Topbannana

After a lot of great help on here in the past I'm back again in the hope someone can wave a magic wand for me! I am having issues with the immobiliser on my Freelander. The car is infrequently locked, now if it is I have issues getting the central locking (what's left of it at any rate) to unlock. If the car is unlocked then when I go to start it the alarm light is lit and the immobiliser will not allow the engine to turn over. Locking the car and then unlocking it will fix the problem except the locking is now playing up as well. I have replaced the battery in the key fob and changed the fuse- that is nearly the limit of my mechanical ability though. My trusty Haynes manual tells me I need to consult my LR dealer, something I am trying to avoid if at all possible (MOT due end of April and TBH it's a bit of a crunch one so loathe to spend out on it before we know the outcome) Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi there, I have a very old and generally decrepit Freelander 1 on which I have always had Goodyear Wrangler tyres. We have always suffered with scuffed tyres, I am led to believe as a result of the ratios being slightly out on the earliest models so have overall probably spent more on tyres than the car is actually worth. Last night a disgruntled customer stuck a knife through one of my tyres and I am having the devils own job tracking down a Goodyear in this size, all the local suppliers are unable to source one. Given my scuffing problems and my lack of funds to replace both front tyres at the same time, will I run into more problems by putting an odd tyre on the front. Its been suggested that UniRoyals or Continentals would be a good option but at a shade under £100 each I am reluctant to go for that if theres likely to be a problem (currently have the spare on but to say its a little ropey would be an understatement!) Any advice would be gratefully received, TopBannana

Sorry but I am back again and my boot is still very wet! We have spent a bit of time today poking about and wondering why the small tear in the door seal is letting in such a disproportionate amount of water. I then asked whether in the MOT they check if the rear washer is working as mine has stopped working. To cut a long story short OH was looking on the wiper arm where I now see there is a squirty thing for the water to come out of. Having never realised it was there I have never mentioned that for the past 4 or so years the rear washer has simply poured from the top of the screen down I am hazarding a guess that something is adrift in the pipe from the washer bottle, along the top of the door. Water then drips out constantly and in through the little tear? How complicated is tracking down this damage likely to be and do any of you have any ideas what may be the likely cause? Once again thank you for your patience TopBannana

Well it was too cold to poke about, I didn't fancy plonking my delicate bottom on the road so I ignored it for a while. Then it got REALLY cold and I got desperate so we took the most technically complex route first. Thanks Brookdale31, walloping it seems to have done the trick nicely for now What a great forum!! TopBannana

Hi again, sorry to be such an incompetent female who needs supporting and nursing every couple of weeks but here goes (again!)......... My heater is broken (my husband is a heating engineer and reliably informs me that central heating only ever packs up in weather like this, I guess this is a similar thing!) When I turn the dial up it makes all the right noises but puffs out very little air even when on number 4. What does come out is only luke warm even after driving for an hour or more. I have a Haynes manual but have concluded that it is of no use whatsoever to me AT ALL. I have read and re-read the relevant section but the book assumes you have a little knowledge in the beginning (wrong!!!) It tells me many things but not why my car is freezing, in essence I need some sort of diagnostic advice to tell me what is most likely to be the problem, then use the manual to see if this is the case etc etc. We have checked the water levels (fine) and the engine is fine, temperature needle goes up as normal so my stunning logic leads me to assume it is only to do with the heating? Can anyone supply me with any pointers or advice on other stuff made for over enthusiastic, over optimistic folk like me? Once again, many thanks, TopBannana

Hi there, It ONLY does it at just over 2000 revs, I can be moving at any speed. I must admit to not trying it when it stationary, not the kind of thing that would ever occur to me (oh how much I have to learn!!) Also does it when hot or cold with no noticeable difference and whatever e happen to be carting around with us. There was a muttering about it being something to do with the exhaust I seem to recall. Something to do with the resonance of the engine at that particular revs I think? TopBannana

Hello again! As my last feeble questions were greeted with such friendliness I am back again! My old Freelander (97 diesel) makes an odd noise. At just above 2000 rpm it sort of grinds but not in an agressive way. As the revs climb a little more it stops. This happens in every gear but not all the time, it can go for weeks without doing it (usually stopping when I finaly succumb and take it to the garage, the man there drives us about for ages while the car stays steadfastly silent!) I should add that it has done this on and off for the last 4 years or so and the car has travelled thousands of miles without a hitch. It does not bother meany more but I am just curious as to what it could be. Any ideas would be great TopBannana

Wow thanks guys, I suddenly feel empowered with all this new knowledge!! Firstly with regard to my leaking boot I will do as you advise to try and avoid a new seal. At the moment its fairly immaterial as there is so much water the spaniels are in danger of drowning if we turn a corner too fast. Once things have dried out a bit I will try and sort it, no time soon by the look of the weather! The clock as I said is not a big problem. I still have the original factory-fit cassette player (our son is fascinated by it!!) and a changer (thankfully under the passenger seat and not in the cubby box!!) so a new stereo is not needed. I am determined to do the door lock now, as soon as it stops raining! Taking the trim off will be easy as we removed them to replace the window cables which got stuck. I bought a kit off of E-Bay and did it myself. It took a long time and kept the neighbours amused but I managed it!!! Handbrake light is slightly more tricky. The garage plugged it in as it says that the light will come on if there is ANY fault with the brake system, luckily there was not. It has been MOT'd and serviced since the problem started so I guess the pads were OK then (no advisory notes this time!) Might just try and ignore it a while longer and hope it goes away! As for HDC, we only used it very rarely and to be honest the car is now so old and my only form of transport that I have started to treat him with a little more respect when trundling round the shoot. Probably will never use it but I will try wiggling the wires at some point. We live in Dorset and are already in posession of a Haynes manual. If anyone lives nearby it may be best not to mention it, I suspect my new career as a mechanic may be quite troublesome!! Once again many thanks for all your help. I will doubtless end up posting many more questions so please bear with my ignorance! TopBannana

First off I am sorry if the answers to these q's are hidden on the site somewhere, I have looked and then became bamboozled so hoped to appeal to your better natures My old man is a 1997 Freelander with all the attendant troubles of an old car. Could you possibly advise me of the best way to deal (or not deal if more appropriate!) with them so that he may keep chugging about and waking up the neighbours for a long time to come?! 1. Water leaking in boot- I know this is common and I have found a small tear in the rubber seal where it is supposed to fix to the body. I am astounded to think that this could cause my cubby box to turn into a mobile aquarium so is this the likely cause or should I look elsewhere? I also read about drilling a hole in the bottom so the water just drains away, is this likely to be detrimental in the long term? 2. Knackered clock- not too bad, I do have a watch but can I get a replacement cheaply? I looked on Flea-Bay and they cost almost as much as the car is worth! 3. Drivers door will lock using RCL button but not un-lock. I am now so used to it that it does not not bother me in the slightest but others seem to find it intensely irritating. I read about changing the solenoid? Is this tricky as I am very keen but woefully unknowledgable!! 4. Handbrake warning light flickers while driving. Had the car "plugged in" at the local LR garage and no faults showed up so perhaps a loose wire or something, if so where? 5. Hill descent does not engage (it did but now doesn't) Told it may just be a loose wire in the gearstick? Any ideas? Sorry to bombard you with my first post but we are now un-naturally attatched to the old heap and would like him to continue for as long as poss without costing ridiculous amounts of money. Thank you in advance, TopBannana