Hi all,
I'm looking into buying a LR1 as in the description of the thread.
I went and I've seen the car, looks decent structurally but it does have some issues that I will ennumerate below.
1) Steering pump leaking like crazy, dont know if its the hoses or the pump itself. But it is LEAKING like... a lot! Is it difficult to change it if i buy a new (used) one? I am somwhat handy with tools. You see the pump in the picture labeled with 1.
2) Steering rack has oil on it, not a major leak. Shall i be concerned?
3) AC doesnt work, i turned it on with engine running and the fans arent starting. Is this ok? I get no cold air though...
4) What is that recipient for? I opened it, it has some oily stuff inside and on the cap it sais... Do not open! Well thanks a lot, i didnt know im not supposed to open it, couldnt make up the drawing on it. Have i done something bad? (you see it in the picture marked with 2, next to the brake assembly).
5) The engine runs smooth, idles smooth BUT! Say it idles at 800RPM and if i floor it suddenly (stationary of course) it stutters until 1200RPM and then it accelerates smoothly and abruptly, as it should. Why is that stutter at about 1200RPM? It does it only if i floor it. If i accelerate smoothly, it doesnt stutter.
6) I get a "whoosh" noise comming from my brake pedal area. If i press the brake, it stops. If i release it, it starts making that whoosh sound. Why's that? Shall i need to change the thing? Is it a vacuum issue? The car does brake but still...
7) Lastly: do i have an OBD port on this? I looked everywhere and i couldnt find any diagnostic port...

Thanks to anyone who's patient enough to answer my 7 questions. I own a german car, and i'm absolutely new to this type. This could be my 1st SUV ever. So please, bear with me.

Personally I'd walk away from it. It sounds like a lemon and you are likely to be buying a pile of trouble. The K series Freelander is not really a vehicle you want if you can't access cheap parts and expertise on maintenance nearby.

Oh and there's no OBD2 port on a 98 FL1.

Thank you Nodge! But! My daily driver is the german beast. This car would be only for the occasional fishing trips and you know, to reach places that a very low ground clearance car cant get. Also the price is not bad at all.
So I kind of want to acquire it, i am willing to splurge a bit of money on fixing the stuff i mentioned.

ILIE FLAVIUS said:

Thank you Nodge! But! My daily driver is the german beast. This car would be only for the occasional fishing trips and you know, to reach places that a very low ground clearance car cant get. Also the price is not bad at all.
So I kind of want to acquire it, i am willing to splurge a bit of money on fixing the stuff i mentioned.

Click to expand...

I'd personally look for an L series powered FL1 over a K series. The reason being simply reliability. The early K series does have a few reliability issues that go with it. The head gasket is the most common problem with them. They can go with only moderate warning, leaving you stranded. The replacement HG also requires a well versed K series tech to restore to full reliable running again.
The things you mentioned are trivial by comparison to what can go wrong, particularly if correct maintenance has been ignored.

For instance, are all the tyres the same make, type and size, with the most worn on the front and at the correct pressure. If not then the AWD system is already under huge strain and could fail at any time.

A Freelander is a complicated vehicle by comparison to a normal car. This means it needs to be looked after to the exact requirements of the owners hand book in every respect.

The PS leak looks like a creap, which is common. It's normally the large feed hose gone hard. This is easy fixed with a new hose.

The slightl hesitating could be a number of things, which need investigating.

The noise could be a leak in the brake booster. This could also cause the hesitation.

The cap you removed is for the clutch fluid. Just refit the cap and ignore it in future.

Check for rust on the steering rack pipes too. Leaking at the rack is often the pipes.

I agree with Nodge. Some more information would help: year and how many Km has it travelled - some more photos too. Any 'history' of work done / repairs made?.
1) Steering pump leaking like crazy, dont know if its the hoses or the pump itself. But it is LEAKING like... a lot! Is it difficult to change it if i buy a new (used) one? I am somwhat handy with tools. You see the pump in the picture labeled with 1.
That's not a bad leak - I was expecting to see fluid dripping on the ground... Mine is very similar so yes it's a small amount of PAS fluid seepage. Replace that hose clamp or better still that pipe.
2) Steering rack has oil on it, not a major leak. Shall i be concerned? No. See if you can work out where that oil has come from. Possibly sources could be spillage from refilling the brake reservoiur,
3) AC doesnt work, i turned it on with engine running and the fans arent starting. Is this ok? I get no cold air though... Does the idle speed increase with the A/C switched on? It may need a regals / leak test.
4) What is that recipient for? I opened it, it has some oily stuff inside and on the cap it sais... Do not open! Well thanks a lot, i didnt know im not supposed to open it, couldnt make up the drawing on it. Have i done something bad? (you see it in the picture marked with 2, next to the brake assembly).As Nodge said - it's the clutch fluid reservoir.
5) The engine runs smooth, idles smooth BUT! Say it idles at 800RPM and if i floor it suddenly (stationary of course) it stutters until 1200RPM and then it accelerates smoothly and abruptly, as it should. Why is that stutter at about 1200RPM? It does it only if i floor it. If i accelerate smoothly, it doesnt stutter.
Could be a number of things: check the idle valve on the inlet manifold - squirt some carburettor cleaner into it... Air cleaner in serviceable condition...
6) I get a "whoosh" noise comming from my brake pedal area. If i press the brake, it stops. If i release it, it starts making that whoosh sound. Why's that? Shall i need to change the thing? Is it a vacuum issue? The car does brake but still... They could be a leak somewhere, have a careful look at the air hose/s or the booster itself could be failing.
7) Lastly: do i have an OBD port on this? I looked everywhere and i couldnt find any diagnostic port... It's behind the centre console just above foot level - mine's RHD so it's on the passenger side just above my right foot by the heater assembly/pollen filter... You will need the correct reader to connect to it!

Thank you Nodge and Htr! All the info you guys gave me is golden and much appreciated!