roythebus

Well-Known Member
As you may have read in another thread, I'm currently stuck in the Wallonie part of Belgium with the 4.4TDV showing with what I suspect is the fan belt about to fall apart . does anyone have any contact detail or recommendation for garage in the area who can help? The recovery firm say they don't know how to fix it, find somewhere else! I know my recovery insurance ought to be dealing with this, but I'm trying to save a tow home!

There used to be a firm near the Spa race circuit who dealt with a previous car that melted its torque converter about 15 years ago, but an internet search can't find it.
 
The fan belt on the 4.4 tdv8 is a stretch belt.
I've not come across that, I'm used to the normal V belts and multi-groove belts used on buses! It seems to me that to replace the belt the whole front end has to come off. What else is driven off that belt, and I wonder what cause the red and yellow warning signs on the dash? Possible turbo failure, split pipe? The engine had been working hard on the long climb out of Liege, it just dropped down a gear at the top and was doing about 120km/h. The faults had cleared the next day. Is it worth risking driving it back?
 
I've not come across that, I'm used to the normal V belts and multi-groove belts used on buses! It seems to me that to replace the belt the whole front end has to come off. What else is driven off that belt, and I wonder what cause the red and yellow warning signs on the dash? Possible turbo failure, split pipe? The engine had been working hard on the long climb out of Liege, it just dropped down a gear at the top and was doing about 120km/h. The faults had cleared the next day. Is it worth risking driving it back.
I have no idea what the red and yellow warnings are, they will be in the owners handbook. However the faults were transient so maybe due to an overheat of engine or gearbox. If it were me I would risk the drive but go carefully and limit my speed and have the number of the recovery service handy.
 
Sadly I don't have the handbook with me, it's at home "somewhere" tidy! I reckon it could well have been gearbox overheat, there was a bit of burning smell at the top of the hill, but that's normal for everything on that road. Maybe low on gearbox oil? How can I check on that? Maybe with the worn belt causing a bit of slip on the cooling fan?
 
Sadly I don't have the handbook with me, it's at home "somewhere" tidy! I reckon it could well have been gearbox overheat, there was a bit of burning smell at the top of the hill, but that's normal for everything on that road. Maybe low on gearbox oil? How can I check on that? Maybe with the worn belt causing a bit of slip on the cooling fan?
Stating the obvious, handbooks are best kept in the car, no use in the cupboard. Have you checked for binding brakes?
With any Range Rover, best to never leave home without diagnostics to hand IMO, you would then know what the problem is/was rather than guessing.
 
Stating the obvious, handbooks are best kept in the car, no use in the cupboard. Have you checked for binding brakes?
With any Range Rover, best to never leave home without diagnostics to hand IMO, you would then know what the problem is/was rather than guessing.
Quite, my other half has this thing about "tidying up" and not knowing where she's put my stuff, most annoying. I doubt it's brakes binding, the rears have only been on the car a couple of weeks, the fronts were serviced and freed off at the same time.

What I was hoping was that the recovery firm would have a diagnostics box to plug in and read the fault. Maybe i'll get on for myself, it may save a lot of worry. What would the members on here suggest to buy? It would help as my partner has a 63 plate Disco 4 with the 250bhp engine, that seems to be very reliable so far!

I don't want to knacker the gearbox if that's the problem. Maybe get the car recovered to Calais then it's only a 20 minute drive from Dover to home.
 
As above 2 belts 1 like an anocoda in length and route and then a small belt just for the fan. the water pump is driven from the long belt.

The small belt is as said abit of a strech to get on as has no tensioner.

The manual really doesnt give much on the warning lights. but it should have popped up a message to help aswell.

But yes as for diagnostics "never leave home without" our GAP sits in the glovebox all the time.


So how far is it to the ferry and which belt is it thats the problem?
If its the small belt, I would also be tempted to continue but try not to overload the cooling requirement. If you have many hills to get to the ferry you would need to becareful.

If its a nice straight run from where you are even without the fan aslong as you didnt get stuck in slow traffic it should make it.

J
 

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There's 2 belts, the main accessories belt and the fan belt. Not done it but you don't need to take the whole front off.. you can do it but it's fiddly. Apparently
Overcoming 'fiddly' can be lucrative. My one-time indie worked out ways of accomplishing certain tasks that officially required the body lifting. He was not only inventive but had small hands .. true he went through a good few sticky plasters, but the rewards more than balanced out the pain ;)
 
OK thanks for that help. Come to think of it, there's been a ticking noise for quite while. the recovery truck driver saw a bit peeling off the belt, the big, huge fiddly one. What concerned me was the red triangle light coming on along with the yellow one. The message was something like "engine reduced performance". If I can get it to someone who has the box of tricks that will ease my mind or my bank balance! As I said earlier, if that's not too much to worry about I'd nurse it home and put the warnings down to going up a very long hill at full belt. About 8 years ago we took my 1952 airport coach up that hill and it made it in 4th gear all the way, and it never boiled up either. On the E25 out of Liege.
 
OK thanks for that help. Come to think of it, there's been a ticking noise for quite while. the recovery truck driver saw a bit peeling off the belt, the big, huge fiddly one. What concerned me was the red triangle light coming on along with the yellow one. The message was something like "engine reduced performance". If I can get it to someone who has the box of tricks that will ease my mind or my bank balance! As I said earlier, if that's not too much to worry about I'd nurse it home and put the warnings down to going up a very long hill at full belt. About 8 years ago we took my 1952 airport coach up that hill and it made it in 4th gear all the way, and it never boiled up either. On the E25 out of Liege.

If that main belt is "sealed for life" as they say, the car's done about 148,000 miles (235,000km I remember) that I suspect is the usual "life" for these cars. Those who can afford a new one do so.
 
If that main belt is "sealed for life" as they say, the car's done about 148,000 miles (235,000km I remember) that I suspect is the usual "life" for these cars. Those who can afford a new one do so.
Both accessory belts are consumables and can't be "sealed for life" items👍
The restricted performance can one of many issues due to cracked plastics on the inlet/turbo side,
jamming air direction valves if dual turbos,
sticking turbo vanes,
Split or blown off turbo pipes.. 🤔
 
OK thanks for that help. Come to think of it, there's been a ticking noise for quite while. the recovery truck driver saw a bit peeling off the belt, the big, huge fiddly one. What concerned me was the red triangle light coming on along with the yellow one. The message was something like "engine reduced performance". If I can get it to someone who has the box of tricks that will ease my mind or my bank balance! As I said earlier, if that's not too much to worry about I'd nurse it home and put the warnings down to going up a very long hill at full belt. About 8 years ago we took my 1952 airport coach up that hill and it made it in 4th gear all the way, and it never boiled up either. On the E25 out of Liege.
We drove to corfu last year and got a " reduced performance" warning, the code was for an exhaust temp sensor. cleared it and it got us there and back, hasnt reappeared since;). So if its cleared by cycling the ignition I wouldnt worry to much.....yet.

To change the big belt you have to change the little belt too. the little belt has to be cut to get it off. If its a small amount of peeling then I would go for it. But some peeps small amount are others oh I wouldnt risk it. so only you can say.

J
 
Thanks for all the advice. Whichever way it's a dilemma! The simple answer is to get it recovered home. But even that is hassle.

When I hd the oil cooler replaced just after I got the car I was advised then that the big turbo pipes were rather clogged up, they said the big turbo only comes into play when working hard and it had obviously been a shopping car with previous owners. That would tally with the sudden loss of power after it had been working hard going up a long steep hill. It may also account for the burning smell, something overheating. I won't know until I get a read-out of the fault codes. I'll see if the recovery garage can do that this morning.
 

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