zebbie

New Member
Hi new to this site so I hope you can help me please as I'm now at my wits end with my Freelander.

I've got a 52 plate freelander td4 and it won't start, well not particularly true. A few days a go got a call from my wife to say that the td4 wouldn't start and she was stuck at a garage forecourt, by the time I arrived she had managed to get a push from the forecourt. I got in and tried various things suggested by a friend like lock the car then re-open and try again, still nothing the engine is turning over but not starting so she went away in the other car I sat for about 10 mins tried again and hey presto it started.

She had only done a short journey from her work to the garage, to fill it with diesel (my first thought was she had put petrol in it). I came home looked on this web site and thought that it sounded like the cam sensor so I changed it today and still got the same problem it turns over but won't start. It has also now developed the annoying habit of not even turning over nothing just dead but if you remove the key and try a few times it will eventually turn over but but still won't start, remember I've changed the cam sensor. It will eventually start and once running it's fine.
I've just been out and tried it again and it started as usual, this has been after a drive of about 12 miles and sitting for approx 1 hour, I even went back out after 10 mins of getting home and it started I honestly didn't expect it to but it did, the problem is I can't trust it to start first time all the time and my wife won't drive it as she is afriad she'll get stuck again.

Please help any advice would be greatly apprieciated.

Cheers Alan.
 
Since having fitted the cam shaft sensor yesterday afternoon (14-03-06) my freelander has started at various times after having been driven e.g 10mins after stopping, 1 hour after stopping, and 2.5 hours after stopping and each time it has started with no problems(I'm starting and stopping it at various times to see what it's like at different tempretures). Yet when I fitted the cam sensor yesterday it wouldn't start after I fitted it, then it eventually started and since then it has started each time. Me thinks it could be something to do with the ignition or the immobilser unit.

Had to post this as it keeps my problem from going to the next page and then into oblivion and then not read, please help.

Cheers Alan.
 
check yer fuel filter, un yous got two low pressure pumps, one could be phooked like john says [rear one is always favourite]. . .best oh luck earthling :) :) :)
 
First of all i'm no mechanic ! but when you say it sometimes turns over sometimes starts and sometimes is "dead" this should be a case of power to the starter or something stopping the starter from turning ?

On mine i was told that the starter connection is towards to bottom of the front of the engine and is covered by a rubber cover which splits, when i had a look at mine it was all rusty so i brushed it all up and sprayed wd40 on it just in case.

But if it turns over battery should be fine ?
if its dead sometimes then power to the starter ?

needs a multi meter to chack power is getting to the starter via the connection, but then again i'm not a trained mechanic
 
It was the front fuel pump on mine. The car ground to a halt and refused to restart.
You should be able to hear the pump when ignition is switched on as mentioned above.
If it is the pump don't go to Land Rover! £240 + VAT!! I got one off ebay for £135 all incl. from MaltingsLR
 
Well folks after having replaced the cam shaft sensor, as previously stated the darn thing worked absolutely fine for one whole week almost to the hour of the cam sensor being changed.
This has been through long journeys, short jouneys, hot starting, cold starting, different times between starting up and it has worked fine was just starting to trust it again when it happened again turned over but won't start the exact same problem again. Also, when I mean dead, I mean I turn the key in the ignition and nothing the engine won't even turn over absolutly dead.
I can also hear the fuel pump (if this is what the humming noise is when I turn on the ignition), but I think when it doesn't start I do hear a different sound when I turn on the ignition. This still wouldn't explian why sometimes it won't turn over at all. If I sit for about five-ten minutes and try it every now again it will start eventually and then run fine, like today I started it first thing this morning and it started first time drove about 15 miles to home then went back out after 2 mins and it started 1st time, went back out after 30mins started 1st time again. Does anybody think this could be a ignition problem?
Is it worth booking it in for a diagnostic test to find out the problem, my only concern about this route is that if it is starting alright when it goes into the garage they won't find anything wrong with the car and money wasted.

Thanks for all the advice and hopefully will get to the bottom of this and keep everybody posted on the progress just in case someone else is having the same problem.

Cheers Alan.
 
