There is a difference in the 1.8's. Australia didn't get the newer 1.8 in the Freelander. Did see it in MG's. The V6 can be reprogrammed to run on 92Ron with testbook.
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i'll grudgingly be sticking with premium fuel after hearing the ethanol issue.. as far as Ive been told the engine is actually a rebadged ford engine.. but regardless im beggining to think its the ethanol reason they told me to only run premium.. thanks everyone.. looks like dear fuel for me.
:(
We have all mised something here - while the 1.8i uses 92Ron fuel - it has just dawned on me that Aust unleaded is actually 91Ron so for emergency use only . The Future Of Fuel - Biofuels: Ethanol & Biodiesel | NRMA Motoring & Services
For the 1.8i, the ethanol issue is a bit of a furfy - it will not have any major issues - actually with a 1.8 I would be more worried about monitoring a whole lot of things related to the cooling system.
Garry
Not correct, the engine is a genuine Rover engine which was designed to replace the old A-Series engine which dates back to 1952. The K-Series entered production in 1995 for the MGF sports car and was adapted to the Freelander. The design is a "layered design" clamped together by a series of long bolts holding the layers together. It was a clever design except in the Freelander adaption it had a bad habit of blowing Headgaskets and slipping cylinder liners.:( From what I can gather its adaption in the MGF caused no problems!!:) The V6 also caused problems in the early 1990's when Kia of Korea took out a licence to manufacture a version of this motor for the Carnivale people mover. The motor was unreliable and I do remember it being on Current Affair progams as owners of these vehicles were reporting serious problems with these engines self destructing and Kia not being willing to honour warranties. I am not sure here, but I have heard that the V6 used by Kia was an earlier version of the motor used in the Freelander!! Sorry guys, I guess I have gone off on a bit of a tangent (diatribe) now!!!
I think the Lotus Elise also had the same issues.
There is a heap of upgrades for head gaskets on the K1.8, Different Head gaskets x2, different thermostat, Different head bolts, different oil rail. A K1.8 with all the upgrades is a good engine.