[funkyfish]

Bought a car (Y reg Freelander 2.5, V6) in November. The head Gasket (or 2 of them...) has gone.. Had a friend of the family look at it, he thinks is bad news, but tried putting a can of sealant stuff in it. Its helped a bit, can now drive carefully to get animals done, with out the collent erupting everywhere.


The garage say its probably terminal and the car needs scrapping, but we could try another sealant thing thats about £40 but its a hassle to use.. I'd prob get them to put it in as it sounds complicated  and I have no idea how to get to the radiator in this car.


Has anyone else used something like this on their car and got a good result? Or is it wishful thinking? Have like, no £ to buy a new car at the moment!

[hughesy]

I don't think any amount of pouring magic sealants in will cure it if the head gasket has properly gone. Trouble is it's a fairly complicated piece of kit and would be an expensive job to get done at a garage. Have you thought about looking for a replacement second hand engine and swapping them over? Even if you have to get a garage to do the swap it wouldn't be as expensive as fixing the head gasket.

[Womble]

If the coolant is erupting, that means that the leak path is between the cylinder and the coolant path through the engine block, right?  That means that instead of the exhaust gases being blown out of the exhaust, they're pressurising up the coolant system.

TBH, I don't think you'll have much luck with sealants on that sort of leak. A hairline crack in the radiator, perhaps, but this is altogether more difficult from the sounds of it. You have my sympathies!! :-(

[Carl f k]

Have used K seal in the past for head gasket problems..worth a try for the price but no guarantee..otherwise a strip down and new parts very expensive job..if K seal doesn't work crush it

[RUSTYME]

Sealant would be a get you home measure at best if it is the hg .
 The days of engine rebuilds are long gone , unless , you are a mechanic , or have money to burn .
An engine swap would be the cheapest way out , unless you find another usable car cheap , but why would it be that cheap ? , another one with hg gone or about too ?
Engine from scrappie or ebay £250-500 , engine swap £100-200 , if you know a man who can ?
If not , scrap it for parts on ebay yourself , and put the money towards another black hole , oops , i meant car .
There is no easy cheap fix ,eng rebuild  = £££££-
 eng swap       = ££-
 scrap it           = £££+
 buy another   = ££££-
 best outcome = £-
 
 good luck anyway .

[Lesley Silvester]

I know nothing about cars except how to drive them but wanted to say 

[deepinthewoods]

it could be worth cranking down the headbolts another 1/3 of a turn. if your going to scrap it anyway....?

[pheonix]

it sounds like my discovery, which i bought in sept. my gaskit is on its way out. overheated miles from home and i had to get it transported back home. our local garage put in a sealant for £40 and said its not fixed but should last a while, the other cars hes put sealant in are still going.
after 3 weeks, im still doing the school run, its overheated twice but i wont go more than 8 miles from home. 5 people have told me to scrap it but as its a 4x4 im hoping a friend will put in a new engine.
for a garage to fix it its over a grand.
id only had the car a few months but had done 2kmiles before it went. we are struggling on as i dont have any choice as no spare money. buying another old car could have the same problem so id rather get a new engine especially as i want to tow the horses about.
mine is also spilling oil which it wasnt before. iv been told aslong as its got oil and water etc it should still go...but as i say i dont go far and have rac cover so i know il be towed home when it does die.

[funkyfish]

Thanks so much for the input! I think it's a scrap job. The garage says this engine does it for a passtime, so an engine swap is a hg just waiting to blow again.

I really really love this car! No only is it a joy to drive, it does everything I need!! My animals are 25miles away, so need something reliable to get to them. Am taking the back lanes and driving like a snail at the moment!

Will have a chat with the bank and see if I can get some £ for a new money pit!!

Thanks again!!

[happygolucky]

I know nothing either, I do know the Saxo small hatch back we had that cost £600, lasted 4 years with only a Battery and some new dirt cheap tyres, that car was the lowest TAX and cheap insurance, was diesel and economical...shame it leaked...the radio did not work...no heater....etc etc..
We bought our Renault Kangoo and its great for stuffing stuff in, dogs, rubbish, washing machine etc but its had a few things go wrong..I am beginning to worry about it as things happen randomly...sometimes my door lock works and sometimes it doesn't, then odd lights come on to say a door is open when there isn't, the rear wiper falls off if its on the go too long, the key sometimes works unlocking and locking then sometimes doesn't....the speedo is the same...it will  be working then suddenly drops......I have no idea why but its beginning to be annoying!!

[pheonix]

ha
we are driving like a snail too, constant worry of breaking down and i wont drive after dark as my kids are young and cant walk far.
i love the discovery - but its also prone to overheating, and the boot wont open and other doors are tempermental.
"car loans 4 u" are easy to get credit with.
"we buy any car" offer more than scrap if its still running.

[happygolucky]

I would sell my sole for an old Landrover Defender in good condition  ...anyone??

[bigchicken]

If your Freelander has over heated the head is probably warped and no gasket will fix it. I think you can get them skimmed but not sure. The problem with second hand engines is how good they are, I replaced my freelander engine with a rebuilt engine for £800 a bit expensive but the engine is very good. Freelanders are quite bad for head gaskets going due to the engine having a very low coolant capacity and when a leak happens they overheat very quickly. I would get several professional opinions and go from there all the best PS some mechanics call them Freeloaders.

[hughesy]

Trick is to never let an engine overheat. Modern engines hate this and respond by blowing head gaskets and warping cylinder heads. Freelanders do have a bit of a reputation for it. Thye 200 and 300tdi motors fitted in Discos and Defenders up until 1998 are known to be pretty bulletproof so long as you keep on top of the oil and coolant checks and replace the timing belt when recommended.

[lachlanandmarcus]

You could also look for an old (classic shape) diesel range rover or Jeep cherokee, both very comfy to drive and can be picked up cheap. Defenders are pricey by comparison esp now they wont be made any more soon - we cant afford to get a newer defender of the same age we bought ours for, ours is still worth what we paid for it 5 years ago - madness!