hi all, i own a freelander xei 1.8 petrol which needs some serious tlc. apart from dropping its coolant all the time it sometimes mis-fires (sometimes really bad) when climbing. ive had it pressure tested for the head gasket and came back all-clear,the head gasket was ok. as for the coolant, he changed the cap on my expansion tank saying it was faulty but the thing still leaks coolant even worse than before. i was told by one mechanic the head gasket can "MOVE" which could result in a false reading from the pressure test...is this true? also, the heater stopped working alltogether after only working on 3 & 4 heat setting only. ive replaced the coils at the back but it did not solve the problem entirely! the coils did burn out so needed replacing but its damaged the electrical system elsewhere because when ive attached power directly to the heater motor it works, meaning its a power issue from the ingition switch(hopefully). this theory is re-inforced cos after a couple of weeks the thing refused to start (this morning), and after going through the basics took the ignition switch of the steering column and found it had melted the plastic near one of the connections. will be replacing the switch tomorrow and hoping it solves the starting problems and also the power problem with the heater motor. failing this, i hope there is no furthur damage to relays etc cos i really would be in un-chartered waters..so if anyone can give me a few suggestions as to any solutions feel free to reply! also if anyone has had problems with the tailgate door not opening its because the handle has moved out of allignment with the force needed to close it! just try re-aligning it first with a few simple tools which can be done from the outside(well i did it with mine).

 

Sorry mike i am not replying with your solution, but i also want to share my problem with all the folks using these site so here it is.sorry if i'm note to clear about the problem as i'm am new to these forums.

A couple of days ago i stupidly ran out of fuel and about 30 miles after refilling i started experience power loss from the throttle although if i switched off the engine for a few minutes it would run ok for a mile or so.
Thinking that it may be a problem with the fuel supply i took out the fuel pump and cleaned the essembly and checked the filter which seemed to be ok. After reassembly i tried to start the car again found that this time it would not even start, the starter runs and there is fuel bieng supplied right up to the fuel injection system.
Could this be a problem with fuel preasure, perhaps the pump is on it's way out or could it be an injection problem or even does this system need to bleed out.

the freelander is the 1999 petrol xei 1.8 if any out there that has any ideas please please could you help me as i'm sick of driving my works van everywhere.

 

hi, well ive fitted the new ignition switch of which at first seemed to have no effect as it would not start, but after bump starting it, it was immediately obvious that the vehicle seemed to operate very smoothly and the whole driving experience was improved. as a bonus, the non-starting problem must have just been a drained battery caused by the fact i had by-passed the heater on an independant switch and must have left it switched on exhausting the battery! power has also been restored to the heaters eliminating the need for the by-pass. all in all, the new ignition switch seems to have made a dramatic improvement to the overall running operation of the vehicle. still keeping a keen eye on the coolant level as it seems to be fine today... no loss at all...strange, but i suspect the thermostat gasket maybe temperamental!

 

well i have to apologise for my over-reaction at my last report. seems the ignition switch only fixed the heater problem as it failed again to start this morning straight away! it took 4 or 5 attempts on the key for the starter motor to kick into action. my initial thought was it may be a cold starting problem but i was proved wrong as it failed again after a 15 mile drive then decided to work after another 10 to 15 tries. the next time it failed, i decided to hit the starter motor with a hammer while a friend turned the key. this proved successful as it immediately sprung into life! seems the solenoid on the starter motor is the culprit and will replacing it on monday, until then i will have to park on a hill!!!! still keeping an eye on the coolant but still no loss today. also the mis-fire has returned, but has only missed one time today!

 

starting problem was caused by the starter motor. running ok right now so happy days till the mot is due next month! well if anybody has had any of these problems and ive helped with a solution its made this all worth while.