Motor looses power and stops, will start again after five minutes

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Nexus929

Member
Posts
10
Location
Norway
So my beloved 05 Defender 2,5TDi have started acting up lately. I was able to service her this summer, despite having ten thumbs, but forgot to change the diesel-filter. A month ago we noticed that we from time to time had a loss of power, and this problem just got worse until one day she just stopped in the middle of the road.
The next day I remembered that I still had the new diesel filter lying around, so that was changed.
But still she was dying on me, then I discovered the alternator and battery was bad, and I had this fixed at a local garage. (couldnt top up the battery, and the alternator worked sporadically)
So a leak from the engine had drowned the alternator, and this fixed, along with a new battery I headed home. After five minutes I felt the loss of power, I revved up, got another 100 yards and the engine died. No flashing lights on the dash. Tried to restart several times without success, and sat thinking for a couple of minutes. Tried to start again, engine fired, I took off and drove the last stretch back home (3 minutes). The car died as I parked in the driveway.
The only other "symptom" I can think of is that when I start the car when its cold, it will fire and die instantly, but will run smoothly after a second start....but of course it will die after five minutes of driving, and thats a bit annoying. So now Im here looking for help, because there is no Land Rover Garage within 5 minutes drive from where I live, and I bet the knowledge among the members here is a hell of a lot better than at my local garage.
Any suggestions on where to begin to look for the problem?
Thank you so much in advance
 
05 defender being td5?

If so fuel filter first thing, then you need to check the intank fule pump is working, should be able to hear it run when ign first turned on for I think 10 secs?

I am not sure on the defender model, but my td5 disco used to block the fine gauze filter that surrounds the intank fuel pump, filter did not last long either.

Def and discos version are differetn, think def version is shorter for the shallower tank.


Screen Shot 2019-12-11 at 16.32.59.png


Screen Shot 2019-12-11 at 16.33.29.png
 
Start by getting a diagnostic readout to eliminate things like crank position sensor and ECU faults. If you do not know anyone with a Nanocom or Hawkeye, you could invest in a Foxwell NT530 which are much cheaper and currently on sale at £135. If you plan on keeping your LR then this is a really good investment. https://www.foxwelltool.co.uk/wholesale/nt530-multi-system-tool-one-free-software-nt520-updated.html

After that I would investigate the fuel pump. If it is failing then that could give the symptoms you describe. Start by initiating an auto bleed sequence. Ignition on, but no start, pump the throttle about 5 times or until the engine fault light flashes, and then listen. You should hear the pump fire up to bleed the system. If the sound of air in the system continues for a long time then that may be your problem and you need to find where air is getting in - injector seals is common. If there is little or no sound of air then you will need to check the pump delivery pressure. This involves fitting a pressure gauge to the fuel pressure regulator - you can use the access from the fuel temp sensor - you should be a solid 4 bar with the pump running.
 
Why did I write 2,5TDi? Dont know but you guessed right. 05 TD5 of course. Fuelfilter is brand new, not sure if there is a gauze-filter or a sedimentor in the fuel line.
First of, thank you so much for taking your time to respond to my thread. Im rather new at owning a car that I intend on doing work at myself, Afraid of sounding cheezy, so a "thank you" will have to do.
Ran out and started the car, or tried to....took a lot of time before it fired properly, all the time while Im hearing this whining sound. When fired, I shoveled away a ton of snow to get under the car, and it sounded like a bee-swarm was throwing a party in the fuel tank. Since its too cold for bees, and due too some other clues, I knew it was'nt insect party. Guess it might be the fuel pump then..? The whining sound whent up and down in pitch, but the rev was constant (if you understand what I mean).
 
I had a similar issue a few years ago with the car dying while driving. My mechanic changed the injector seals and that sorted the problem.
 
Iirc when they were current there were issues with the fuel filter head being porous or something along them lines, night be worth a google?
 
