1998 Freelander 1.8 Weird Running Fault ?

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ELIMINATOR

Member
Posts
24
Location
Merseyside UK
I have a freelander, it had been standing a while when I got it off a friend, so did an oil change, flushed the old petrol and so on all the usual when you get a second hand motor.
I have had it in the yard for a couple of months now, and every few days I start it up and let it run for a while, everything works as it should now, and it revs up quite rapidly and nice.

The thing is, I took it out for a drive for the first time yesterday and the first mile is was fine, pulled into fuel station and filled the tank with unleaded. Put my lights on, drove away from the petrol station and it ran like a bag of poo, no power, would not rev up, spluttering coughing and farting all at the same time. managed to get it back, but by the time I got back about 5mph for about 3 miles. steam was pouring out of the bonnet, and it was from the expansion tank.
So today, I thought it had sucked up some crap and blocked the injectors, so cleaned everything, the whole fuel system, and it ran great sitting there revving it up, letting it get hot to see if the fan came on, and it didn't.
So I tested the fan, and it works(from separate power supply to test), then I found out that if I start the car it runs perfect, if I connect the fan directly to the battery, it runs like crap again, if I just turn on the lights, it runs like crap again, if I just turn on the heater blower it runs like crap again, so it would seem if I turn anything electrical on, the engine runs useless, misfires and everything just trying to rev it.
I have been working on this now for 10 hours none stop, not even eaten anything since yesterday, my brain is now too tired to think what it could be,

So from the symptoms given, can anyone give me a diagnosis please ???
 
It's strange, I charged the battery overnight so it's had a good charge, started it up and put the lights on, this time is was all fine, then I put the heater blower on too and it turned to crap again, so I switched them both off and started it up again this time put the heater on first and it ran fine, then put the lights on with it and it went to crap again, so would this happen if the battery was a dud and not holding a good charge ?
 
I'd be checking the charge voltage. Anything over 13.4 Volts with the engine running and the blower on full should be ok. If you are getting less than 13.4 V would signify a duff alternator, a bad connection at the alternator (not uncommon) or a bad earth somewhere.
 
Ok I have just been out and invested in a brand new battery, the car starts fine, revs up fine, alternator is sending 17.6 to the battery, but when I put the lights on and the fan, the engine splutters coughs and farts again.
so waste of money on a battery and now I have no clue what it is,
anyone got any ideas please I need advice ?
thanks
 
Ok I have just been out and invested in a brand new battery, the car starts fine, revs up fine, alternator is sending 17.6 to the battery, but when I put the lights on and the fan, the engine splutters coughs and farts again.
so waste of money on a battery and now I have no clue what it is,
anyone got any ideas please I need advice ?
thanks
Do not run that car - the Alternator is fecked!
it should not put out any more than 14.8Volts!!

it may well have screwed the ECU and any electrics :(!
 
I'd be checking the charge voltage. Anything over 13.4 Volts with the engine running and the blower on full should be ok. If you are getting less than 13.4 V would signify a duff alternator, a bad connection at the alternator (not uncommon) or a bad earth somewhere.
ANYTHING OVER????????
 
I disconnected the alternator and tried it again, still the same problem, works fine till you put something electrical on, then turns to crap. any ideas AT ALL ??? (apart from get the alt repaired)
 
how can I tell if it's an ECU fault, or can I buy a second hand ECU and just swap it over or does it have to be married up to the ignition and imobiliser ?
 
If it's running at idle fine and not spluttering I don't think the ecu is fried.

It sounds like an earth fault. Do you have a voltmeter?
If the earth wiring is fried, weird things can happen.

Switch everything on and then measure the voltage from the battery negative terminal (the metal terminal, not the clamp) to the engine block. Yes, negative terminal. It SHOULD read 0 volts, if it reads anything at all you've got an earth fault.
Do the same from the terminal to the metal outside of the lighter socket in the cab and see if you get the same result.

Next, measure the voltage from the battery + terminal to the + clamp in the fusebox. Voltage in a point to point line means loss is happening.
 
ok I have good conductivity from neg term to engine block.
the battery itself is 12.63
positive to engine block is also 12.63
Neg term to Engine Bloke measuring voltage is 0.0
with ignition on 0.008
lights on 0.009
lights and blower 0.011
So all zero or zero .
 
Sorry, just read the first post and responded.

Something odd going on there... 0.01V drop is negligible but it's moving around with different loads.
Does the freelander go neg terminal -> body -> engine? that would explain it and make the figures look fine.
 
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