Glad you got that sorted, it's amazing how tight they can be.

Turns out it is not just the fill plug that takes some getting out. I changed the gearbox oil today and it took me longer to remove the little level bung than it did to change the oil!
First attempt with a 9" ratchet handle just rounded out the plug torx splines. And I wasn't even pulling hard on it. I have never seen such soft aluminium! So I had to drill out the mess I had made and hammer in a T45. Using a manual impact wrench then got it out ok.

The actual oil change was an odd one though. I did not have a helper so decided a dump and fill was a good start. First drain was 4.5L worth, way more than the 3 to 3.5L I expected. But it only took 3.5L to (over) fill it again. 2nd drain gave more like 3.5L, more like I was expecting. I didn't have time for a 3rd change so followed the procedure to fill to level (ie hot, running etc) and it again took 3.5L minus a bit that drained out.
So why the first 4.5L, that implies there was 1L more oil in the box than there should have been?!!

Anyway, it is done for now. It definitely needed doing as the oil was the colour of old engine oil but at least there was no burnt smell or rubbish in it. I definitely need to do a proper flush sometime soon though as the stuff that came out when I checked the level was still pretty dark brown although a LOT better than before.
I am going to need more oil for that though! FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

and now the list is getting longer
P0030-13: Oxygen Sensor heater control circuit open circuit and the ECU is reporting a lambda of 0.031.
Strangely no engine management light on the dash and no smoking from the exhaust but it might explain the less that stellar mpg I am getting.

Oh, and now I have fixed the tailgate handle the tailgate switch has packed up.....  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Well, that is one job that I thought would be a pain but was actually very easy - changing the o2 sensor.
Reaching it while lying on my back on the drive was a bit of a stretch but it came out very easily.
A bonus is that a short drive with lots of stop start raised my mpg from its previous high of 25 (and low of 18 over the weekend) to 27mpg. Hopefully it will improve more with longer journeys.

Oh, and I replaced my tailgate switch so that is two things off the list.
Unfortunately, after a bit of off road at a pay and play place I now think I might need some under-body protection. So that is some more (expensive!) things to add....

Engine oil/filter change
Tranmission oil change - part done.
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.
Faulty tailgate switch
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!
Fuel tank and sill protection before I do some serious damage!

cool geting there then , keep up the good work  2009 FL2 S now gone
2011 FL2 HSE AUTO
2012 FL2 XS AUTO
2000 Kawasaki er 5

Larger diameter tyres will give you a bit more clearance. 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

Yes, I have been looking at new tyres and sizes but came to the conclusion it will turn out very expensive if I want any significant gain.
ie. If I just want larger tyres (but no other mods) then I gather I cannot go much bigger than 245/60R18 but that only gives me around 5mm extra height. Hardly seems worth it.

If I go bigger I gather I am into wheel spacers (+£100?), lift kits (+£200?) and then I also probably need to change the spare to the larger size as well. Oh, and I will probably increase my insurance although I haven't looked at that yet.
So all of as sudden I am looking at half the cost of the car.
Plus, if even if I did all that and got maybe an inch and half to 2 inches extra clearance I will just find bigger stuff to ground it on. So I would still need underbody protection....

That is all a bit in the future though as I still have other more pressing things to sort.

Over the weekend I changed the gearbox oil again as my previous attempt didn't get it very clean. Good job I did as the oil was still pretty black. This time with the Gibbons method. I wish I had done this from the start as it is a much better way of getting all the old oil out. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

I have 255/60R18, it is illegal to use wheel spacers in our State.

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic32292.html 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

I did read that somewhere (maybe from you!) that some manage to make 255/60R18 fit. But I reckon my current 235/60R18s have no more than 12mm clearance from the strut so 255 would be very tight. ie 2mm clearance? I guess the width is only nominal so real clearance might depend on tyre brand etc?

Also, given 255s will only give me another 10mm ground clearance I am just not convinced it is worth the cost/hassle. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

I had to replace the tyres, also had a 6th rim waiting. So it was a no brainer to then go bigger.

Would have preferred 17" rims for 245/70R17, but they are so expensive down under & I would need 6 (2 spares for the outback).

When you let the tyres down for off-road, with the bigger tyres, seems to give one a bit more clearance than one would expect.

It's the easiest way to get a bit more clearance.


I have never looked at air shocks for the Freelander (put them on the rear of my 504), so not sure if this is possible. Would be nice raise the rear of the Freelander with 500kg outback payload. 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

I've had 265/60/18 tyres fitted for a few years now. Along with a lift and wheel spacers.They do catch on full lock . I've been without a spare since I've fitted them . So I decided that my luck will inevitably run out now at the most inopportune moment. So I bought a spare wheel and manged to find the correct matching tyre at an absolute bargain price. Had the wheel powdercoated to match the rest and the tyre mounted and balanced - only to find it doesn't fit the wheel well !!!

oops.
Yes, that is the sort of experiementation I am keen to avoid.

Lightwater: I think your use is different to mine. Dropping tyre pressures for off road use is something I am very unlikely to be doing. I just don't have access to the sort of terrain that would make that important enough to be worthwhile.

If I am going to ground out on standard suspension/tyres then I don't think a few mm more clearance from the tyres (even 265/60R18 only give me an extra 17mm) is going to stop me grounding. Although I might make it a few more feet before doing so.

Hence my logic says I need underbody protection first. If I really need more ground clearance then a lift kit is next. larger tyres, spacers etc come a distant 3rd. Maybe one day, but don't hold your breath  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Well that wasn't a fun morning.
For the last couple of weeks my car has been doing all sorts of odd things. Random gearchanges and the throttle appearing to have a mind of its own coupled with lots of jerking and hestiation. Sometimes it almost felt like it was trying to select two gears at once.
I was starting to think I had messed up the gearbox when I did the oil flush/change.

Luckily(?) it also threw up the EMS light and started kicking black smoke out the back so I decided to fix that first. Diagnosis was easy, a turbo underboost code lead me to a split up the back of the hose to the throttle body. However fixing it was not!

The top hose (to the throttle body wasn't too bad, but getting to the bottom one to the intercooler was a right PITA. I think my arms are too fat for the gaps I was trying to fit them through! In the end I removed the right headlamp which allowed me to get to the hose clamp but the hoses were covered in oil and getting them out (and the new ones in) was like wrestling a snake in a mud pit!

Still, it is done, and the gearbox/throttle are now behaving themselves (and the EMS light is out) so I guess it was worth all the scratches up my arms.
However I do have a slight farting noise if I lift off the accelerator suddenly (which wasn't there before) so I have a suspicion one of the other pipes (probably the one to the turbo) is on the way out too. Something else to look forward to  FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.