I just finished a week long odyssey of changing the Thermostat on my V6.
I started last Saturday and tried to do the keyhole technique but the housing wouldn't budge so off came the intake manifolds. Good thing I had a couple of intake gaskets on hand.
I put everything back together but it turns out I buggered up the O-ring on the curved pipe so off came everything again.
Got it all back together with the new O-ring only to find it was leaking from one of the rad hose quick connects. The seals in them were pretty badly compressed after 14 years of use.
There are no Freelander hoses available locally and the US suppliers charge an arm and a leg, so an online order went in to Rimmers on Sunday night. UPS delivered them on Thursday.
Not bad service half way around the world!
Rimmers just showed the two large hoses for North American market Hippos so I am hoping the smaller diameter one seals ok as it is $150. out of the States.
The hoses are in now (Not much fun, I had to Dremel off the top hose clamp on the rad and all the others fought me as well), but it's all back together once again. I ran it till the system was pressurised so tomorrow I will dry out the Vee and take it for a drive to see if the leaks are gone.
The most frustrating part of the whole episode is that the initial leak was very small and this was basically a preventative job that I could have easily put off.