Freelander 1 Engine change

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hawke113a

Member
Posts
89
Im looking to replace the engine in my hippo. I currently have the 1.8 k series. Im wanting more power as she is a bit on the slow side. I know there is a v6 but have been told they very underpowered. Im not bothered about the 4wd system. Any ideas on what i can drop under the bonnet. Or is it just a pipe dream. Cheers guys
 
There’s a group on Facebook just for Freelander 1.8 turbos.Theres a short video of a freelander with some sort of Subaru engine in it and another with a v8 of some sort,but I couldn’t imagine massive amounts of work so the 1.8 turbo will probably be the easiest option.As for the v6 I thought it had over 170 bhp?
 
Im not bothered about the 4wd system.
What's the point in having lots of power, if you simply spin the front wheels when you plant your foot. The standard 1.8 spins the front wheels if it's FWD converted, so a powerful turbo 1.8 will simply melt the front tyres. Spinning the front wheels uncontrolled will slow it down, not speed it up.

Also consider upgrading the suspension and brakes, as those are only just adequate with the standard car.

Or just sell the heavy Freelander and buy a hot hatch instead. ;)
 
I like the idea of doing the conversion but I personally couldn’t justify the cost and not to mention fact I don’t know my arse from my elbow when it comes to the engine side of things. 177 bhp isn’t to shabby, is the handling effected at all with the extra weight on the front?
 
It would be easier to sell the 1.8 and buy a v6. v6 is auto gearbox only. They can drink a v8 under the table.
 
That's not strictly true as the V8 discovery does around 12 Mpg, but the V6 Freelander does almost 20 Mpg.
could only get mine to 16.5
Don't know why the disco is so low. The classic rr was better than that following me. 5 gears though.
Tratter v8 is around 13 but it's under geared.
 
I once read that the T Series engine [ see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_T-series_engine] , as fitted to the MPI Discovery, is a direct fit into a Freelander. 136bhp as standard, more with the turbocharged versions fitted to some Rover cars.
Not sure why when people want to pimp the power in a Freelander they don't use a turbo charged T series out of a 620 or Tomcat. I suppose the turbo K must be a lot easier for mounting to chassis and 4WD system, but the T uses the same spec PG1 as the Freelander L Series all-be-it very different gearing ratios and diff setup. It also has the same lineage from the B and O Series engines as the L, so there may be benefits with that. You get 200hp as standard and if its power you want - that's heaps.
 
as fitted to the MPI Discovery, is a direct fit into a Freelander.

The T series isn't a direct fit into a Freelander, in fact it's very difficult to make it fit, especially if you wish to retain the 4X4 system. The KV6 would be simpler to fit if using a manual box, but it's still not easy.
 
That's not right. Is your VIS working? That's the most common cause of low Mpg on a V6.
It would occasionally stick, but not a problem anymore. I should add i only did local miles in it which is why it was low. Max in the motorway at constant 60mph on cruise was 28.5mpg.
 
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