Andythedrum said:

Hi Guys,

I just bought a 2003 V6 Freelander. It's losing coolant from the expansion bottle from the cap. I will replace it asap and hopefully that'll solve the fluid loss. My V6 Freelander runs very hot. Is this normal? After about 20 mins of normal driving the fans kick in and it sounds like a jet is about to take off! Again, is this normal?? By the way the temperature gauge inside the car sits bang in the middle. Thanks.

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Oh balls I edited me post and killed it. :doh:

The fans do sound like a jet engine when running full speed.
The temp display on the dash does tend to sit in the middle and not move when at normal running temp.
Get the leak sorted or it will cause more problems.

Hi Hippo and Nodge68,

Thanks for your help. Sorry about not starting my own thread on my question. I will in future. I'm going to replace both Cap and Expansion Tank and take it from there.

With regards to the engine fans running at full speed - WOW! They are loud indeed! Must admit I found it a bit scary when I first heard it as I thought the car was either going to blow up or take off! Thanks again.

Hey folks.

I know it's been a while but I finally had a chance to dive into the freelander again today. I removed the engine block bleed bolt and it appeared that pretty much only coolant came out, not any air, but it's hard to be 100% sure.
Then opened the top bleeder near the firewall and didn't really notice any air from there either.
Topped up the coolant and fired it up. Watched it idle for about 15 minutes and seemed ok. Top hose gradually got warm then hot but bottom hose stayed dead cold as it always has. I tried feeling the radiator itself and it seemed to stay cold across its entire surface. It's like the heat stops right where the hose meets the radiator. Very weird. Temp gauge stayed at mid point this whole time.

I decided to run it up and down the street a few times and within a few minutes the gauge started fluctuating from half to 3/4 quite quickly and very shortly after that I got steam coming from the overflow bottle so I called it quits at that point.

So I'm well and truly flummoxed. I'm not sure where to start next to be honest. Maybe pull the radiator and have it rodded just to be sure it's fine. I think I did flush water through it so it's not completely blocked up but I'm running out of ideas for other things to try. I'm considering taking it to a specialist but I can see the repair bill being more than what I payed for the car.

Ben

Did you change the cap? Did you check the tank for cracking? It also worth checking the cooling pipes are in the correct places. Use the diagram posted earlier for reference.

Hi node,

Yes new cap and tank, I also thought about incorrect house routing too, but today I discovered a not too surprising but dissapointing none the less issue.

The oil looked fine last time I was tinkering with the car months ago but now it's a caramel milkshake.

So I'm considering my options right now but considering the car is worth virtually nothing in its current state and I am fairly confident I can perform a head gasket replacement it seems that is the only real course of action left to me at this stage.

I'll do a lot more reading about the job and what's required before I make a final decision though.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance to date though, I very much appreciate it.

Ben

Looking likely that the HG has failed. I've seen this a lot over the years. In my experience, the HG normally fails due to incorrect coolant levels. The KV6 will not tolerate air around the liners. This air compromises the liner cooling which allows it to expand, damaging the fire rings.
HG replacement is possible at home if you have reasonable skill and are able to read the manual. However it's not easy to do with the engine in the car as access to the rear head is so restricted. The front head is pretty straightforward as access is good. When I change V6 HGs I would also change the timing belts and water pump at the same time.
It's important that the liner hights are measured accurately before starting to replace the HGs too. If the liners are out of tolerance, the engine will need to come out for some major correction with shims under the liners.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.