Cooling system problem - two thermostats instead of one

Hello to all of the members

I've got a problem with my petrol Freelander 1.8 from 2002. I went to the mechanic to do a checkup and we decided to change the cooling system - it was showing signs of use. The mechanic exchanged everything: hoses, thermostats and so on. And that's when the troubles started.

The mechanic fitted two thermostats instead of one. My Freelander has one thermostat at the bottom and a kind of bypass(?) at the top. But the guy put two thermostats in. I didn't notice it and started driving. I noticed something weird happening with the engine after a day or two. The coolant was disappearing, the air from the vents was sometimes cold and sometimes warm and so on. I called the mechanic and went to his shop.

He did a test that showed that everything is fine. There were no fumes in the coolant, so he told me to drive normally. After a day or two I was back and this time another mechanic told me via the phone that I've got two thermostats instead of one and I probably cooked the engine.

Is it possible? Can the second thermostat really cook the engine? My mechanic is trying to convince me that it doesn't matter and he wants me to repair the engine, that now has a pistol sleeve crack I went to fix the cooling and now the engine is destroyed. Is it possible that the second thermostat is to blame? Or did the piston sleeve cracked by itself?

Thank you for the help!

As far as I know you could only have two thermostats (for td4 spoken) if the original one fails open and the second one, working then, is installed somewhere in the top. That is a workaround as to change the thermostat at least on a td4 cost about 5-600 quid, not sure if on a petrol one is the same though. There are others here better on that. When I had to make the decision to get the thermostat changed on my td4 I went with the original one being changed as some bloke from LR said he wouldn't do the other one as you never know how it might affect other parts of the engine and I got the water pump changed with it as well that time.

bbb177 said:

I went to fix the cooling and now the engine is destroyed. Is it possible that the second thermostat is to blame? Or did the piston sleeve cracked by itself?

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If you're talking about the liner which is where the piston runs, then yes, the incorrect thermostat allowed the engine to boil dry, and overheat the liner.
The mechanic you used is a moron, and shouldn't be allowed near the engine again.
Surely he must have noticed that there isn't a thermostat at the back of the engine, it just has a reducer ring instead. Any basic mechanic would know an engine just has 1 thermostat.
I'm sorry but this idiot needs to get you another engine.

Why would a mechanic modify an engine without telling/asking the customer!?
He broke it, he fixes it.
What was the actual problem/symptom you went in with?

Nodge68 said:

If you're talking about the liner which is where the piston runs, then yes, the incorrect thermostat allowed the engine to boil dry, and overheat the liner.
The mechanic you used is a moron, and shouldn't be allowed near the engine again.
Surely he must have noticed that there isn't a thermostat at the back of the engine, it just has a reducer ring instead. Any basic mechanic would know an engine one has 1 thermostat. I'm sorry but this idiot needs to get you another engine.

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He installed the rear thermostat instead of a hollow thermostat housing. He throew away the hollow thermostat because he thought that it's a broken part What's weird is that he had a VIN number and everything. He could've checked all the parts he needed, but he didn't.

kermit_rr said:

Why would a mechanic modify an engine without telling/asking the customer!?
He broke it, he fixes it.
What was the actual problem/symptom you went in with?

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I have no idea why he did it. The problem I went in with was just replacement of the hoses. I noticed that they're not in the best condition. I mean they were showing age and I decided to replace them to not have any suprises on the road. I had no ideal that it's not going to go according to plan

I talked to the mechanic yesterday again and he's going to fix the broken piston sleeve. I just hope that other piston sleeves, water pump, head and other parts of the engine are fine. He's goint to do a pressure check after he reassembles the engine. Are there any additional test I should do to make sure I can drive safelly?

bbb177 said:

He installed the rear thermostat instead of a hollow thermostat housing. He throew away the hollow thermostat because he thought that it's a broken

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That's because he's an idiot, and didn't check first. It's pretty obvious to anyone with some common sense, that the hollow thermostat isn't broken, how can it break and not remain in the housing.
I'm sorry but this idiot damage your engine, because he didn't think to check what was supposed to be fitted.

bbb177 said:

I talked to the mechanic yesterday again and he's going to fix the broken piston sleeve. I just hope that other piston sleeves, water pump, head and other parts of the engine are fine.

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In my experience. If the engine has got hot enough to damage a liner, then the other liners, pistons, and the head will all be scrap, as the pistons will be scuffed and useless, and the heat will be soft and useless too.
You need a good replacement engine really.