I possibly had a similar problem, parked up, got back to car and the starter was dead! All other electrics seemed to work, not even a click when the key turned to start! Towed home, left it for a day or two until I had time to play and the bloody thing started first time! Got a bit of advice to check the small cable on the starter motor solenoid was secure - it was slightly loose, I had been working on the engine a few days earlier and could have disturbed it! So disconnected this wire, cleaned and reattached securely and have had no problems since! Don't know if this was the problem - but the snag has not happened again. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice CJK, will have a look at starter connections ran a test to the starter when it wasn't doing anything and was getting a feed to the starter motor, but will give a look.
 
Starter motor brushes
Mine did this when i first got it, Removed the starter and got the brushes replaced for £35

Was fine ever since
 
Well never run the car all weekend after the problems with it, went out today to start it and away it went 1st time, done all the usual, go to get fuel (which is a problem of will it start or won't it at the pumps) and it started no probs then a short journey another stop started no problems then another longer run stopped it then it wouldn't start again, me thinks the fuel pump could be the problem I'm now listening to everything when the iginition is turned on and I think there is no noise from fuel pump after a few tries it starts???????.

Have now booked it for a diagnostic test for Friday and hopefully the ECU has recorded these faults before I go to the expense of buying a fuel pump. Will keep you posted on how I get on, starting to **** me off a little.

Cheers Alan :confused:
 
If yer tank is full, un it starts all the time , but if its low ,un it fails to start . . . . .then earthling this is a sure sign of a weak fuel pump or blocked fuel filter , as yours is a 52 plate td4 ,then its gonna be yer rear pump gone weak or intermitant ,the reason fer full tank werkin is yer earths gravity fing ,yer rear pump lifts it to the second pump in engine bay ,un its higher than yer tank un so. . . . .er jist trust me, un lr diagnostics wunt record it :) :) :)
 
Cheers Ming, will look into that once I've had the test results not wanting to throw anymore money at it until I've had it tested, and hopefully the ECU will have picked up some code or other we'll wait and see.

Cheers from a mear earthling. :confused:
 
Just back from the diagnostic test and it looks as if it's the fuel pump but which one as the garage I took it to couldn't tell me what one.

When the engine doesn't start the pressure is below 1bar and when it does start it's about 3.2bar, so this is the fuel pump that primes the system for injecters so when the pressure is low there is not enough pressure for the injecters. So what fuel pump does that is it the one at the fromt or the rear one.

Please advise before I make a purchase, once again thanks for the advice in advance.

Cheers Alan (a mear earthling):rolleyes:
 
Humm. . . . .well earthling tis very hard fer most to determine ont tinternet but as eyes er rockit enginear i will try un explain:rolleyes: if the garage disconnects the i/p fuel line to the filter pump arrangement [on your model] under bonnet Rh's under the black leccy bit. . . .and switches on ignition , it should **** out fuel , if its foam or weak then its yer rear pump . if its good then that leaves a few more basic checks. . . .fuel filter blocked . . .2nd lift pump intermittent. . . .fuel pressure switch u/s. . . .high pressure pump u/s [last one is unlikely] other basics is airlock in system due to bad sealing off a fuel pipe.oh yes and remember that horrible thing called intermitant [sometimes werks somtimes dunt] . . .but this is all bread and butter stuff for a mechanic:D :D :D
 
Well Ming, thanks for the advice will try these out and see if there is any joy, and here's me thinking that I was getting to the bottom of this and you're now filling me with dread.

Will try the test to check to see if it's the rear pump, will keep you posted as to the progress of this.

Cheers Alan.
 
if you have a live feed on the thin wire to the starter when the fault is present but it is not cranking the engine there are only three more options 1;main battery lead is u/s 2:eath lead is u/s 3:(more probable)starter motor has had enough and laid to rest
 
if you have a live feed on the thin wire to the starter when the fault is present but it is not cranking the engine there are only three more options 1;main battery lead is u/s 2:eath lead is u/s 3:(more probable)starter motor has had enough and laid to rest
erm. . . .ffs earthling stay wiff the plot. . . .this is just pure ****e. . .dunt confuse the issue. . . .we are tryin to help Alan not give a load er bollix :confused: :confused: :confused:
 

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