I've already started a couple of threads on stuff I am doing to my car so though I would start a My Freelander thread to pull everything together.
The car is a 2007 SE Auto which I got a few weeks ago as a dealer px clearance (ie no warranty) fairly cheap. At least cheap for this neck of the woods anyway.
First impression is that it is remarkable clean outside and in for it's 160,000 miles. Better than some I have seen up for £4k to £5k.
Second impressions - it needs a bit of work, hence this thread
Here it is as I got it...



more (a lot more..) to follow  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

When I bought it I saw a few things that needed attention. I will try to keep this list up to date as things progress as I am sure it will grow!

Full service history bar missing a service at about 90k miles and needing one now. However servicing was generic after 90k miles. It had it's cambelt done then but no sign of drivetrain fluids.So it needs.....

Engine oil/filter change
Tranmission oil change
IRD oil change
Diff oil change
Haldex oil/filter change

Tailgate handle loose (broken mounts) and wear to the paint with the first sign of rust.
Handbrake useless despite supposedly having rear discs/pads/shoes done at the last mot. Possibly cables or maybe not properly adjusted?
Side steps get in the way and are not a great idea for offroad use.
Air box mount broken, lid screws stripped and drain valve missing.
Wind noise from the sunroof at above 65mph.
Pretty poor mpg (25). Although possibly my lead right foot and lots of short journeys.
Tyres pretty worn and 3 of them have no branding at all. Never seen that before!
First sign of rust round the lip of the rear arches, inside sills at the rear and the front of the rear subframe.
Oil caked sump protector and bottom of the engine. At least the front subframe will not rust!

Ok, starting with the oil changes.....

I have changed the oil and filter.
Oil was Smith and Allan 5-30 Momentum FSX. (bought from ebay as it is free shipping)
Filter - I bought a Bosch P9249 (ref: 1 457 429 249) as it cross referenced against the landrover part (LR001247). However it appeared much too big an inside diameter (29mm vs the originals 24mm) and didn't locate properly in the housing. Odd!
The one in there already was a FRAM CH9973AECO which fitted well so I have re-ordered one of these to use instead.

Next up is the tranmission oil. Not done yet but I have bought all the stuff. My thread on this is here:
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic39133.html
Oil wise I bought some Mannol JWS3309 spec oil, pretty cheap on ebay (see the above thread). However I would only use that particular supplier again if I was not in a hurry. Their 2 to 3 day shipping took well over a week. But it got here and it was cheap.....

IRD and rear diff I will be using Smith and Allan Geartech FS75W90. I will probably get some comments that this is not the right stuff. The diff is supposed to take EPX 80w90 and the IRD Castrol BOT118 (which is not easy to find and very expensive when you do!). That said, I have read quite a lot around the subject of gear oils and decided I am happy with my choice. Feel free to tell me I am wrong though!

EDIT: On the engine filter change, I had read that getting to it was a bit of a pain, but how hard can it be I thought? Turns out, harder than I thought! Luckily I had already got a 27mm flexible head ratchet spanner and found unscrewing it not to hard when accessing it from the bottom. I then had to rotate a clamp on one of the hoses to make enough space to wiggle the filter/housing up and out from the top.
Something I now have to repeat to fit the replacement oil filter  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Never bored with a Freelander 2 - always something to do  Jules

With so many faults read QF32 (ISBN 978 1 7426 1117 4) by Richard Champion de Crespigny & then work his way (a lesson for all of us).

If you thought a Freelander had issues be eternally grateful you were not piloting an A380. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

When did it last have a fuel filter changed?
I'd suggest doing that also but only use genuine or OEM filter as generic ones tend to give running issues. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

I am hoping this doesn't end with a total engine failure like QF32!

A good point about the fuel filter. No record of a change so worth doing. Noted the point about using OEM.
To be fair though, there are some things that have been done that aren't mentioned in the service history. eg the air filter is obviously very new. So it has had more than just oil changes.

Yesterday/Todays jobs were finishing sorting out the tailgate handle. See this thread...
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic39150.html

Then changing the airbox to one that not broken (and has all its mounting rubbers). I made an attempt at making a foam replacement for the drain valve but tests showned it isn't great. So I have a scheme to 3D print a floating ball valve but that is pretty low on the list at the moment!

Oh, and yesterday I removed the side steps. It is much easier to get in/out without them but the job was much harder than I expected. The removing the steps was the easy bit, putting the sill trim back was a right pain. Despite the clips seperating properly I still haven't managed to get some of them to clip back together right. Good enough for the moment anyway.
The good news is that I knew there was some rust starting at the very rear of the sills so I was concerned that, when I took the covers off, I would see lots of holes. Turns out not, the sills are remarkably good for an old landrover! Though a job for before the end of the summer is to remove the wheel arch liners, clean everything out and rustproof things. (and hope I don't find any worse corrosion....) FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Last edited by lrman on 28th May 2023 6:44 pm. Edited 1 time in total

There is nothing special about the valve. It is just a thin disc of rubber that fits in the hole on the bottom of the filter box on the outside. It is held closed by the pressure drop of the engine running and allows liquid to pass out of the box when the engine isn’t running.
If you are thinking that it can’t be that simple the same kind of diaphragm is used in respirators.

Yes, that is basically what I made as a replacement. Although I used closed cell foam rather than rubber as it was what I had. To be fair, that was my biggest problem. I didn't have the idea material.
I did have one of the ball valve rubbers that people appear to use but that was way too stiff. it sealed pretty well but didn't really let any water out.

What I have now is better than nothing but I wouldn't want to submerge it for more than about 10 seconds. But yes, improvments are pretty low on the list. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Thought I would update my todo list as it is actually getting shorter

Engine oil/filter change
Tranmission oil change
IRD oil change
Diff oil change
Haldex oil/filter change
Tailgate handle loose (broken mounts) and wear to the paint with the first sign of rust.
Handbrake useless despite supposedly having rear discs/pads/shoes done at the last mot. Possibly cables or maybe not properly adjusted?
Side steps get in the way and are not a great idea for offroad use.
Air box mount broken, lid screws stripped and drain valve missing.
Wind noise from the sunroof at above 65mph.
Pretty poor mpg (25). Although possibly my lead right foot and lots of short journeys.
Tyres pretty worn and 3 of them have no branding at all. Never seen that before!
First sign of rust round the lip of the rear arches, inside sills at the rear and the front of the rear subframe.
Oil caked sump protector and bottom of the engine. At least the front subframe will not rust!

So todays job was supposed to be changing the gearbox oil. Except I couldn't get the fill plug out!
I have left it soaking in plus gas so hopefully it will come out on the next attempt.

Instead I decided to do the rear diff oil.
The good news is that it was full, despite the obvious leak from one of the driveshaft seals.
The bad news is that oil didn't look very fresh. I have seen worse but it definitely needed changing.



The worse news, is that there is a very distinct glitter to the oil. I don't think it is supposed to look like that....


When it has settled out a bit I will stick a magnet in to check what it is but I have a feeling my diff might not be long for this world......  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

jules wrote:

Never bored with a Freelander 2 - always something to do

I'll second that jules and add everyone needs a hobby

according to my wife I already have too many hobbies

but she doesn't complain when I fix her car......  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

My wife has a Fiat 500, so that's my other 'hobby'

Well, that was a relief. A combination of plus gas, a new torx bit and a breaker bar got the gearbox fill plug out.
So tomorrow's job is to look at actually draining it and flushing it. It might have to be a dump and refill though as I have lost my chance of a helper to do the gibbons method. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.