Coolant Leak, Suspension Fault, Belt Squeal
 

Ok, New to the forum and 1st time Range Rover Owner, so I apolagize in advance if I sound like an idiot when discussing the issues. I have done numerous searches and haven't been able to get an answer on any of the issues I am having.

I have a 2006 Range Rover HSE, with the 4.4l engine. The engine only has 27000+ miles on it and seems to be in pristine shape except for the things that I am experiencing. Below is a list of issues that I am having and would appreciate any constructive experience or assistance that anyone may have. So here goes.

1. Belt squeal when I start it up, but only until it warms up. If I put water on the belt, while squealing, it stops squealing temporarily. Which is different from what normally happens on a squealing Belt. Water normally makes a squealing belt louder. I see the belt shifting back and forth on one of the pulleys, but being new to the Range Rover I am not sure which one it is(if its an idler pulley or....)

2. I have a small coolant leak that seems to be at the front of the engine bay on the passengers side. I cant seem to locate where it is coming from. I know that it is at the front passenger side because when sitting in the garage overnight a small puddle(about the size of a half dollar) forms on the garage floor. It just happens to be in the same area as the squealing belt. Coincidence, maybe but not certain.

3. Every now and again while driving, all of a sudden I get a suspension fault, do not drive over 30mph. Not sure why this just appears after driving for 10-30 minutes. This is only intermitant, and doesnt happen all the time.

Are any of these a common problem experienced in this model, and if so what are the fixes?

I am not a mechanic, but do most of the work on my vehicles and motorcycles, so I am no stranger to tools and greasy hands. But like I said, I am just learning about the Range Rover and appreciate any constructive help. Like, is there a Service/Repair manual that I can download somewhere. I am looking for a diagram of the the Serpentine routing diagram, and description of the pulleys and their end Item parts. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

The squeal most likely means its time for a new belt. They are pretty cheap and easy to replace, so start there.

We can't really help you with the coolant leak until you find where it is coming from. Try to find it ASAP, small leaks can turn into big ones very quickly, and nobody wants a fried engine :). I would also look at the water pump, it might be causing the squeal if it is seizing and they usually leak when they are on there way out.

How often does the suspension fault occur? If its every month or so, then its kind of something that rangies do and you can't really "fix" it per say. Our neighbor's range will do this every so often, and so will our Jag. Just part of owning a British car... If it happens every week or more, then you might have an intermittent fault in the system that needs to be fixed.

OH, and welcome!

I own a 95 HSE and I would get the coolant leak sorted out asap. My mechanic recently put a sealant through the cooling system and I've not had problems since. Wish I'd had him 5 years ago.

The suspension fault used to occur on mine but can't tell you without looking at my paperwork, what has changed. It hasn't happened for a couple of years though. I wouldn't accept it as being "something that just happens". I used to think like that, but I've had several really fabulous mechanics work on my car and it's now running almost better than when we first started out.

I wouldn't use a sealant in the cooling system just yet. There is a risk that it could really mess things up. Most of the time the sealants work out fine, but I would not try it on such a young vehicle.

I would NOT EVER use that product should be banned. It does more harm than good and once you use it, you can never get it out without a complete teardown and rebuild. I would not use it on a Model T let alone a RR. A real mechanic would not use that stuff. A lazy mechanic who doesn't want to trouble shoot the real cause would. The idea is that you put this stuff in and it plugs leaks, well it also plugs a bunch of other smaller coolant passages as well. I have seen too many cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles engines destroyed by this stuff. It seems the heads are especially vulnerable to blockage. The easiest way to see the damage it causes is by looking at your heater core. If I ever see the previous owner of my Audi I am going to punch him in the face for adding Stop Leak to it. Ok, there I vented a little and feel better now. To sum it up, it is NEVER, EVER, EVER ok to use Stop Leak, Bars Leak or anything similar to fix your car. It is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. Sure may stop the bleeding but you (or your engine) is going to die. It will cost you much more in the end than it would have to do it right. Find the leak and fix it the right way. The link that I attached is for a Subaru but it has a few picture that show what I am talking about. This is actually a mild case, I have seen much worse.
Subaru Repair Seattle, Subaru Service Seattle - Seattle Subaru Repair


Yes, it does stop leaks but at what cost?

Oh, and the water pump would be the first place I would look as well. It sounds like the problems could easily be related.