Landygadgy
New Member
Hi everyone.
I've been a member of Landyzone for a couple of years now and joined originally for technical help reasons - which i got successfully through these pages but I usually log in just to see whats going on and haven't posted any ??'s or threads.
Now I haven't had many problems with my 08 Freelander 2 TD4 but something did crop up the other day ( which I've fixed ) so you might be interested in the "Saga of the tailgate and the fuel filler cap". Get yourself a cuppa and read on !
My saga began one morning when i couldnt open the tailgate of my 2008 Freelander 2 TD4. I hadnt been messing about with it and it worked perfectly well the day previous. After reading the handbook section about locks and keys, I went on doing the press this button for so many seconds, 'hold down these two switches simultaneously but to no avail, so i phoned a local Landy garage for expert advice.
Oh thats a common problem with Freelanders they said. Just bring it along and well soon have the tailgate door open for you its to do with the switch inside the door handle
So off I went.
The mechy repeated the mantra about it being a common problem and nipped off to get a screwdriver and rather brutally proceeded to prise out the tailgate handle and micro switch assembly. The switch was then torn away from the two wires connecting it and an inch or so of insulation removed from the cables to expose the bare wires. My mechy was then flummoxed when nothing happened after he touched the wires together and the door remained firmly locked mmm, not such a common problem then. After a bit more head scratching he decided that a more in-depth investigation was needed and that maybe a new lock mechanism was required, so i booked the car in for a few days hence so that they could order the bits.
On my my home i thought about the procedure that had been carried out on my Landy and it didnt sit well with me - so when i got home i searched the web for a wiring diagram for the car. Im an ex RN Artificer so logic problems of this sort were pretty much bread and butter to me at one time and i wasnt phased about getting stuck into a bit of fault finding on electrical circuits . I just wish i had done this before seeking the quick garage fix to the common fault !
Anyway, a blown 10 amp fuse (no 25) in the passenger footwell fusebox supplied the door switch, and after replacing it and the ruined wiring loom in the door all was well the tailgate opened and closed without bother.
Fastforward a couple of days or so and i needed to fill up with diesel but when i got to the pump I couldnt open the fuel filler cap - it was firmly locked down - so i returned home.
This seemed a bit too co-incidental with the tailgate electrical problem so i went back into the circuit diagram on the web and found that Fuse 25 also supplies a motor locking mechanism for the fuel filler cap via two relays.
This really is a fancy waistcoat to my way of thinking and a rather complicated way of controlling the fuel filler cap ( its a security measure apparently )
Relay R257 and relay R258 interact together to either drive the locking motor shut or open. I deduced that if i removed the relay that locks the motor then the other one would spring it open but i couldnt find the two relays in question. The owners manual for the car gives the location of the fuses but not the layout of these relay boxes.
To help me find them i called a Landrover dealer and a very helpful chap advised me that these relays are an integral part of the fuse panel assembly in the passenger footwell and would be extremely difficult to get at and that they cant be removed from the control board. The repair costs of a new board suddenly seemed to be heading skyward !
My solution to open the fuel flap was to access the motor assembly and disconnect the two black wires. This would disable the control circuit. However, the chap in the dealership advised me that the best way to do this was to access the assembly through the rear plastic wheel arch cover. More hassle ! I took the wheel off and was surprised how easy it was to remove the wheel arch a couple of plastic fixing studs and a couple of steel screws allowed the arch to come away.
Sure enough there was the filler cap motor bolted to the wall of the rear quarter panel and a little bit awkward - but not impossible - to reach. The two black control wires were clearly visible but I couldnt pull them out of their connection socket.
So to finally nail this problem i had to :
1. remove the 10 amp fuse 25.
2. remove a very small patch of cable insulation to reveal the bare wires from each of the black wires under the wheel arch. I did this with a shiny new Stanley blade so be very carful if you decide to do this.
3. make a length of cable to reach from the fuse box to exposed wires. I used a spare length of household lighting cable that i had in the garage and trimmed back the insulation for about 3/4 inch leaving the copper core exposed.
4. At this point i needed the Mrs to lend a hand and place one end of the cable into the fuse panel where the 10 amp fuse had been
Touch one of the pared black cables with the other end of the cable and voila ! the filler cap popped open. If it doesnt work first time then touch the other cable and if that doesnt pop the filler cap then get your assistant to put the long wire into the other side of the fuse socket to pick up a 12 volt supply.
I then cut one of the black wires to break the circuit and prevent the problem recurring but if you want your fuel filler cap to retain the lock/unlock logic then just replace the fuse. Once the locking motor has been driven to the 'open' position it should remain that way.
5. Check that the tailgate opening latch works and that the fuel filler cap opens easily once the fuse has been replaced.
6. Re-instae the wheel arch plastic cover and put the wheel back on
7. Nip down to your local fuel station and fill up !
I hope my method gets you out of a tricky situation and should save you a few bob - or a fortune - in garage hourly fees.
