Freelander 1 TD4 thermostat replacement ?

Hi all, can anyone advise me please ?
How difficult is it to replace the thermostat on a facelift 2006 FL 1 TD4.
I can see it is TRICKY to get to but on the face of it there looks to be just 5 torx headed bolts 3 on the housing and 2 connecting to the rear of the head area, I have wondered if there is difficulty removing the thermostat as I have seen others post about it been a big job.
I did message nodge68 direct as most replies come from that quarter but don't seem to have a reply so I am putting it on here, cheers Al.

Why do you want to replace it

Devilish said:

Why do you want to replace it

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The temperature on the gauge in the car is only reading 1/4 and has all the time I have had it so I'm thinking it may also affect my fueling if the ecu sees the temperature low too.thanks for reply.AL

Have you thought of adding a inline thermostat, takes 10 mins, or a Fuel Burning Heater. 7:30 10:30 temp gauge is common with all M47's I have had and know of, who do not use motorway this time of year. FBH is a whole new ball game if you do not have one, or it is not working,
http://www.webastorepairs.co.uk/

if you go for the inline thermostat modification ..

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/td4-thermostat-mod.350520/
( includes a video and retail link )

'n if it's an auto gear box
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/thermostat-mod-on-td4-2004.312050/

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131commando said:

Hi all, can anyone advise me please ?
How difficult is it to replace the thermostat on a facelift 2006 FL 1 TD4.
I can see it is TRICKY to get to but on the face of it there looks to be just 5 torx headed bolts 3 on the housing and 2 connecting to the rear of the head area, I have wondered if there is difficulty removing the thermostat as I have seen others post about it been a big job.
I did message nodge68 direct as most replies come from that quarter but don't seem to have a reply so I am putting it on here, cheers Al.

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Hi it is a tricky/ awkward job (I did mine a, 2004 Td4, Nov. last year due to a crap heater & temp. gauge like you say not going past a 1/4 ) mainly due to getting the metal coolent pipe you can see out & back in again as it runs along the back of the engine (as well as from the expansion tank via the short rubber hose). I unbolted mine along it's length just to get a bit more play in it as you just can't lever it out without the risk of bending it (the metal pipe) & as it has an o-ring as a seal it has to go back in square to avoid any leaks (make sure you get a new o-ring before you start).
Once you get that pipe out & have removed the lower rubber hose in the bottom of the housing you can then tackle the 3 torx headed bolts holding the housing on, again very awkward due to lack of clearance between bolts & inner wing as you can only get very small movements with a spanner & seem to lose a layer of skin with every movement !
If you search other threads on here I'm sure there is mention of loosening engine mounts and lowering the engine on a jack (any bit of clearance will help).
It seems it's about a 4-5 hour job if all goes well & depending if you can use a ramp/pit.
Whilst doing mine I discovered it had a FBH (fuel burning heater which aids warm up) which is plumbed into the cooling/heating system, as it wasn't working I removed it, stripped/checked/cleaned it & was amazed how much quicker the engine gets up to temperature with the new t/stat & working FBH. (temp. gauge up to middle within 1.5 miles even on minus temp. days).
I fitted a Borg & Beck thermostat housing, just make sure it's a good quality one, genuine if you can as you won't want to do it again lol.
Best of luck, it's worth it & once your knuckles have recovered, you've stopped swearing & your heater is back to how it should be (hopefully) you'll forget what a pain it is to replace a Td4 thermostat housing, hee hee.

Inline stat is the way forward, but only do this mod if your original stat is not leaking, the stat on the FL1 TD4 & R40 diesel M47 engines do not fail as such but start to open early therefore not getting the engine up to temperature, that's why most FL1 owners will there temp needle at middle = 9.00 as opposed to 12.00.

It is best to remove the manifold to gain more access to the steel factory band on the Y section fitted to the head, this need to be filed through or you can use a Dremel but care must be taken not the damage the hose it's self.

Below is a quick snap shot of what needs to be done if it's a manual FL1 an Auto is a bit different.

Use a good quality stat such as gates 89-92 your MPG will rise as well as the heat from your internal blower.

I intend to do a full how to once I get time. cheers Arctic2

Brilliant thanks for the replies, seen as though the consensus is it's an awkward job taking hours I think I will wait until summer to tackle the job I will go the longer way and fit a genuine LR thermostat and new o ring I think as the thought of two thermostats sounds a bit dodgy if the original decides not to open then I have it to do anyway so sooner do it once.Great response much appreciated, AL.

I have yet in 14 years to hear or see a TD4 R40 thermostat decide not to open, the main trouble with them is that they fail by opening to early, that's why they have to be changed or an inline stat added.

131commando said:

Brilliant thanks for the replies, seen as though the consensus is it's an awkward job taking hours I think I will wait until summer to tackle the job I will go the longer way and fit a genuine LR thermostat and new o ring I think as the thought of two thermostats sounds a bit dodgy if the original decides not to open then I have it to do anyway so sooner do it once.Great response much appreciated, AL.

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Why not just fit the Renault thermostat in the top hose, and have a hot heater and make the engine run more efficiently.

I can't believe the language coming from Your mouth Nodge You mentioned Re#?$*lt on a Landy forum that's blasphemy I can't even say that word never mind put a part on my beloved Td4 that's from the snail murdering frog eating capital of Europe

I did the inline mod on top radiator hose at the weekend and can report an increase in warmth from heater and my temp needle is sitting bang in the middle now...i got one of fleabay took me 15 mins to fit

131commando said:

I can't believe the language coming from Your mouth Nodge You mentioned Re#?$*lt on a Landy forum that's blasphemy I can't even say that word never mind put a part on my beloved Td4 that's from the snail murdering frog eating capital of Europe

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Ok. How about the Gates in-line thermostat mod, which is used by Renault?

Many folk here and in the Rover forums have done the Ren...... errr, Gates in line mod with great success. I don't see the point in giving yourself a load of work, expense and grief never mind the potential of causing further damage.

Gates is good as recommended by AL Murray ,"good old British brand". well probably!
I just don't like loose ends on my nearly great Td4 I do it with everything I have to remove every nut and bolt and replace with shiny things it's a sort of curse I'll wake up in the night thinking my thermostats faulty and it will niggle away until I do it, along with my inoperative park sensors paint imperfections and tired interior at least Santa has a good list

While I agree that the inline thermostat is a bit of a bodge. It is actually a better long term option than replacing the standard thermostat. The standard thermostat not only is a 4+ hour job to do, but it's also not a long term fix. Unfortunately the life of these cheap n nasty genuine thermostats is short, meaning the job needs to be repeated every few years. This for me is unacceptable, and so I'll continue to recommend the inline Gates thermostat mod.

Stuggyzx10 said:

I did the inline mod on top radiator hose at the weekend and can report an increase in warmth from heater and my temp needle is sitting bang in the middle now...i got one of fleabay took me 15 mins to fit

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Hi. I'm a complete novice at this. Can you tell me exactly how to place a thermostat in the top hose. What is the thermostat called? Where do I get from? How do I go about the procedure. That would be a great help to me. I'd really appreciate the advice.

Hi Ogy.

You have several threads asking all the same questions.

As posted in your other thread, this link has all the answers and some options for fixing.