Freelander 1 Freelander 1 Major Electrical Problems : Urgent help needed Please

Hi, We have an 2001, 51 plate TD4 Freelander GS, and suddenly have several major electrical problems all at once?

1) Central locking doesn't work on fob, or key or even the interior dash switch
2) Immobiliser light on dash does not come on at all, even locking with drivers door key
3) No interior lights or clock working
4) Rear tailgate won't open, window doesn't drop via the switch, and also heated rear window switch doesn't illuminate on dash.
5) No electric windows work.
6) No unlock or lock on doors with key, apart from the drivers door, but able to lock other doors via buttons. all doors unlock using the internal handles.

No blown Fuses,

Drivers door key will only open and lock drivers door, and does nothing else electrical except the usual ignition etc as below.
No problems starting, although, no engine heater function light at start up?
Main Indicators work ( not the w,ing ones) , all other lights work, heater and fan work and windscreen wipers.

If this was just a drivers door motor lock/latch malfunction (Being the master) requiring a New Complete Lock/ Latch, would it knock out all the above electrics as well??

Or is this a major computer problem?

We have had to have the car recovered twice on the last month due to not being able to start for different reasons (amigo's being one) no local garage within 25mile range to read fault codes. Has been working ok since repair but only with using the key for entry.
.
Question: As this TD4 is a BMW engine, would a BMW dealer be able to read Landy error codes?

Thanks for any replies,
Cheers
Philip

There's a control unit by the fuses inside the car. Maybe worth checking for water ingress around there.

J_D said:

There's a control unit by the fuses inside the car. Maybe worth checking for water ingress around there.

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Thanks JD, I'll take a look.
Can't understand how so many electricals are affected by maybe one thing, unless it is computer based?

Yes, the CCU by the fuse box does control all those bits I believe.

Have you tried disconnecting the battery waiting for 30 mins and reconnecting it. That sorted out my CCU when it got a problem (due to starter motor beginning to fail and causing electrical current issues).

The Amigos will not stop the car from starting. It would have been another issue.

GrumpyGel said:

Yes, the CCU by the fuse box does control all those bits I believe.

Have you tried disconnecting the battery waiting for 30 mins and reconnecting it. That sorted out my CCU when it got a problem (due to starter motor beginning to fail and causing electrical current issues).

The Amigos will not stop the car from starting. It would have been another issue.

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Thanks Grumpy will also have a look.

Re original amigo's fault - it was a wheel sensor. But cost me over £100 to get recovered from outside address , before the repair.
Need a local Torbay Freelander 1 fault reader....able to read fault codes, to save on recovery every time.

Philbee said:

Thanks Grumpy will also have a look.

Re original amigo's fault - it was a wheel sensor. But cost me over £100 to get recovered from outside address , before the repair.
Need a local Torbay Freelander 1 fault reader....able to read fault codes, to save on recovery every time.

Click to expand...

Historic now, but an ABS fault/wheel sensor would not have stopped the car starting or being driven. There's no need for recovery due to an ABS fault - you can drive it to a garage to plug it in to find the fault. It would have been something else stopping the car being started.

GrumpyGel said:

Historic now, but an ABS fault/wheel sensor would not have stopped the car starting or being driven. There's no need for recovery due to an ABS fault - you can drive it to a garage to plug it in to find the fault. It would have been something else stopping the car being started.

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Oh I see.

It could have been down to an intermittent fuel pump problem then as that was the second recovery problem repair? Now having it back for two weeks we are now into this!! Aaaaaah
I have heard that a lot of normal garages using modern diagnostic electronics can't read 51 plate landy's and you need a proper landy dealer/garage to read old codes ?

Is there anyway I could check the CCU at home with just an ordinary electrical tester of is it down to specialist electronic equipment?

Philbee said:

Oh I see.

It could have been down to an intermittent fuel pump problem then as that was the second recovery problem repair? Now having it back for two weeks we are now into this!! Aaaaaah
I have heard that a lot of normal garages using modern diagnostic electronics can't read 51 plate landy's and you need a proper landy dealer/garage to read old codes ?

Click to expand...

Freelander diagnostics do tend to be rather bespoke, needing specific Freelander kits to read anything other than engine codes (and also for engine codes on older models). You'd have thought that a decent garage would have kit capable though.

Having said that the 2000-2002 cars (with the Teves Mk20 ABS) have been known to have ABS diagnostic problems even on some Freelander specific kit. I think someone reported on here that their iCarsoft i930 could not read Teves Mk20 codes.

It sounds like a CCU issue to me too. Have you checked the large bolt on fuses in the engine bay fuse box?
I'm sure the CCU gets it power from one of those large fuses.

Diagnostics on that year FL1 is tricky, even I'd struggle a bit, and I'm well covered with vehicle diagnostic readers.