All the best
Landygadgy
I've been a member of Landyzone for a couple of years now and joined originally for technical help reasons - which i got successfully through these pages but I usually log in just to see whats going on and haven't posted any ??'s or threads.
Now I haven't had many problems with my 08 Freelander 2 TD4 but something did crop up the other day ( which I've fixed ) so you might be interested in the "Saga of the tailgate and the fuel filler cap". Get yourself a cuppa and read on !
My saga began one morning when i couldnt open the tailgate of my 2008 Freelander 2 TD4. I hadnt been messing about with it and it worked perfectly well the day previous. After reading the handbook section about locks and keys, I went on doing the press this button for so many seconds, 'hold down these two switches simultaneously but to no avail, so i phoned a local Landy garage for expert advice.
Oh thats a common problem with Freelanders they said. Just bring it along and well soon have the tailgate door open for you its to do with the switch inside the door handle
So off I went.
The mechy repeated the mantra about it being a common problem and nipped off to get a screwdriver and rather brutally proceeded to prise out the tailgate handle and micro switch assembly. The switch was then torn away from the two wires connecting it and an inch or so of insulation removed from the cables to expose the bare wires. My mechy was then flummoxed when nothing happened after he touched the wires together and the door remained firmly locked mmm, not such a common problem then. After a bit more head scratching he decided that a more in-depth investigation was needed and that maybe a new lock mechanism was required, so i booked the car in for a few days hence so that they could order the bits.
On my my home i thought about the procedure that had been carried out on my Landy and it didnt sit well with me - so when i got home i searched the web for a wiring diagram for the car. Im an ex RN Artificer so logic problems of this sort were pretty much bread and butter to me at one time and i wasnt phased about getting stuck into a bit of fault finding on electrical circuits . I just wish i had done this before seeking the quick garage fix to the common fault !
Anyway, a blown 10 amp fuse (no 25) in the passenger footwell fusebox supplied the door switch, and after replacing it and the ruined wiring loom in the door all was well the tailgate opened and closed without bother.
Fastforward a couple of days or so and i needed to fill up with diesel but when i got to the pump I couldnt open the fuel filler cap - it was firmly locked down - so i returned home.
This seemed a bit too co-incidental with the tailgate electrical problem so i went back into the circuit diagram on the web and found that Fuse 25 also supplies a motor locking mechanism for the fuel filler cap via two relays.
This really is a fancy waistcoat to my way of thinking and a rather complicated way of controlling the fuel filler cap ( its a security measure apparently )
Relay R257 and relay R258 interact together to either drive the locking motor shut or open. I deduced that if i removed the relay that locks the motor then the other one would spring it open but i couldnt find the two relays in question. The owners manual for the car gives the location of the fuses but not the layout of these relay boxes.
To help me find them i called a Landrover dealer and a very helpful chap advised me that these relays are an integral part of the fuse panel assembly in the passenger footwell and would be extremely difficult to get at and that they cant be removed from the control board. The repair costs of a new board suddenly seemed to be heading skyward !
My solution to open the fuel flap was to access the motor assembly and disconnect the two black wires. This would disable the control circuit. However, the chap in the dealership advised me that the best way to do this was to access the assembly through the rear plastic wheel arch cover. More hassle ! I took the wheel off and was surprised how easy it was to remove the wheel arch a couple of plastic fixing studs and a couple of steel screws allowed the arch to come away.
Sure enough there was the filler cap motor bolted to the wall of the rear quarter panel and a little bit awkward - but not impossible - to reach. The two black control wires were clearly visible but I couldnt pull them out of their connection socket.
So to finally nail this problem i had to :
1. remove the 10 amp fuse 25.
2. remove a very small patch of cable insulation to reveal the bare wires from each of the black wires under the wheel arch. I did this with a shiny new Stanley blade so be very carful if you decide to do this.
3. make a length of cable to reach from the fuse box to exposed wires. I used a spare length of household lighting cable that i had in the garage and trimmed back the insulation for about 3/4 inch leaving the copper core exposed.
4. At this point i needed the Mrs to lend a hand and place one end of the cable into the fuse panel where the 10 amp fuse had been
Touch one of the pared black cables with the other end of the cable and voila ! the filler cap popped open. If it doesnt work first time then touch the other cable and if that doesnt pop the filler cap then get your assistant to put the long wire into the other side of the fuse socket to pick up a 12 volt supply.
I then cut one of the black wires to break the circuit and prevent the problem recurring but if you want your fuel filler cap to retain the lock/unlock logic then just replace the fuse. Once the locking motor has been driven to the 'open' position it should remain that way.
5. Check that the tailgate opening latch works and that the fuel filler cap opens easily once the fuse has been replaced.
6. Re-instae the wheel arch plastic cover and put the wheel back on
7. Nip down to your local fuel station and fill up !
I hope my method gets you out of a tricky situation and should save you a few bob - or a fortune - in garage hourly fees.
All the best
Landygadgy
