Head Gasket

Hi

If you can't see a leak, then with the Freelander's reputation, sounds like head gasket.

The water got to be going somewhere! if you take it Landrover, ask them to do a test, and tell them your not going to pay, I personally would expect this free of charge, because the work may come to them, if the price is right. They can pressure test the system, and add a detector to the coolant, to check for hydrocarbons in the water.

Regards

Nigel

From cold, remove the water filler caps, run the engine and check for any bubbles coming up through the water pipes.If you get any that look like a fart in the bath, then the head gasket is well gone, a steady stream of small bubbles indicates a leaking gasket that may last a few more days. I had the same on a Ford Probe a few years ago, the temp guage went into the red, I found the coolant was empty, I let it cool down, refilled it, and all was Ok for a few days, then the coolant level had dropped again.Turned out to be a leaking head gasket, between the cylinder wall and water jacket, so no oil/water was being mixed(another usual sign of a failed gasket), the water was going out of the exhaust. Alan.

Christ almighty, sell it *now*. The Rover V6 is fraught with problems, all of which are expensive.

Tim..

Just out of interest, what problems are there on the V6? I was under the impression that it was a fairly solid unit.

I know that in its original incarnation in the 800 it really was a complete piece of costed-down fragile s**te, but the unit fitted to the

75, Freelander and later is allegedly much better, and is more or less a completely re-engineered unit.

I know the 4-cyl K-series is notorious for colling system and HG faults, but I've not personally heard of any such problems on any post-'99 KV6 units

position...Any

Yes the pre 99 KV6 was about as much good as a chocolate fireguard, Rover actually had many many 800's back to the facotry for entire replacment engines over a ~6month period which cost them heavily.

The post 99 is better, but they're still fragile, more so after around 60k. Headgaskets will pop at the slightest provokation due a combination of small coolant capacity and poor quality hoses / rads which tend to leak without warning, or just for the hell of it. Take pot luck which. Liners move (HG failure again) or split. They must be run on a 50/50 coolant mix changed at least every couple of years.

Not only is the cambelt an utter utter nightmare to do (no room, and a tortuous route) but the kit is very expensive (about 5 idlers).

There are much more reliable and fuel efficient V6's about for the money.

Avoid.

Tim.

None as good to drive though. The KV6 was light and would rev quite high for a mainstream V6. I liked mine.

But was it like the other Rover engines, it *had* to rev quite high to get anywhere?

Give me a nice lump of low down torque anyday.

Thanks to everyone for their comments and advice...Not sure it's such a bad lump though.....Just to close this one out, HG was fine and the leak was found to come from the expansion bottle - LOADS of cracks around the base of it. Apparently a common problem with the entire Freelander range. Thanks again and best wishes to all !