some time, check the level regularly always with cool engine and keep extra coolant in the car.
This will probably sort it out.

best regards
Miguel Baptista
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I replaced the bottle, it seems to have subsided now. I still hear a hissing from the cap, and looks like its still weeping a bit when I check coolant level after a drive and she is up to temp. Do I replace the cap again or is this another problem?

Also flushed the system extensively, water is still a bit brown but almost clear. So I think that problem is sorted. Gonna flush again and put coolant.
 
hissing from the cap is normal when coolant is hot, the cap is built that way to release excessive pressure so the whole system won't blow up.
 
If in doubt ,get it block tested.

I'm sure you can buy a block tester for next to nothing and some fluid for it.
 

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