Thread: Freelander purchase

Originally Posted by woko

There is a LR Tech bulletin on this issue and there is a upgraded head gasket steel dowels instead of plastic for head and a upgraded remote thermostat. Bulletin number 0026
These engines do still slip liners after this but is it not as common.
The main fault with all K engines is where the bottom cast liners sit into the alloy block. the liners wear into the block and the liners drop. There was a upgraded design this is why it is not so common on V6 Freelander, But if you look at head gasket failure on early Kia Carnivals (they had KV6) they were as common as K1.8 in freelander. These still drop liners, But not common. Have been told by a Kia mechanic that if liners drop and need to remove liners to get block decked refit liners with Devcon and This stops liner drop.

Woko, do you have any theories as to why the Kia version of the KV6 engine gave more problems than the Rover version. I remember the stories from disappointed Kia Carnivale owners about 8 to 10 years ago, on television!!!

Originally Posted by Ausfree

Woko, do you have any theories as to why the Kia version of the KV6 engine gave more problems than the Rover version. I remember the stories from disappointed Kia Carnivale owners about 8 to 10 years ago, on television!!!

i think its fair to say that anyone who buys a kia ends up unhappy.

Maybe its because in the kia it is required to lug alot more weight and stresses the motor more which helps the inevidable failure along.

Matt

Kia also treated their customers worse than LR did .
Whereas LR replaced the whole engine under warranty, Kia only replaced the short motor (it could actually have been a bare block with the 2nd hand pistons/crank/rods re-used). They paid for nothing else so the heads went back on untouched & everything else was slapped back on.

This is from an ex-Kia dealership service manager.

There was a upgrade to the block done, this is why the K1.8 in Aus had more problems than the V6 as the K1.8 was deleted in Aus (was still sold in UK) after 2000, so we never got the upgraded engine in a new freelander. Upgraded engines were replacements.. I worked on Rover/MG as well and the K1.8 in the MGF had common liner drop where the MGTF didn't. I would say Kia was supplied with old design block.
Rover/MG were worse than Kia, They would repair the old block so the block design were the liners sit is still the same so the fault would reappear. LR always replaced engine with Long motor.

Originally Posted by Scouse

Kia also treated their customers worse than LR did .
Whereas LR replaced the whole engine under warranty, Kia only replaced the short motor (it could actually have been a bare block with the 2nd hand pistons/crank/rods re-used). They paid for nothing else so the heads went back on untouched & everything else was slapped back on.

This is from an ex-Kia dealership service manager.

You must have copped a lot of Flack from disgruntled customers, Scouse.

I rang bruce davis and had a chat with him about the liners and he said its because they sit higher than the level of the block. Once this is sorted and they are down at the same level they dont drop any further.