one dead hippo - freelander lseries diesel wont start

I know easy start is not a good thing nowadays but it used to be when we had nothing else in the 60's , but at least now you know it will run you just need to sort out the fuel getting to the engine.

Yes agreed, we need more on the L series.
Let us know what happened Pixeltron

Is there an anti-dieseling solenoid on the hippo, as there is on the Disco TD200/300 ?

Thanks for your replies there is a diesel stop solenoid in the pump and checked getting 11.43volts but have just fitted a new one to the pump to rule out, I can see the injectors with fuel coming out now which I could not before with the old pump on so there was one issue , but am struggling to find the correct information to do the injection timing

The fault codes coming from the ecu were
injection slide position fault ( injector one sender new part put in)
injection begin fault( injector one sender I guess new part put in)
stop sensor fault ( diesel stop solenoid)
temperature sensor fault ( I thought I was the water temp sensor so changed but could have been the sensor in the pump itself no serviceable part new pump)

all have now been replaced

does any one know or had any experience with getting tdc on first piston as I suspect I now have a firing order issue due to new pump being fitted and diesel coming out of injectors theres not much in the hanynes manual thanks.

As it stopped working when you turned off the engine can you hear a clicking under the bonnet when you turned on the ignition? What's the relay like under the bonnet? Are you 101% sure the pump timing is correct the L series are very fussy.

Tdc - pin (or drill bit) in the flywheel, pain in the arse to get at. A mark on the cam belt pulley timing belt end. From memory I think there is a pin in the actual pump itself so you know it's timed up when you remove it. I have never removed it so not too sure. Also there is a pin in the pulley under the FIP cover

Thanks for the info relief to rule out immobiliser , there's a good spray coming out of the injectors but no smoke coming from exhaust , I've bled the pump but am yet to pressure test the system , thanks for the heads up on brake cleaner might be a bit easier to get hold of around here.

This sounds very very simialr to my problem, however i am struggling to find someone to read my ECU, everyone in the local paper wont touch Landrovers or do not have the right equipment.

really getting to the end of my rope with it now, so much so for the last week ive been looking for another car...anyone know of anyone with the capability to read the Landrover ECU in and around the St.Helens/Wigan area?

pixeltron said:

Thanks for the info relief to rule out immobiliser , there's a good spray coming out of the injectors but no smoke coming from exhaust , I've bled the pump but am yet to pressure test the system , thanks for the heads up on brake cleaner might be a bit easier to get hold of around here.

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Blockage in the exhaust ..cat maybe? ...would stop it from starting.

freelanderguy81 said:

This sounds very very simialr to my problem, however i am struggling to find someone to read my ECU, everyone in the local paper wont touch Landrovers or do not have the right equipment.

really getting to the end of my rope with it now, so much so for the last week ive been looking for another car...anyone know of anyone with the capability to read the Landrover ECU in and around the St.Helens/Wigan area?

Click to expand...

Theres a few members your area with diagnostics...have a look on LZIR map for the red electric cirlce icon ask nicely though lol.

freelanderguy81 said:

This sounds very very simialr to my problem, however i am struggling to find someone to read my ECU, everyone in the local paper wont touch Landrovers or do not have the right equipment.

really getting to the end of my rope with it now, so much so for the last week ive been looking for another car...anyone know of anyone with the capability to read the Landrover ECU in and around the St.Helens/Wigan area?

Click to expand...

It is a pain that the Freelander is not ODBII compliant - but its not the end of the world. You can get a scanner now for about £100. Not 'cheap' - but nowhere near as expensive as it used to be. Check out...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/icarsoft-i930-263491.html

It says is reads and clears fault codes as well as getting data from the various modules on the Freelander (eg engine, ABS SRS). Maybe something for Santa to bring you

GrumpyGel said:

It is a pain that the Freelander is not ODBII compliant - but its not the end of the world. You can get a scanner now for about £100. Not 'cheap' - but nowhere near as expensive as it used to be. Check out...

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/icarsoft-i930-263491.html

It says is reads and clears fault codes as well as getting data from the various modules on the Freelander (eg engine, ABS SRS). Maybe something for Santa to bring you

Click to expand...

