I bought my 2008 FL2 on Sunday, heavily discounted because it failed WOF (like MOT) on no power in the steering below 5-10 km/h. Power assist mostly works when driving very slow, and this failure is a known weakness in Ford era Freelanders. In mine it seems to get worse when the car has warmed up. As I used to drive an AM General M813 truck, heavy steering did not bother me, but my WOF inspector was not amused. I have 30 days to get it fixed.

Today, I took it to a power steering specialist who said the Freelander 2 design is one of the worst steering racks ever made - cheap materials specified by bean counters. It is a Ford Modeo rack (remember this was the era when Ford owned LR... even thought the rack has a sticker saying it was made in Germany) using a Teflon something-or-other inside the rack. The Teflon breaks down with particles going everywhere, clogging the filter and starving the rack. The cure is to have the rack removed and rebuilt, and to replace the filter and housing at the same time. He says usually the pump is OK. I'm looking at a NZ$1,100 bill to be done within a week or so. Given the vendor discounted the FL2 by $800 and tossed in a new filter, I'm OK with it. The good news is that because it is a Ford, it's not considered exotic, so the repair shop knew all about it.

This is what it looks like when removed. Looking online (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/293278143371), you can buy a Ford Mondeo branded for not much more than the rebuild cost (NZ$750). Just need an expert to make sure it is the very same.



In the old days, I would have spent hours online, found a vendor in Poland who sells a rebuild kit, and enjoy a lovely weekend in my shed breaking bolts and trying to figure out how to get it apart and then get it back together so it works. This time I am doing a chequebook refurb. I confess I feel a bit like Harrison Ford in the Raiders Of The Lost Ark sword fight (shoot and get over with it*).

But as a pay forward: this diagnosis seems to be different than the forum comments about metal shavings from sloppy manufacturing and it sounds like it is inevitable... a maintenance item unless the steering rack components have been improved.

So, if your LR2/FL2 has a low-speed power assist problem, it probably is the rack, and if it is, there probably is not a shortcut. Find an expert rebuilder or go online to find an affordable source of new

I'll post more when he gets into it.

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Have you tried just changing the filter and flushing the fluid?

The steering in mine's awesome. Nice weight, responsive, accurate.

A fluid change is the first thing to do as suggested, is to do a reservoir and fluid change, using the correct green central hydraulic fluid.

The rack isn't that bad, and if looked after can do huge miles. There were some issues with early racks having welding debris in them, which would break off and trash the pump.

The pump is a variable displacement pump, which flows more volume at low engine speeds, which helps lighten up the steering at low vehicle speeds.

Appreciate the advice. As it is Saturday, I'll try it before the workshop opens on Monday so I can cancel the rebuild if it works. I did not proceed as I was worried if there is contamination in the steering rack or pump that I cannot drain out, it would clog up the new filter.

I am presuming the best is to:

* Remove the torx screw holding the two fluid pipes that go in and out of the steering rack
* With the front end jacked up so the tyres are not on the ground, turn the steering wheel hard right and left until there is no fluid left.
* Remove and replace the filter reservoir
* Perhaps use compressed air to blow out the hoses (yes/no)
* Should I also try using compressed air to flush out the steering rack?
* Refit hoses and fill with fluid.

For a simple fluid replacement, all you need do is replace the old fluid with the new fluid. The easiest way to do this is to connect the new reservoir to the pump intake, and keep the old reservoir in place to receive the fluid expelled.
Keep the old reservoir empty with a large syringe, and keep the new reservoir topped up with the correct fluid. Slowly turn the steering lock to lock, keeping the relevant reservoirs empty or full, until the fresh fluid is seen being returned to the old reservoir.

At the point, fully connect the new reservoir, then turn the steering several more times to ensure any air in the system has been removed. Recheck the fluid level, then start the engine, and turn the steering a few more times to check for leaks.

Never start the engine if there is the possibility of larger air pockets, as the pump is very susceptible to damage if air is in the system.

Thanks for the guidance. I've now swapped the reservoir and filled with new fluid, but unfortunately did not save enough to top up once the engine was started. So I have to go to town tomorrow to buy more. In the meanwhile, I'll document progress for the next newbie. For example, it was unclear which hose to connect to the new reservoir (the larger of the two). I was able to look up pump intake (larger hose)

I used a air compressor brake bleeder with the hose stuck deep down the larger power steering hose to drain. Multiple turns to empty it. While a syringe will work, investing in a good air compressor and tools makes owning old cars a lot easier. It also is a lot less messy because most of the fluid gets pumped out, not spilling. I began by just draining the reservoir with both hoses hooked up. That meant when I did disconnect the large hose there was no fluid spill.



I attached the new reservoir to the larger hose, place new big bung cap on the large connection on the old reservoir to block off, and left the bung cap on the smaller pipe connector on the new reservoir. However, I was surprised when I lifted the old reservoir and the small hose slipped off with no pressure. The clamp was not fixed, and the hose dropped off. Having said that, it was not leaking before. So I'm not sure what was going on.

On reassembly, I discovered the small hose has a quick-release fitting on it. It is not necessary to remove the hose clamp, just turn the fitting. Perhaps someone can chime in with what is supposed to happen, since I doubt my small hose was correctly fitted before I bought the car.

Tip: Before clamping the large hose, make sure the reservoir is pointing in the right direction so it fits in the holder.

I'm a fan of using surgical clamps to take off spring clamps on hoses. Or small vice grips.



Some hydraulic fluid drained into the plastic pan below the engine. It is dirty, but also appears to have fine metallic dust in it. This may mean the steering rack is deteriorating.



After using up most of the fluid, I topped it off, and started the engine. Mistake. I should either not have done so many flushes, or had a second litre of fluid on hand. Running the engine dropped it below minimum, and the power steering was making that whining noise like it was not happy. So, I won't test drive until I get more.

I hopped on my ebike to take the ferry to town to buy another litre, but as it was a glorious Sunday, the ferry was full of tourists, so I got bumped.

From the Freelander 2 Manual...

Metallic particles in the fluid are most likely from the pump, rather than the rack. The rack is just a double acting hydraulic piston, with a mechanical gear on the piston. Yes the gear can wear, but it's only a slow movement, so wear is minimal. The pump on the other hand is spinning very quickly, whilst generating over 1000 PSI, and is very intolerant to air, debris, water, and the incorrect fluid being used. The pump is very easily damaged by the incorrect fluid change technique, so the engine should never be started without the system being full of fluid, which is why the steering is turned left to right, right to left several times, to ensure as much air as possible has been removed.