Help, My 2003 TD4 wont start!!!

Hi all,

I do hope some of you clever people can help. My Freelander is broken and I don’t have many ideas on what to try next. We have had the car about 6 months, it’s a 2003 TD4 and has been perfect, no faults at all until this week. It started when the lights were left on and the battery drained overnight (not by me!). Next day my wife couldn’t start it, battery completely flat and just the click of a few relays. When I got home I thought a quick jump start would sort it, but whilst the battery came to life and it turned over fast, no amount of turning world fire the engine – like there is no fuel. According to the gauge there is half a tank.

I have no ideal whether the flat battery and the non starting problem are connected or just bad luck. I have looked about for immobiiser problems but as it turns over I think that is OK.

When the key is turned the rear fuel pump (under rear wheel arch) whirs for a minute or two, you can hear the fuel buzzing in the engine bay near / below the dipstick on the left of the engine. I have removed the fuel pump cover (not easy!) and you can feel it pumping, so I am assuming it works. But every thing points to no fuel. If I spay easystart into the intake it will run for seconds / as long as the easystart is there, then stops as soon as it has used up the easystart.

I have tried unplugging the fuel pressure regulator switch (I think that’s what it’s called). I have read lots on here about intermittent problems, hot and cold starting etc, but I have been tinkering now for 3 days, and it hasn’t even caught once without the easy start. I have borrowed my brothers OBD scanner tool and as far as I can tell there are no fault codes.

Any ideas – I really can’t afford to give it to a garage, particularly if it takes ages to diagnose which I think it might, plus at the moment I can’t even get it there. I’m in Coalville, Leicestershire, if anybody does know of a specialist that might not rip me off.

Many thanks,

Stuart

Hi, Thanks for the reply. As far as I was aware I only have the rear fuel pump. My pump and filter are under the rear wheel arch. I can hear a buzzing from the engine where the fuel pipes seem to dissapear under the rocker cover but I didn't think there was any further pumps.
Thanks

Thought you should have only had one miss read your first post. Othe thought now is disconect battery for 5 mins reconect and see. You can also crack a joint off the rail and see if you get a fuel coming out. The rear pumps are prone to failing but may not be case in yours, also when was the filter last changed as just could be a prob

Hi, thanks again. I have disconnected the battery tonight so will try again in the the morning. The fuel filter hasn't been changed and I will do this next, it seems very difficult to access though! Could a dirty filter stop fuel to this extent? I would like to unclip a fuel joint at the engine side but wasn't sure if I needed a special tool to reattach?

As you've had no previous problems until the battery became discharged it must be related to that in some way:

Is there any chance that the jump leads were connected incorrectly ( even for a very short period)?

When the ignition is switched on do all the warning lamps behave as normal (i.e. come on briefly during self-check, except for ABS of course)?

Have you checked whether the inertia switch has tripped (n/s inner wing red rubber top)?

Check all fuses as a voltage/current surge during jumpstarting may have blown an engine management fuse.

Hi Dann,

Thanks for your input. I did obviously think it was connected to start with but after looking on here for a while and seeing so many posts about fuel pumps and injectors I began to think it was that. It was my wife that fist tried to jump it with a portable starter but I don't think it had enough juice in it to start the flat battery. I then connected it up to my car later and had it turning over fine - just no fire.

I have asked my wife about possible misconection and she says no, but it does seem too much of a coincidence so maybe either the flat battery (causing immob or ecu probs) or the jump start (damaging a fuse, relay,ecu) may be the cause. I have checked most fuses. I also checked the inertia switch late tonight and it actually clicked when I pressed it - which I didn't think it was meant to do. Is this for the fuel also as in the handbook it gives the impression that it is for the central locking on the TD4.

Thanks, stu

The inertia switch is the fuel shut off switch. If it went click then it had been tripped. Have you tried starting it since? It should fire up now.

Hi again,

Thanks for everyones input so far. Unfortunately I think the inertia switch was a bit of a red herring. It seems to have made no difference, so possibly it either didn't click when I pressed it or possibly it set when I unplugged it to check the connection. Either way there is no difference, when I unplug it below now during the prime stage I immediately hear the fuel pumps stop.

