2003 Freelander Starter removal replace
 

2003 Land Rover Freelander Starter remove / replace procedure. I had to change out my starter and couldn't find the exact procedure anywhere on the Internet so I thought I would try to put the procedure here and perhaps it will be useful to someone. I'm by no means a mechanic but you can do this in a couple of hours in your driveway without any problem.
1. Remove the engine cover by twisting the large plastic thumb screws and using a screwdriver remove loosen the hose clamps around the breather hoses. Set this thing aside.
2. Disconnect both battery leads and using a long extension on your socket loosen the 13mm bolt on the front side of the battery that secures the plastic block that keeps the battery in the holder. Remove the block and set it aside. Remove the battery.
3. Using your same 13mm socket and long extension remove the bolt in the bottom center of the battery box, the bolt on the front side of the battery box and the two bolts holding the battery box to the fender.
4. Cut the zip tie on the back of the battery box that is securing the wiring harness. Unclip the black hose which is secured by the battery box and lift the battery box out and set it aside. Keep the bolts with the battery box.
5. Get out your phone and take a couple of photos of the top of the large intake hose just left of where the battery box was. Make a note of the three wiring harnesses and the sensors they connect to. Remove all there harnesses and secure them out of your way.
6. Using a Torx T30 socket on a ¼” ratchet with a 2” extension, remove the four 2” long Torx screws attaching the hose and Mass Air Flow sensor to the intake manifold. Do not remove any hoses, just flip the hose/MAF sensor assembly up and back on top of the manifold. Tie it down.
7. You can now get your first glimpse of the starter below those black hoses. The hoses move just enough that you can get to the three starter bolts. Remove those 13mm bolts. Then remove the small clip on wire on the starter. Don’t remove the big cable yet.
8. Pull to the right and up and forward on the starter. It may seem as though the motor mount will block the starters escape but if you keep working it up forward and right, squeeze your butt cheeks a bit and it will come out.
9. Remove the big starter power cable. There it’s free. Take a moment to think about how you feel about Land Rover at this moment.
10. To install a new one just reverse this procedure.

The RAVE manual has a step-by-step how-to with illustrations.

Thank you plcoomer!

I am a novice and followed these directions to successfully replace the starter in my 2005 Freelander. The only difference seem to be that I only had three 2” long Torx screws on step #6. The top right seemed to have a piece that snapped together there instead of a screw.

Note to other folks who are new to working on these cars: be careful when you take the engine cover off because it is easy to damage the coolant pipe that runs along in front of the cover.