What have you done to your Freelander today

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Fitted my replacement coolant expansion tank this morning here in NZ - -2ºC this morning Brrrrrr. The last one was new June 2015. Happily the supplier sent a replacement as the first had cracked near the neck.

 
I fitted a new tank to mine around the same time and had the same, label peeling off the lid within days thing. Not a big issue but showed lack of quality, then last week I noticed the coolant level a bit low, which is always a worry on a K series. Turned out the crappy lid was leaking so put the original back on and all fine now but will have to keep an eye out for cracks.
The moral is don't buy cheap ebay coolant bottles.
 
I fitted a new tank to mine around the same time and had the same, label peeling off the lid within days thing. Not a big issue but showed lack of quality, then last week I noticed the coolant level a bit low, which is always a worry on a K series. Turned out the crappy lid was leaking so put the original back on and all fine now but will have to keep an eye out for cracks.
The moral is don't buy cheap ebay coolant bottles.
Even quality coolant header tanks don't last long on the K series, especially the V6. They run so hot that they are always holding lots of pressure at bay. My 5 month old budget tank in my TD4 still looks new. As the engine doesn't exceed 85°C, I expect the tank to have a long life.
 
When I changed my cap and tank a couple of weeks ago I was happy to find the supplier included a genuine LR cap with the aftermarket tank.

Today I did my first Freelander V6 oil change. Everything went well although I found the sump guard was missing most of the screws that attach the front bumper assembly.
It seems like the last one to do up the sump plug was The Mighty Hulk as it took an 18" breaker bar to loosen it.Tomorrow i'll change the gearbox oil. I am certain it hasn't been changed since my Hippo went off warranty 10 yeas ago.
 
When I changed my cap and tank a couple of weeks ago I was happy to find the supplier included a genuine LR cap with the aftermarket tank.

Today I did my first Freelander V6 oil change. Everything went well although I found the sump guard was missing most of the screws that attach the front bumper assembly.
It seems like the last one to do up the sump plug was The Mighty Hulk as it took an 18" breaker bar to loosen it.Tomorrow i'll change the gearbox oil. I am certain it hasn't been changed since my Hippo went off warranty 10 yeas ago.
Make sure you undo the right bolt otherwise it is bye-bye to reverse!
 
Replaced the drop links for the second time in 4 months. I'm hoping that this latest set last longer that the last. I changed ARB bushes too, fitting the new bolts supplied with the new clamps.
 
Took it off road at a LR club event and made good use of the new sump guard. :eek:
Great fun and the HDC is brilliant but lack of ground clearance was an issue in the deep ruts.
 
Make sure you undo the right bolt otherwise it is bye-bye to reverse!
No worries there. I know it has happened in the past but you would either have to have not done any research (as in watching How-tos, reading threads etc.) or just not be paying attention to take out the wrong bolt. Things went well with the auto trans. I did the change using "The American Method" where you just drain the box and put in 4.19 litres but I also took some steps shown in the thread on this site and I'm glad I did! After taking the car for a short run I checked the oil temp (41.5) ran it up and down through the gears and checked the level. I was really surprised to have to drain out almost a litre.
The IRD fluid change was a bit of a pain as the North American spec V6s have a catalytic converter right in front of the fill plug. I had to go out and buy a compact flex handle but eventually got the rotten thing loose. It seems to be running happier but I'll know for sure after tomorrow's run to work. The fluids all round were good and dirty so my efforts have to be an improvement. :)
Update: I took the Hippo on my commute to work today and the auto box is definately shifting more smoothly, particularly when cold, so I guess the jobs a good-un.
 
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Pedantic? Well, yes. But I have previously posted about corroded wheel nuts. Today, they came off. Emery papered, then painted with Hammerite 'straight to rust' aerosol. I'd previously got a pack of about 1,000 wooden coffee stirring sticks which were used for floor boarding grand daughter's dolls house. They make great stands for painting small objects as well. I don't think I ever stirred a coffee with one.
 

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Pedantic? Well, yes. But I have previously posted about corroded wheel nuts. Today, they came off. Emery papered, then painted with Hammerite 'straight to rust' aerosol. I'd previously got a pack of about 1,000 wooden coffee stirring sticks which were used for floor boarding grand daughter's dolls house. They make great stands for painting small objects as well. I don't think I ever stirred a coffee with one.

They're great for mixing epoxy or and fillers too...
 
Finally after having the Hippo for 9 months, fitted the tailgate dog guard. No great shakes except that I had to repair the door card where the previous owner (who is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot) had tried to fit it without reference to the instructions. Can heartily endorse Halford's Bumper repair filler - I used gaffer tape on the outside of the door card and built up a good big blob of filler on the back after a good clean up with MEK. When cured, the gaffer tape gave a passable imitation of the grain of the interior plastic which after a dab of black paint should be pretty much invisible (I hope!).
So chuffed with myself I ordered a set of silicone air hoses and a PCV filter upgrade. There, that's next weekend sorted out!
 
OK...Full Dumbass Disclosure....
Last weekend I changed the engine, auto gearbox and IRD fluids in my Freelander.
Today, 240km later I opened the bonnet to check the engine oil level and what did I find?
The bloody funnel and hose I used to fill the IRD! Or rather, most of the hose. Seems that it
didn't much like hanging next to the Cat.
The biggest scare was the moment that I thought I had forgotten to put the fill plug back into the IRD.
I had, just forgot to put away the funnel and hose. :rolleyes:

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OK...Full Dumbass Disclosure....
Last weekend I changed the engine, auto gearbox and IRD fluids in my Freelander.
Today, 240km later I opened the bonnet to check the engine oil level and what did I find?
The bloody funnel and hose I used to fill the IRD! Or rather, most of the hose. Seems that it
didn't much like hanging next to the Cat.
The biggest scare was the moment that I thought I had forgotten to put the fill plug back into the IRD.
I had, just forgot to put away the funnel and hose. :rolleyes:

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Oops
I fill gearbox and IRD fluid from below by shoving a pipe on the little funnel that's on the bottles, then just squeeze it out. When the thing is nearly empty refill from another bottle or swap the lids. Saves a lot of fannying around from above and having half the fluid end up on the floor. Mind it helps having 4 axel stands to keep the car level.
 
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I was using the Lubri-moly fluid that has a clever (Maybe too clever) extending nozzle, sort of like a proboscis as a spout. I know the type of bottle you mean
and that would have been a better system, although on mine that rotten cat is right in front of the filler hole. I was able to do it with the overflow when full
being the only spillage so no issues there. I'm hoping I will never have to change it again on this Hippo.
 
Decided that after 12 months of having roof lights and never using them i removed them and all wiring , actually i think they look better without , certainly quieter with less wind noise .
 
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