For reference, it might be that the cylinder works like the ford ones do - any key will lock any door with the old ford hex shaped keys! No idea though, haven't tried it, might be talking out of my arse. The lock barrels are usually pretty easy to strip down and regrease if necessary though.

Sounds like the mechanical door lock has been changed to one that doesn't match your keys - the one on the tailgate isn't actually a lock, it just allows you to raise and lower the window and that's it... The good news is that the alternator on the TD4 is quite low iirc? If you take the skid...

Actually, I've just back read this thread and an idea popped in my head, is the turbo water cooled on the TD4? Given that you've got sludge and you're getting turbo solenoid faults, my money is on either: a) if the turbo is watercooled, the seals/housing has cracked and it's letting water into...

Keep topping up with water and checking the dipstick level carefully. If the oil is rising, it was knackered anyway and you've got nothing to lose. You'll have to drop the lot anyway before recomissioning the vehicle and it'll be fatal if there /is/ water in the oil when run. Remember the...

Ahh, well a lot of them fail due to not being run in properly - pay attention to any stickers on them when they turn up, you're supposed to get it super hot the first time it's run or something!

You may regret that, aftermarket replacement cats are completely b*****ks. You'll be lucky to get 10-11 months out of a cheap one!

Whenever I hear a dealer is "prepping" a car all I hear in my head is that they're greasing the tyres and topping up the engine sawdust. Then polishing the whole thing.

You using a roadhawk HD? The wide angle view and font looks familiar!

... ... genius. When going through my head gasket escapades I never thought of that, I must have had the belt on and off 20-30 times while working on the car. Would of saved me a lot of "*ping* ker-b*****d!" moments.

With the car cold, reach in behind the radiator and make sure you can turn the fans by hand, so they're not jammed. ...then check the fuses.

Out of interest, what let go?

Hurr! Interesting, quick question though, if they're identical why do they have different part numbers? Inlet: LGC106950L Exhaust: LGC106960L Just Rover screwing around with part numbers or allowing for performance variants?

Maybe it's dropped valves or something, but I'd be expecting it to be making a lot of noise about it. Does it run really smooth at idle or is it running like a three legged dog?

At least whip the cam cover off and check the timing is good before you do it... suspicions and all that.

Daft question, but you've not swapped the intake and exhaust cam shafts have you? Don't know if they fit/cross over at all.

Sounds like the clutch is on its way out, or the bracket holding the clutch release - is it a petrol or a diesel? (sorry, being lazy.) Sticking down is a bad sign usually, especially when combined with the juddering. If it's a TD4 it could mean that the hydraulics have burst and taken the...

So it's running smooth? Or is it popping/going quiet or shuddering as the power loss happens? If it just silently loses power that's usually fuel starvation or blocked exhaust. Some of the K series have weak fuel pumps, mine was replaced at 60k...

So, general rule = Gears locked out when engine running, but okay when not = clutch related Gears locked out whether engine is running or not = synchros shot Sounds like your clutch is still dragging for some reason. If you put it in first (then fifth) gear, put your foot down to the floor on...

Hold on. Does the rear door handle trigger return correctly? The springs in the freelander rear door handle are exposed to the elements and tend to disintegrate. Means when you slam the door, the handle rattles and reopens the solenoid immediately so it looks like it didn't latch. Usually...

AVOID any Honda with an auto box from about 97 to 2003 ish - they used a dodgy supplier and they're ridiculously prone to exploding. For some spectacularly bad reason they buried the oil filter deep inside the gearbox casing and it's a non changeable part - the gearbox ends up being a service...