Morning guys,

I've just picked up an '04 1.8 and I'd like to do a bit of a service to get it up to scratch for towing. I've got all the air and fluid filters so I'll crack on with those but there's a couple of other niggles that don't seem huge but I'd like to sort them.

1, I need a tow bar, I've got one on the way and it looks simple to fit but the plug and play wiring only seems to be a single socket, is it difficult to turn it into a twin? Do you need bypass relays or anything?
2. When cold its difficult to engage the gears, once it's warm there's no issue so I'm guessing the gearbox oil needs changing, is this hard?
3. The bulbs behind the heater controls seem to be out, does anyone know the sizes?

Cheers for sticking with me, and cheers in advance for the help.

Not sure a 1.8 Freelander is the best for towing a caravan - how big is the van?

Not sure on your electrics/bulbs questions. Changing the gearbox oil is pretty straight forward there are drain and fill plugs that were easily accessible if I remember rightly from mine. As ever, crack the fill plug before undoing the drain - and I used a syringe with plastic hose on the end to fill. I haven't got any pics, of the plugs locations, however, you can download a Land Rover Workshop manual 'Rave' which will show you (as well as being generally very useful). You'll need a Windows PC to run it on and there's info on downloading it here...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/rave-disk-maintenance-manual.260227/

When doing the service, drop a couple of drips of oil where the clutch release arm goes through the bell housing. These often seize up here making changes difficult and overloads the hydraulics and slave bracket leading to failure. Its possible it is what your issue is.

The first jobs you should do on a Freelander though are checking the tyres and VCU. Failure to run correct tyres and/or a running a bad VCU often ends up in a scrap Freelander....

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/tests-new-freelander-owners-should-do-on-their-car.312863/

Cheers mate, thats really decent advice. The 'van isnt huge and according to all the stuff I've read the FL will handle it. I'll get the tyres and VCU tested asap.

Steve_Goral said:

I've just picked up an '04 1.8 and I'd like to do a bit of a service to get it up to scratch for towing.

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What sort of weight will you be towing? The 1.8 isn't great it towing more than 1000Kgs, at least not at motorway speeds. Even with 1000Kgs on the back, the 1.8 will struggle on hills, which means you'll need to work the gearbox, to get the best out the engine.

Steve_Goral said:

I've got one on the way and it looks simple to fit but the plug and play wiring only seems to be a single socket, is it difficult to turn it into a twin?

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Trailer lights are a direct plug in, providing the kit is vehicle specific. Auxiliary trailer power isn't fitted to the vehicle, so you'll need to run those wires yourself.

Steve_Goral said:

When cold its difficult to engage the gears, once it's warm there's no issue so I'm guessing the gearbox oil needs changing,

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Check the clutch release lever is free and lubricate if not. That's a common PG1 box issue. Also an oil change can improve shift quality, if the clutch lever is ok. Make sure you use the correct MTF94 box oil though.

Steve_Goral said:

is this hard?

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No. It's not hard. Just make sure you remove the fill plug before the drain plug.


It's also best to make sure it has 4 identical tyres fitted with least worn on the rear and do the one wheel up test. Changing the IRD oil is a good way to check it's condition too.

More decent advice, cheers.

Just going through the docs and I can't find anything regarding a recent timing belt/water pump change so I'm going to play it safe and replace them as well.

Just a thought I wonder if the head has been done on yours ? if you are going to tow I assume that will put more strain on the engine

I can't find a receipt for it but it might have been done. I'm going to monitor it to see if the coolant goes down or changes colour, it looks perfect at the moment. Just done the spark plugs and air filters and they all looked like they were pretty recent, changed them anyway though as at least I know they're all good now. Doing the oil in the morning, then got the timing belt and tyres booked in for next week.