Freelander - Not Starting

Hi - As mentioned in my intro just stumbled across this site and can't wait to have a good nosey around. However, the reason for my stumble is my 03 Diesel Freelander won't start................it happened like this.

My wife asked me where the keys for the car where earlier this evening. Couldn't find them in the house so went to the car.....

I had left the car unlocked with the keys in the ignition since parking it on the drive yesterday afternoon.

I grabbed the keys out of the ignition - not noticing if the ignition was switched on. about 20 minutes later my wife went out to the car and it was as dead as dodo, nothing at all happened when she turned the key.

So I tried jumping it with my car, still nothing (jumping was just mapping he leads on to the pos and neg terminals from my car). Still nothing.

My question is.............will leaving the keys in the car with the ignition on have activated some immobiliser state. Or am I jumping it incorrectly.

Oh to cap it all our recovery expired at the end of March. It was on my todo list to sort.

As you will probalby guess I am in the doghouse, wife needs car in the morning any help greatly appreciated before I call the dealer.

Are you actually sure that the battery is dead?

After 5 minutes in my Disco, the ignition is immobilized. No matter how many times you turn the key, it won't start. The only way I know to get around it, is to use the key fob, to lock "unlock" the alarm. Give that a go..... you got nothing to loose.


Tuko.

Hi Tuko


Thanks for the suggestions.

I don't know if the battery is dead - thats my problem, hence the suggestion about the immobiliser.

The manual suggests pressing unlock or lock 5 times in quick succession. Tried this and still nothing, no response from the key fob whatsoever.

When you say after five mins in your disco nothing happens - does nothing mean no headlights lights even.

"When you say after five mins in your disco nothing happens - does nothing mean no headlights lights even"

What I mean, is that the iginition is dead. You can turn the key all day and there is nothing. To be honest, I've never noticed if the headlights worked or not.

I'm just wondering, if on your vehicle, you can use your key to unlock the immoblizier, on the drivers door lock? ( I can do this, on the Disco, by turning it so many times this way and that. )

BUT, then again, were not sure if that is your problem.
If your unsure if you boosted the battery correct, maybe replace the battery with the one in your car.

Land Rover suggests for boosting batteries, pos to pos, neg. from the start battery to the motor block of the dead vehicle.


Tuko.

Sean , leaving your ignition on will just flatten yer battery,if you use jump leads , you should get your ignition lights on [switch your head lights on] if they light up all is well, switch them orft, try and start[after glow plugs] if no go check ya fuses, hope this helps yer outa the dog place. . .

Cheers Ming thanks Tuko

I have just retried attaching jump leads - + to + - to engine mounting as per manual. Absolutely nothing no ignition lights no nothing at all. I even went + to + and - to - to see if I could get some electrics on, eg lights or radio. (nothing)
The more and more I think about it I only had the keys in the ignition, I do not think I left them in the "on" position. I am thinking Immobiliser problem, but the only action the manual states is to press either button on my fob 5 times in rapid succession. Tried this till my fingers were numb nothing !!!

The only immobilizer on your motor is inside the bonnet on r h side at the back ,has a red button you push down, try it but ya should still have electrics. . .

lets get one thing straight, only ever connect like for like terminals, + to +, - to - when jumping - now theres another distinct posibility, if you drain a typical lead/acid battery far enough it will not recover (under conventional circumstances - zap the bastard with 72V and a couple thousand amps and it may just come back to life) so no matter what you do its dead. No matter if the engine will start or not the auxilaries should function, lights etc. Try again!

Sean,
did you get the freelander running today?

Tuko.

The imobiliser wouldn't disable all electircs, only the ignition system. Lights etc should all still work. If you have no power what so ever then I'd say the battery is shot. Run a volt meter over it and see what it's putting out. Should be just over 12 volts.