TD5 coolant and ACE issues

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Okay, I'd been fed some mis information re springs and SLS, is there an easy way of telling if the ACE pump has been removed and replaced by an idler?

Get on your knees and look under the car drivers side between the drivers door and rear passenger door. If ACE is fitted you will see the pump attached to the outside of the chassis. If it has been removed all you will see is an electrical connector hanging down. Also as UP says, look in the front wheel arch and you will see the anti roll bar. If it has ACE it will have all sorts of hydraulic pipes and things, if it has been removed it will just be a solid anti-roll bar (the rear is the same but harder to see). If it has been removed there is a good chance the fluid reservoir will still be there as there is no need to replace it (just leave it empty).
 
Well, have just dropped it off at my local independents and it's had half a job done on converting the ACE to standard anti roll bars. The pump has been removed and there's an idler and pulley (or was it belt?) under the bonnet however the hydraulic rams are still in place which isn't good long term!

Worryingly though, the guy took one look under the drivers side front wheel arch and said by the way you've got a leaky steering box, hmmm, says I, meaning... well, says he, quite possibly an MOT failure, certainly an advisory at the very least.

Seeing as this disco has a new MOT with no advisories (done the week before we purchased it) that's ever so slightly worrying! They're going to have a good look over it and see what else is wrong.

Apparently the low coolant level is probably due to the water pump being replaced and then the level not being topped up, fingers crossed this is the problem and not the head gasket about to go.

In a way I'm almost glad the steering box is knackered as that would explain the play in the steering making it vile to tow with over 50mph, I thought initially it might be because the tow bar was too low, but having checked heights with Ifor Williams it's spot on.
 
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Well, have just dropped it off at my local independents and it's had half a job done on converting the ACE to standard anti roll bars. The pump has been removed and there's an idler and pulley (or was it belt?) under the bonnet however the hydraulic rams are still in place which isn't good long term!

Worryingly though, the guy took one look under the drivers side front wheel arch and said by the way you've got a leaky steering box, hmmm, says I, meaning... well, says he, quite possibly an MOT failure, certainly an advisory at the very least.

Seeing as this disco has a new MOT with no advisories (done the week before we purchased it) that's ever so slightly worrying! They're going to have a good look over it and see what else is wrong.

Apparently the low coolant level is probably due to the water pump being replaced and then the level not being topped up, fingers crossed this is the problem and not the head gasket about to go.

In a way I'm almost glad the steering box is knackered as that would explain the play in the steering making it vile to tow with over 50mph, I thought initially it might be because the tow bar was too low, but having checked heights with Ifor Williams it's spot on.


This car sounds like it has a number of dangerous faults - if you have only recently bought it, send it back, get your money back and buy a proper one.

It sounds to me like you are being hoodwinked, and you won't ever know when it is going to stop.
 
This car sounds like it has a number of dangerous faults - if you have only recently bought it, send it back, get your money back and buy a proper one.

It sounds to me like you are being hoodwinked, and you won't ever know when it is going to stop.

Unfortunately it was a private sale.... although have had it less than two weeks

In fairness from what I can gather browsing on here and other LR forums the ACE and the steering box issues are very common so if the rest of the car is sound then may be better with the devil we know? Knowing my luck would sell it on and then buy another with problems, that's the trouble with having a tight budget.
 
Unfortunately it was a private sale.... although have had it less than two weeks

In fairness from what I can gather browsing on here and other LR forums the ACE and the steering box issues are very common so if the rest of the car is sound then may be better with the devil we know? Knowing my luck would sell it on and then buy another with problems, that's the trouble with having a tight budget.


If it's only two weeks I would be back to the private seller and the mot station looking for money back. From the sound of it this vehicle has been bodged to sell on safety items which should have been picked up on the mot.

You will spend lots of your own money putting this right and imo you have had your trousers pulled - your choice of course:cool::rolleyes:;)
 
If it's only two weeks I would be back to the private seller and the mot station looking for money back. From the sound of it this vehicle has been bodged to sell on safety items which should have been picked up on the mot.

You will spend lots of your own money putting this right and imo you have had your trousers pulled - your choice of course:cool::rolleyes:;)

There is a number you can call if you think the vehicle hasn't been tested properly or if you feel the MOT is in any way dodgy, the number might be on your MOT cert. Phone it and they will give your car a proper test and the garage that passed the car will have some explaining to do if something is wrong. I would definitely do this.
 
If it's only two weeks I would be back to the private seller and the mot station looking for money back. From the sound of it this vehicle has been bodged to sell on safety items which should have been picked up on the mot.

You will spend lots of your own money putting this right and imo you have had your trousers pulled - your choice of course:cool::rolleyes:;)

I agree, annoyingly there was a delay between the vehicle being advertised (with new MOT) and us picking it up, so it's now a month since the MOT although we've only had it 10 days. Will wait to hear back from my garage what they reckon but at the very least will be screaming back to the seller expecting them to cough up at the minimum a proportion of what it'll cost to put it right. If they reckon it should have failed an MOT or at the very least have had some advisories will most definitely be reporting the MOT station
 
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