Advice please!

Hello everyone,

I have a 55 reg, 1.8 land rover Free Lander with 54k on the clock.

When I have been towing ie. using my clutch a lot going backwards and forwards reversing my gears suddenly come extremely hard to select and crunch horribly going into reverse. It's only ever when I have been towing...

The feeling is like the clutch isn't pressed down enough and it is! It's intermittent too, one gear will select and then the next change up or down will struggle. Once left to cool down over night it runs perfectly fine again.

I don't want to break down whilst towing a horse box! And it's really starting to annoy me! Can any one shed some light and give me an idea what it could be?

Any advice / ideas will be greatly received!

Thanks,
Heather

Have you checked your gearbox oil

Thanks! How would I check that?

sounds like you're riding the clutch and overheating it.

That's probably true but I have to reverse it into a tight space where I park the trailer.

It's done it on the way home from Preston too, so 30 miles of motorway driving whilst towing but it's fine when I'm not towing anything.

What could I do to stop the overheating? And what is it exactly that's over heating?

if it's doing same on motorway would suggest clutch is slipping and will need replacing. the heat from the slipping clutch causes the fluid to 'boil' and lose pressure.

somebody might be better able to explain this than me.

3.5 efi said:

if it's doing same on motorway would suggest clutch is slipping and will need replacing. the heat from the slipping clutch causes the fluid to 'boil' and lose pressure.

somebody might be better able to explain this than me.

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The slave and master cylinder on a 51 pate 1a vin are a completeunit.

Mine did this...

Replace your slave/master cylinder [it is a single piece with pipe work for about £150 MAX] just check you have the Reyt part for your car]

It is an hour and a half job so check that your garage is't gonna take rhetorically **** on labour...

Beware.

Are you sure you are not overloading it. Not many of the two horse trailers can be towed by a Freelander and certainly not with two horses in it.

bushwwacker said:

The slave and master cylinder on a 51 pate 1a vin are a completeunit.

Mine did this...

Replace your slave/master cylinder [it is a single piece with pipe work for about £150 MAX] just check you have the Reyt part for your car]

It is an hour and a half job so check that your garage is't gonna take rhetorically **** on labour...

Beware.

Click to expand...

so does it boil the fluid?

suew said:

Are you sure you are not overloading it. Not many of the two horse trailers can be towed by a Freelander and certainly not with two horses in it.

Click to expand...

I've not even towed with horses yet, this is just the trailer itself that weighs 905kg.

It's definitely more prominent when I've been using the clutch a lot and reversing etc.

I've found when I pump at the clutch it works fine for a while, could this change it's diagnosis?

Also what's most annoying is I have a months warranty left on it but it only does this after I have towed so I can't physically show the garage what it's doing and they are arguing that it drives comes lately fine.

I don't care about cost really, I just want it fixing

You will be over weight with a 950kg trailer & a decent size horse for a freelander. I was seriously warned off them for towing my trailer I know someone who towed with 1 & it struggled with a 14.2 with decent hills etc

hence why in the end i bought my defender as it can pull an elephant ! (although not planning on doing this)

Woss a oss whey?

goonarmy said:

Woss a oss whey?

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depends on size dunnit.

3.5 efi said:

depends on size dunnit.

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Yer, but does it whey 900kgs? Cos the towing limit is 1800. But i dunno nuffink bout osses.

850 a decent size horse is 600kg & then you have to account for all the tack etc a saddle is pretty heavy !

asking a lot of a small vehicle.

Kassieg said:

850 a decent size horse is 600kg & then you have to account for all the tack etc a saddle is pretty heavy !

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Well thats kin eavy. But the gaylander should be able to tow 900 kgs without too much hassle even if it is a heavy trailer.

goonarmy said:

Yer, but does it whey 900kgs? Cos the towing limit is 1800. But i dunno nuffink bout osses.

Click to expand...

osses is beautiful animals. that's all i know.

goonarmy said:

Well thats kin eavy. But the gaylander should be able to tow 900 kgs without too much hassle even if it is a heavy trailer.

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Not very heavy by livestock towing standards, my big bull weighs 1050kg, he rides alone as too fat to fit others in. Other times we tow two 700+ kg, sometimes with a calf as well. A big shire horse would go well over ton.
In this case the weight of the hoss is prob. unimportant, if the trailer is 900kg empty it will be a 2500kg trailer laden, so I think illegal for the Freelander to tow.

We need all the weights, what can a freelander tow?