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Yes I have been reading but have you? I have actual experience with the engine having rebuilt a few
The engine is generally a sound design but it's badly let down by the production tolerances and the fact that if an engine does fail? The correct reason is'nt always found by the guy putting it back together so it fails again!!
The cooling system does play a part in keeping the K series working long term but the engine needs to be put together properly to start with!!
The Lotus cooling system is in many ways worse than the Freelander as the rad is at the front but the engine is in the middle. This causes the same delayed stat opening as all other K series have. It's true that the Elise is lighter than the Freelander so whilst under cruising conditions is worked less hard, however how often is the Freelander's engine pushed to the limiter? There are lots of things that need to be corrected to make the K series reliable but sadly bolting on some uprated parts is only part of the cure
I agree with you in as much as I believe the K series was poorly designed, poorly executed and poorly built. The design concept of the cooling system is abysmal, as is several other components on this vehicle, such as the drive train. It is designed in such a fashion that if it fails, then the outcome is catastrophic. By the time the driver realises they may have a cooling problem, it is usually too late
. how many times have we seen threads like " but the gauge didnt move off normal" or " there is no oil in the coolant". Couple that with a belief that "its a landrover - they are designed to run in deserts on old camel ****, repaired with a screwdriver & a hammer, arent they?" and the likely "yummy mummy" school run, comprising of short runs dont help the vehicle. That's ignoring Landrover build quality.
I also agree that "bolting on some uprated parts is only part of the cure", but no-one can accuse the OP of doing that. It is a well researched subject and an EWP is designed (amongst other things) to help alleviate thermal hot spots and cavitation. A well documented design flaw of these engines. I think most peeps would also agree that, in this case, it wasnt just a case of "bolting on" parts either.
As JM has alluded to, sometimes it is impossible to discover the cause of HGF and with these temperamental engines that is more likely than most.
