Thanks Northern Irelander. My comment about Freelander setup was related as much to the size of radiator. e.g. the capacity for an extra fan on the thing. It's a lot of unheated coolant suddenly rushing in when the thermostat opens. For the record, I can only say what I've done / found out...

I replaced my head gasket at around 98,000 miles & she's run beautifully ever since. I think the £1,000 quote is a bit steep, but it could go either way once fixed. Favourite extra costs include needing to skim the head & block as they're warped. My view is this, get a good quality head gasket...

Good point, but some replies are worth waiting for :p. I'm tempted to try & save face here, but can't think of anything plausible...... Any suggestions?

Not sure if you've taken it to be repaired yet, but if not I can give a few suggestions. Remember the engine is a Rover K series so there may be help in those forums. Basic fuel injection relies on a sensor (oxygen / lambda) a computer and an injector. Rich running can be caused by faulty...