Freelander hill descent

Hi all,

My name is lee, owner of a 2000 (W) 1.8 freelander and im new to this site so i thank you all in advance for any help

Right..... The problem i have is that when i put the ignition on the green and yellow hill descent light up, the green light goes out but the yellow one stays on once i have started the car.

I have looked at the switch underneath the gearstick gaitor and found that the 2 wires on the plug had been snapped off from the swith so i resoldered them and the yellow light is still on.

I have tested the switch and that all seems to be sending the correct polarity through it too.

i can also say that no other lights come on i.e ABS or TCS

Any help or info will be greatefully appreciated on how i can get this HDC working so i can take advantage of these mountains around me lol.

Thankyou.

Had the same fault before. Do the brake lights work with the engine off and whilst it's running?

Hi Hippo,

Iv just been to check and the brake lights only come on when the ignition is on and when the engine is started.

they dont come on with the ignition off.

thanks

Ah, I ment to say electrics on and engine off . Had a problem like this and the brake lights woldn't work with the engine on. Ok with electrics on and engine off. Turned out to be the switch on the rear of the ignition. Wipers failed at the same time. The yellow lamp would light, then go out after restarting. Then the brake lights were ok until the lamp came on again.

Still the same hippo they do work with the engine on too. I suppose im gonna have to take it to a dealership to have it looked at :doh:.

I appreciate your help though, thanks.

Just bin searching google for me faults. I had to change the brake pedal switch as they kept failing. Finally the new type with a small convertor harness worked. This stopped the fault for a short while,then it restarted. Yellow hdc only. Would dissapear when restarting most of the time. This time the accellerator pedal switch was replaced. The one that links to the hdc. Problem solved. Switch on the rear of the ignition failed around the same time, which didn't help matters.

I was annoyed at the time as knowone told me me brake lights wern't working. Realised when I saw peeps getting too close, then backing off.

Oh right i see. Is there more than just the one switch thats on the accelerator pedal then as you mentioned the one thats connected to the HDC?

leeNowell said:

Oh right i see. Is there more than just the one switch thats on the accelerator pedal then as you mentioned the one thats connected to the HDC?

Click to expand...

Found 2 switches at the time. Switch I replaced which finally sorted the problem was xkb100150L. Now this was for my 2001 v6. Not sure if it's the same as your 1.8. Have just looked in rave and it shows both switches on both the v6 and 1.8. Connector numbers C0211 (on throttle pedal) and C0175 (on top of engine). C0211 part xbk100150L was the one I changed on the throttle pedal. Rave diagrams seem to confirm both switches as present on both engines.

XKB100150L THROTTLE POSITION SWITCH PETROL | shop | www.lrseries.com | L. R. Series

Hmmm, i think maybe rather than the expensive trip to the dealership then il take your advice and change the brake switch as from what you have said and other things iv read the switch has more uses than just switching the lamps on & off, also the accelerator switch like you said if it cured your problems.

I really appreciate ur help and thanks for the part numbers.

il keep you posted on if i get it fixed.

All fixed now after a visit to my local Auto electrician.

Strangely enough the outcome was that no problem was detected with the freelander after a diagnostic machine that they had plugged in.
It was a matter of sending a signal through the cars system, started the car, drove off and wahey no more lights on the dash and most of all the hill descent is now working.

Not bad for a £35 charge.

Thanks for the help though Hippo.

So was it deactivated due to a fault code being present?

it wasnt mate, thats the thing that gets me. The electrician said that no codes were present when tested.

Iv picked up a water pump leak now though.... whatever next

So they've done nothing, but it now works. That would mean all Freelanders wiv failed hdc should get a water leak as a fix. When I had the simular sounding fault it would come and go. Sometimes more often in a certain period of time.

As long as it's fixed, thats the main thing.

I agree mate................
""To all you freelander owners if you get a hdc fault smack your water pump with a hammer"" simple fix lol

Glad its fixed now though as i dont do any lights on the dash, i just hope it dont come back to haunt me.

Hmm attacking the water pump is an interesting idea.:mil13:
I have a 1998 1.8 Freelander with the same problem of the HDL not going out when driving. But after reading various info seems sensible to take it to an auto electrician in that case since the brake pedal switch trick wont work I guess since is pre 2000. Admittedly it had a newer engine put in it after the last one went pop and it had a new revers light switch fitted so not sure what else it's had so I guess best not start messing with switches until I work out what I need to mess with?

At least the water pump leak is a physical problem not like ghost electrics.
Easyish repair on the driveway If your hands are small enough!