stuttering warm engine

Looking for some advice please, freelander sd4 2005 62,000 miles
when the engine gets warm it starts to miss (stutter) had it in the garage not a freelander dealer but under warranty to them, they couldnt find the problem but suggested replacing the fuel filter,they did this but if anything the problem has got worse, I,m wondering could it be the automatic choke is stuck as there isnt a problem when the engine is cold, first diesel i've had so I dont even know if they have a choke, anyway any advice would be most appreciated

briano said:

Looking for some advice please, freelander sd4 2005 62,000 miles
when the engine gets warm it starts to miss (stutter) had it in the garage not a freelander dealer but under warranty to them, they couldnt find the problem but suggested replacing the fuel filter,they did this but if anything the problem has got worse, I,m wondering could it be the automatic choke is stuck as there isnt a problem when the engine is cold, first diesel i've had so I dont even know if they have a choke, anyway any advice would be most appreciated

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Hi briano, I have the same problem had it for 3 years. Did you get the problm fixed?

ChrisBerry said:

Hi briano, I have the same problem had it for 3 years. Did you get the problm fixed?

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I seriously doubt Briano will answer after 6 year's of silence
What Freelander do you have?

Thanks for responding Nodge68 and sorry for not getting back to you sooner.. I have a 2006 FL2 2.2l manual HSE with 112k miles. The problem has been there for two years. The engine seems to hiccup or splutter about 10 to 15 mins into a journey 2 or 3 times then returns to normal. No error codes or lights. more recently it does it in when up to temperature and throughout a journey now and then. Sometime its so bad that you feel as if you are thrown forward. Had the fuel filter changed. No one I have spoken to two knows a fix. I believe I clear it by keeping the engine running at 3,500 for a mile or two as after this it goes away for days but this is not clearing it now. Had a turbo oil leak last January and had all the Land Rover recommend parts replaced. The problem went away for four months (6000 miles). Thought it was fixed. It came back gradually. In the last two months it has go worse with multiply stuttering and the engine shutting down. This happen three times after repeated stuttering. First two times engine restarted immediately. Third would not start for ten minutes. Drove 1500 miles after this without a problem. Then eventually it came back.. do you have any ideas? Thanks Chris

My wife's new Ford Kuga splutters a bit when cold. Ford say there's no fault and put it down to running conditions of these tight emission engines.
If there's no faults logged and it's working well the rest of the time. It could just be down to a design thing. We forget that cars of yesteryear were hardly smooth runners. But we just ignored the little foibles they had.

Nodge68 said:

My wife's new Ford Kuga splutters a bit when cold. Ford say there's no fault and put it down to running conditions of these tight emission engines.
If there's no faults logged and it's working well the rest of the time. It could just be down to a design thing. We forget that cars of yesteryear were hardly smooth runners. But we just ignored the little foibles they had.

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I don't think an engine cutting out is a "little foible" - especially if I'm pulling out at a junction with an 18 wheeler bearing down on me!

I recon the Ford guys are pulling your plonker Nodge, jeepers, my clunky old L Series can run perfectly, without a splutter, cough or hicup, hot & cold for 6 years and probably the 12 years before I got it as well (touch wood it'll carry on like that!) - it may not be the best on emissions - but that should make no difference and especially not to the engine cutting out.

If its just cutting out I don't suppose its an air issue.

It could be fuel, if it was a F1 I'd query the lift pump, I don't know if the F2 has a lift pump - but it should raise an error code anyway. I'd suggest bunging some injector cleaner in with your fuel - have a search on here to see what people use, how much and when - there are a number of threads where it improves engine running.

However, it sounds like an electrical issue gradually getting worse to me. If it was an F1, I'd query the ignition switch - but its not. Work on engine can temporarily resolve wiring issues as looms are disconnected and reconnected - they work for a bit, then gradually the problems come back - this fits in with your turbo work. Intermittent electrical issues are the most difficult to diagnose. A car that cuts out is not really safe to drive, but I'd be inclined to see if a tank or 2 with injector cleaner resolves things and if it doesn't I'd head to an auto electrician to see if they can test the wiring.

I should read the whole post GG .
I would normally agree that Ford are giving me the old fob off. However the wife's VW Tiguan and more recently her Astra GTC also spluttered and stuttered when cold, on occasion. The Kuga is also doing the same thing. The head technician is a friend of mine, so he wouldn't fob me off.
I've put this running issue down to these new low emission engines running in closed loop mode.
This is something that the old L series doesn't do. It's a simple diesel that works. This modern stuff with all this clean air BS is a nightmare.

As for this FL2. Something isn't correct. GG you mentioned it can't be air. Well it can on these PSA engines and many other's. They have a throttle butterfly that can randomly close. So I'd be checking that first and the EGR valve at the same time.

Nodge68 said:

I should read the whole post GG .

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Sorry I'm missing something !

Nodge68 said:

I would normally agree the Ford are giving me the old fob off. However the wife's VW Tiguan and more recently her Astra GTC also spluttered and stuttered when cold, on occasion. The Kuga is also doing it. The head technician is a friend of, so he wouldn't fob me off.

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Must be the sea air down there

Nodge68 said:

As for this FL2. Something isn't correct. GG you mentioned it can't be air. Well it can on these PSA engines and many other's. They have a throttle butterfly that can randomly close. So I'd be checking that first and the EGR valve at the same time.

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Didn't know there were throttles on these engines - if it can close then yeh, ideal candidate to cause it to cut out !

Can an EGR that's stuck wide open starve the engine of enough "outside air" that it wouldn't burn any fuel? For it to cut out it must be burning none, or very little, fuel.

I'd still run some injection cleaner through it.

GrumpyGel said:

Sorry I'm missing something !

Must be the sea air down there

Didn't know there were throttles on these engines - if it can close then yeh, ideal candidate to cause it to cut out !

Can an EGR that's stuck wide open starve the engine of enough "outside air" that it wouldn't burn any fuel? For it to cut out it must be burning none, or very little, fuel.

I'd still run some injection cleaner through it.

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Yes there are throttle bodies on many newer diesel engines. They are there to work in combination with the EGR system. They serve a secondary function of closing off the air feed at shutdown. This makes the engine stop in a more petrol like fashion and stops runaway, should the need arise.

Have you checked the common rail sensor, they get all rusted and corroded it's a common fault. Take it off it's a bit of a pain give it a good spray clean leave to dissolve put it back together. Regularly works with some of my patients
Just be careful with the pins, you can try to move them a little to get a better connection also.

Thanks guys I will certain give all the ideas a go. Someone else has suggested electrical problems - suggested fitting a second earth. I think it is electrical as it so sudden, its not like running out of fuel its a real jolt. I will let you know how I get on.