So a new pump is ordered, will order new fuel filter air bleed as well, since that one also might cause similar problems (one guy on youtube said so, he didnt look like a lier). Then I better get hold of some injector seals while Im at it...
Had this car for only six months, any suggestions for what other parts a landy owner ought to have stored in his garage? That diagnostic tool is tempting too.
 
Since I got your attention here guys: I did bleed the diesel system after changing the filter, and have driven like 100 km or more after that. Could there still be air in the system? And the car started acting up before the filter change.
I have bled the fuel line on Massey's and Zetors by loosening a bolt on the inlet diesel pipe on top of the motor(?) while cranking. But cant seem to find a way of doing this on the TD5.
 
The system is automatically self-bled through the bleed valve you are replacing (yes it can cause issues). It can be deliberately bled by the throttle pump process; there is no need for anything else. If you still have air in the system then it is getting in somewhere. The injector seals are the common culprit; as lynall says there have been problems with the fuel filter mounting, but not a common problem. Other than that, check the entire system for leaks.
If you are looking for spares/tools to have to hand, I would buy a suitable serpentine belt (they can shred unexpectedly), to fit it a set of viscous fan spanners is worthwhile IMHO, if you are fitting new injector seals then you will also need a rocker cover gasket and I would think about changing the injector harness while you are there (if there is oil in the red plug of the ECU, change the harness). You will also need to think about how to get the injectors out; some people prise them out with J bars and the like, I bit the bullet and bought the bespoke tool. The are kits of generic plastic trim fastners and tools on EBay for a few quid, well worthwhile. Storage boxes for all the random screws, bolts, nuts, washers etc
 
You need to get a scanner on that, or you will be firing a parts cannon at it, and still might not fix it. You need to see the live data or freeze frame data, could be any number of things causing this.
 
Not being the most patient guy, I realized I dint let the bleed-program to run the whole cycle. So I bled the system properly, changed the return valve in the filter housing, but it still wont fire. A diagnostic tool is on its way, but will change parts as fast as they arrive.
Now a question (again): the gravity pump will run like 40-50 seconds at start up, whining and the sound of it changing pitch. Since the pump will probably arrive before the diagnostic tool I will change it in hope that this will fix the problem (I will do anything to get the landy running, since I dont like people to see me in my VW E-UP). Is there a plate under the carpet for easy access of the fuel pump, or do you need to lower the tank to get at the pump?
Thanx again guys!
 
The Disco has a handy plate in the floor you can remove to get at the pump. Sadly, the Defender does not.
You therefore have two choices; drop the tank or carefully cut a hole and fabricate a bolt-on plate. If you tell us your Defended body type there is a reasonable chance someone will have the dimensions required to tell you where to cut.
 
Thanx for the reply, I can imagine all Disco owners are grinning now. Think I will go for lowering the tank, not comfortable at cutting a hole in my car. :)
 
Nexus929 said:
Thanx for the reply, I can imagine all Disco owners are grinning now. Think I will go for lowering the tank, not comfortable at cutting a hole in my car. :)
Click to expand...

Easy enough to do with cutting discs and I would have thought less hassle than dropping the tank. Cut a large enough square then prepare a larger square cover, rivet hinges on one side, bolt down the other side and seal with silicon. If you replace the pump and it leaks or fails quickly (buy a VDO one), you will kick yourself if you have to drop the tank again. If you do drop the tank and if there is any rust on your chassis, this would be a good opportunity to clean and protect the upper chassis rails.
 
I just wanted to point out that the problem is finally solved.
Even though I had bled the fuelsystem several times, it was still air in the pump that we needed to get out with help from a loval garage. They pumped diesel trough the system, and now its starts up just fine. New problems arrived just after the fix, but that will be in my next thread.
The good thing is that I now know that it will be easy to lower the tank the way its supposed, and I will have a brand new diesel pump for sale...
Thank you all for the help, see you on the next thread ;-)
 
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