[dyerm40]

I have an '03 freelander and have owned it for over 10 yrs. The miles are over 100K but has had maintenance done on time over all these years. So here's my problem, it started over heating, after just a few minutes on the road the temp went straight into the red. Pulled over waitied, started again and with in a mile it happened again. Had car towed to a mechanic who had worked on it before who said he works on land rovers.
He has changed the thermostat, no change, then the water pump, still no change. He says he can't figure out what is wrong and googled possible issues. What he finally came up with is that the valves are warped from getting too hot.
I don't trust his answer bc who has to google for the info??
I'm already over $600 in for the repairs already done and cant afford for him to keep guessing.
one thing that keeps me wondering, (keep in mind, I know nothing about cars and mechanics and on a low income) one time before this last visit to this mechanic he replaced a coolant hose that burst and it worked fine. Not long after that I took car for oil change and the lube guy said that my car had no coolant someone had filled it with water. Sooo, this mechanic fixed the hose but filled it back with water!! now I drove it for about 2 months not knowing that there was no coolant.
Could this have caused major damage? Would I have to replace the engine?? like I said I cant afford to even pay the $600 to get it back from the mechanic much less spend anymore $ towing it to the dealer and I do know that the dealer would cost me so much more.
Please let me know what you think, I really would love to be able to keep the car bc I need the all-wheel drive.
Pls be kind, I have zero knowledge in cars and am at the mercy of all mechanics.
Thx

 

[sierrafery]

Hi, unfortunately with zero knowledge of mechanics will be hard, you must make some checks otherwise i can't help, open the bonnet when it starts overheating and see if the cooling fans are working or not, if they do see by touch all over you can reach if the radiator is evenly hot or not, if you can identify the top hose(rubber hose which goes above the engine), squeeze it to see if it's rock solid or not(it shouldn't be as harder than a soft tennis ball) these are simple checks which can lead to an answer, if you can do that report back with the outcome...btw, the coolant level is steady in the tank?

if these are above your skills you should find a reliable mechanic ASAP and ask him to refill the sytem with proper OAT mix and bleed it as in the book, with water it will run hotter than with proper coolant mix especially if the tank's cap is not sealing well

 

[dyerm40]

Ty for your advice. I know that a fan kicked on that I had never heard before during the time that only water was in place of the coolant. I thought it was a normal thing bc it was 100+ degrees at the time outside (south Texas summer). We were new to TX and my car had never been in this kind of heat before. I wish I could check it out myself now that the weather is cooler, but bc of the bill I owe, I haven't been able to get it back from the mechanic. I am willing to just sign the title over to the mechanic to cover the bill but I am really hoping that the engine isn't toast so I can pay it soon and get it back if the damage done isn't too bad. I don't know any reputable mechanics other than the one I had used but I feel like him putting water instead of coolant in my Lr killed it. Is that possible?

 

[dyerm40]

Also if there are any ppl out there reading this thread that could recommend a good Lr mechanic near Baytown TX. I'm outside of Houston but can't afford the dealer. Any help would be awesome, I don't want to ditch my rover, she's a work horse. I feel that the last mechanic didn't do the right thing. I am moving back to the mountains soon and want to bring her with me. I have 2 kids with a hubby who is in Alaska 10 months out of the year and need my rover. Thx

 

[sierrafery]

It's time for you to learn and DIY, download these and start reading :wink
1. https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5yjs0ow5...Workshop Manual - Service Procedures.pdf?dl=0

2. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dj4crct8i...l - System Description and Operation.pdf?dl=0

in the service procedure manual(1) at "cooling system" you have the "drain and refill" procedure guide completely described with drawings, follow that when you get your car back or ask a more mechanically minded friend or neighbour to help cos it's not hard.... you'll se that there are many things easy to do yourself and save money, that's what i did when i knew nothing about my D2 and i was also ripped off by some schmucks and now i can do almost everything ...it just took me about a month to read the whole book and to undertsand what's what :nerd

Good luck