Grumpy

Going back to one of your earlier replies. If I disconnect the battery, doesn't the rear tailgate window drop and you have to bring it up using the dash switch, or have I got that wrong, or does it normally remain shut until you try to use it, then you have to recalibrate it?

If I do the battery disconnect and the CCU is the culprit, will I be able to raise the window only nothing in the window line works at the moment? Not good weather at the moment for the T/G window to be open to all this rain. At least all the windows are shut at present.

Thanks for your continued replies.

Philbee said:

Grumpy

Going back to one of your earlier replies. If I disconnect the battery, doesn't the rear tailgate window drop and you have to bring it up using the dash switch, or have I got that wrong, or does it normally remain shut until you try to use it, then you have to recalibrate it?

If I do the battery disconnect and the CCU is the culprit, will I be able to raise the window only nothing in the window line works at the moment? Not good weather at the moment for the T/G window to be open to all this rain. At least all the windows are shut at present.

Thanks for your continued replies.

Click to expand...

Its a fair comment, the window should lower and you will need to be able to press the button to raise it.

Its a gamble if you don't have a garage to keep the car in.

It is the CCU that will lower it though - so if it won't shift it, it presumably won't lower it.

I'm wondering if there is a wire you can connect 12v to to raise it "manually"? Anyone?

Does the window to its small drop if you try to open the back door?

Thanks Nodge68.
Will check those thanks .

No the Rear tailgate lock doesn't actuate at all.

No click, no initial window small drop. handle just raises as normal with no resulting sound or action.

GrumpyGel said:

Its a fair comment, the window should lower and you will need to be able to press the button to raise it.

Its a gamble if you don't have a garage to keep the car in.

It is the CCU that will lower it though - so if it won't shift it, it presumably won't lower it.

I'm wondering if there is a wire you can connect 12v to to raise it "manually"? Anyone?

Does the window to its small drop if you try to open the back door?

Click to expand...

No the Rear tailgate lock doesn't actuate at all.

No click, no initial window small drop. handle just raises as normal with no resulting sound or action.

Sorry forgot to press reply

A hawkeye will read all Freelander 1 computers for fault codes across all years.

I think you have a fault which is common to all the problems you have. Start with the easy things if working manually without diagnostics.

The interior lights: do they come if you press the button on them to power them? If not check for power on the fuse which powers them. If no power then follow this back on the diagram, testing for power as you go.

Hippo said:

A hawkeye will read all Freelander 1 computers for fault codes across all years.

I think you have a fault which is common to all the problems you have. Start with the easy things if working manually without diagnostics.

The interior lights: do they come if you press the button on them to power them? If not check for power on the fuse which powers them. If no power then follow this back on the diagram, testing for power as you go.

Click to expand...

Thanks Hippo for the heads up on code reader.

UPDATE ON POST

Went out to car and put key in drivers door as usual to unlock. Unwittingly left key in unlock position for longer than usual?
All the lights and horn flashed like a Break In situation?
Opened the door to insert key in ignition to silence alarm. Shut the door again , locked it assuming no response from security alarm set but.....wing indicators worked and dash alarm red light blinked and set alarm?
All windows and interior lights now back working but no rear windscreen wiper, and when locking the car after opening up, horn sounds like a window is open?Opened the rear tailgate, normal operation and closed again, now rear windscreen wiper works and when locking car up again, No Horn sounding.

It appears everything has been reset?
This may be only a temporary fix and could be an intermittent fault on the CCU maybe, but everything is back working normal at present and I'm not sure why. Could it be inserting ignition key into column to silence and cancel alarm activation maybe?

Hope this maybe some insight to others with maybe same or similar problems. Thanks to everyone for there help and suggestions
Sorry for the long thread but just thought it may help others.

cheers Philip

The CCU obviously had a glitch that has cleared. It sounds very similar to the problem I had. That was definitely caused by erratic electrics caused by my failing starter motor, I was lucky I suppose that there was no permanent damage.

GrumpyGel said:

The CCU obviously had a glitch that has cleared. It sounds very similar to the problem I had. That was definitely caused by erratic electrics caused by my failing starter motor, I was lucky I suppose that there was no permanent damage.

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My only other thought was, could it be a driver's door lock problem affecting operation of the CCU due to it being the master, and initiating CCU operation.
If it happens again, is it possible to bypass the drivers door lock, to initiate CCU operation? This could then identify the fault as either a door lock fault, rather than a CCU fault. Only a thought.

The driver's door isn't a master as such. It just has a key with a sensor, so the CCU can power all the door locks in response to that key turn. The driver's door lock also has a mechanical linkage, so the door will still unlock in the event that the battery is flat.

If multiple things aren't working, then it's the CCU that has an error, which isn't anything to do with the driver's door lock.