Thanks for that, just been advised by a Landy specialist that with the Lseries diesel engine there is no point in attempting using the diagnostic machine as they wont indicate much info.

however having said that mine is now running and driveable again, however smoke (white) still comes from the back of the engine and when driving there is a vacuum noise from the engine.

GrumpyGel said:

I'm looking forward to as many posts as possible.

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I can do that if you'd like

Sounds like the pump's just plain not timed up if it's supplying healthy doses of fuel, but you're not even getting smoke.


All my knowledge is from 200 and 400 Rovers, along with a few other select models along the way - so I couldn't tell you how much access you're going to have on a Freelander for this job!

First job, is get the fuel pump timing cover off - about a million 8mm head bolts. Then with an 18mm socket on the crank, turn it until the hole in the pump pulley, is at around 12 o'clock.

Now remove the top piece of the main cambelt cover - you should be able to see a little white marking on the pulley, which corresponds with a marking on the plastic backing:




As Haynes would say - "Engine removed for clarity"


If the white mark is on the other side, then the pump's been timed up 180 degrees out. To rectify this, lock the pump with the 9.5mm pin at 12 o'clock, then remove the fuel pump belt.

Now, I can image getting to the flywheel locking hole on a freelander is a massive PITA, what with the exhaust manifold and the IRD.. so here's a helpful picture of where the hole is, on an L series sat on the floor, with my locking pin pushed in:



There's no gearbox, or IRD, (as it's actually a prototype G series I've got my hands on) but it should help you identify which of the holes is the right one! So with that in mind, hold your locking pin in the correct place, and turn the engine from the crank bolt until it slides in and locks it solid. It will only go in by approx 10mm in total.

Now you can either confirm your pump timing is right, or refit the belt to get it back to the correct timing.

Use the three 10mm head bolts on the cam pulley for fine adjustment - white smoke usually means the timing is retarded a few degrees, so move the cam pulley anticlockwise as far as the little adjustment slots will allow, and see if it helps

That's a great writeup DD. Going by Rave etc the timing of the L Series fuel pump is a bit of a holy grial shrouded in secrecy (at least the bits I've read), but this is a great help to anyone needing to sort out their fuel pump.

Good write up.
Yes the locking pin into the flywheel is a PITA to get to. I can normally just get it in with my fingertips if I lay underneath and put my arm over the ird and down. Normally useful to have a spare person to look up the gap between the engine and the ird and say back/forward/up/down a bit and also to turn the crank with a socket and bar, although I normally do it on my own using drill bits

Thanks for everyones threads they have been great , unfortunately whilst timing up the pump my landy i think has droped a valve now the engine jams when attempting to turn over by hand this makes me think that my initial problem was with compression being to low due to valve issue hence no start , new engine for me unfortunately , but for others before forking out for a new pump always check compression first i t was mentioned in the thread , and not only costs a lot less also is very easy to do. Again thanks for everyone's help the land rover community is brillent and I would have been lost without everyone's help , hopefully I'llbe posting back in a few months once iI have sourced a engine .

you don't even need a full engine - the pistons used in the L series are built like a brick poop-house, and the conrods can be used to maim large animals - you'll have done zero damage to them


Second hand heads go around £50 - but Put up a post in the diesel section on MG-Rover.org:
Diesel Forum! - MG-Rover.org Forums

You can get new belts, and HG from DMGRS:

HG:
L Series Diesel Head Gasket - LVB100930. Aftermarket / OEM Available - | Discount MG Rover Spares

And cambelts:
L Series Dayco Cambelt Kit - 5 Piece. For 200/400/600 (95-99) | Discount MG Rover Spares

The hippo L series, is akin to a Rover 200/400 SDi engine - so make sure any cambelt comes from that type (as I've linked)


The only "oddball" tool you'll need, is an E14 socket, to undo the headbolts. Also, don't remove the cam carrier, as it requires a specific anaerobic sealant, which costs approx £15 for a tiny tube (the genuine Rover stuff for £5 on ebay, is old and out of date, which doesn't work... guess how I know)


Ensure the head and block are as clean as possible, and grease-free. The HG is coated in an elastomer, which basically acts like glue