I am the very proud owner of a 52plate V6 Freeleander. I have a problem! I have been told that my car will soon develop major engine problems and that I should get rid of it. It currently has just over 44000 miles on the clock and I've been warned that the gaskets will give up the ghost at approx 50000 miles and that I'm looking at serious money to repair them.

My question is this - is this true or am I being taken for a ride? I am on my own now and have no idea where to look to for advice so I'm hoping you guys can help me out. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks xx

Mine gave up the ghost at 32k and again at 40k.

Sounds like BS to me.
What are the symptoms?
Do you have it serviced regularly?
As Nodge is probably about to tell you, the V6 is an excellent engine if looked after properly, i.e. servicing on time, fluids checked regularly, etc.
Mine has done over 120k without the gaskets needing changing, in fact they are being changed now but only as a precaution and because the garage is low on work!

If there are no symptoms don't worry.

Has it ever run out of coolant? Is it losing oil? Is it losing coolant regularly? Does it have a serious misfiring issue? (these might not be the head gasket(s)
Is there water in the oil or oil in the water? These probably do indicate head gasket failure.

If you're still unsure and want to sell it, what price did you have in mind? Kidding

fleabag128 said:

I am the very proud owner of a 52plate V6 Freeleander. I have a problem! I have been told that my car will soon develop major engine problems and that I should get rid of it. It currently has just over 44000 miles on the clock and I've been warned that the gaskets will give up the ghost at approx 50000 miles and that I'm looking at serious money to repair them.

My question is this - is this true or am I being taken for a ride? I am on my own now and have no idea where to look to for advice so I'm hoping you guys can help me out. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks xx

Click to expand...

There are many reasons the head gaskets fail on the V6 engine but they generally don't just fail on there own. They normally go due to the thermostat O rings leak coolant unseen. This allows the cooling system to airlock which causes the head gaskets particularly the rear bank to fail. The reason the gaskets often fail again after being done is because they are easily knocked during fitting with the engine in the car. The engine is best to come out to do the job correctly. If the engine has to come out you might as well fit a low miles replacement.
I change the thermostat and coolant every 2 years to reduce the chance of O ring failure.

bukko said:

As Nodge is probably about to tell you, the V6 is an excellent engine if looked after properly, i.e. servicing on time, fluids checked regularly, etc.

Click to expand...

Ok I was wrong that time...

bukko said:

Ok I was wrong that time...

Click to expand...

You weren't wrong at all. The KV6 is a good engine and defiantly doesn't suffer HGF all on it's own!! There is often a definitive cause which is normally cooling system related!! As i'v already said the thermostat O rings begin to leak over time, this causes a drop in coolant level and subsequent HGF. My advice would be keep a careful check on coolant level and get any loss no matter how small investigated by someone who knows what they are doing with the engine. But don't let ill informed folks tell you that the engine is rubbish as it's far from it!" It's a lovely engine with a nice flat torque curve which is ideal for propelling a vehicle like the Freelander. I'm in the process of building a 250+ bhp KV6 for transplant into my classic car. I'm not the first to use this under rated engine in something different ether. There are many in the MG community that swear by them and there is even a Triumph Dolomite rally car running a very nicely put together KV6!!

Was told my v6 would fail at 32k miles. It's currently on nearly 34k so I is on borrowed time. But I don't listern to the crap on the web. So I plan to have many more happy motoring miles. As nodge said HG failure is more often a secondary effect of something else going wrong. Like water ****ing out. Also I think many fail a second time too soon due to the repair not being done correctly. I admit my engine seized at 500 miles but once replaced it's been ok. Auto failed at 8k miles due to leaks. Changed at 12k miles and still running ok. I look after mine myself now. Keep it well serviced and fix faults before they get worse and keep an eye on the coolant.

"sigh"

save yo money for when yu need it.

yu might be lucky - then again may ne not - tiz in the lap of the Gods .

Thanks guys!! I've had no problems whatsoever with the car which I've owned for about 6 years now. I'm disabled and don't do huge amounts of miles in it! It's serviced regularly and it's bodily fluids are well looked after. Any sign of a problem and it's whipped along to my mechanic to sort out. It was a friend of his who told him I should expect problems but, so far I have seen nothing to worry me. I don't want to get rid of it and don't want a huge repair bill either but neither can I afford for it to seize up on me when I'm driving!!

You've certainly put my mind at rest a little and I don't think I'll be parting with her for a while yet - thanks again!! xx