I have checked all relevant fuses in car and under bonnet, swaped a few relays about but still nothing.

I have performed a injector leak test as described on here, I think I did it correctly and there was no diesel coming back through the injectors.

One thing I have noticed is the priming stage carries on for 2-3 minuites before stopping on it's own accord via a relay, this seems a long time?

I really don't know now - have ran out of ideas. I still think it's a big coincidence that it all started with a flat battery if the problems aren't connected. I can only assume that the glow plug side of things works as it fires on easystart. So it must be fuel delivery - either mechanical or electrical that is stopping it. I don't really know enough about the fuel system to have any ideas.

Thanks for you input. I think I will have to call in a expert and get it towed away next week!

surely it is the immobiliser if battery was flat, charge the battery, completely lock the car using fob , unlock and start.

Reading your last post if it was a leaking injector then once started on easy start it would run fine as the cranking pressure is low. One thing to test if it is low fuel pressure due to the fuel pump is to unplug the plug on the end of the common rail, it then should start in limp mode with the managment light on, then plug back and see what happens
Also Landrover have issued a service bulletin about a corrosion problem with the plug for the fuel pressure regulator as the cpu gets a false voltage signal which in turn shuts the fuel delivery down hence no power, you get no fault codes as the cpu thinks all is working ok. There is a modified plug and wiring for the fuel pressure regulator. The landrover part No is YMQ503320 and It’s a easy fit. So that may also be the prob

Until the day arrives when we can have live video/audio links (maybe using voip as per SKYPE) diagnostic assistance, the use of text is our only communication method which is both fascinating but very frustrating as we can only assume that you are able to relate our technical advice to your problem.
Good luck. D..

Wow, so great thoughts - thanks for your time everyone.

In terms of the immobilier if it was this would it even turn over? I have charged up the battery and locked unlock resynced etc a number of times with no luck.

As has been said, reading the forums, normally an injector fault or cam position sensor has a intermitant effect where as mine seems to have 100% no life other than turning the engine until the battery dies again. I'm seriously thinking about an LPG mod with easystart cans!!!!

I have tried unpluging the fuel rail sensor as I though too that this might bypass the fuel pressure problem (if it was a pressure problem) but this has made no difference.

Thanks for the info on the land rover part bulliten - I will look into this.

Cheers everyone, Stu

If it now has not started then could be the pump, one way to check is to disconect the fuel line to high pressure pump turn on and see if you get a flow, the pump in normal opperation should take about 1 min to get to pressure and shut off with the ignition on. Good luck

Hi
I had the same problem with my TD4..
Under the wheel arch in front of the fuel pump and filter you will see a black container, this has 2 pipes going into the top, disconnect the pipes and remove the container,when removed fill the container with diesel and then refit. Now try starting the car, it worked for me.

This was recently posted on the dark side........some of it sounds bollox but no harm in trying it. It's clearly an attempt at draining and rebooting the immobiliser system so it'll be interesting to see if it has any effect on yours. It apparently worked for the poster!

1. Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery.
2. Remove the fuses for the alarm
3. Remove the positive terminal
4. Reconnect the fuses
5. Reconnect the negative terminal on the battery but not the positive
6. Turn your ignition on in this state and hold it there for 5 seconds
7. Turn it off and remove the key
8. Shut the driver door (with you on the outside)
9. Reconnect the battery (the alarm might sound, but this is normal)
10. Put the ignition key in the driver door and lock it 5 times and unlock it 5 times with the fob (left button locks - right unlocks)
11. Lock it once more with the key and if it worked when you unlock it with the fob it will stop (the alarm) and you can start the car.
This will disarm the immobilizer until you lock the car with the fob


Engine Immobiliser is fuse 32 in passenger compartment

Since the fuel pump is running for a long time before it cuts off it could be a problem on the suction side of the pump. The black container inside of the o/s rear wheel arch is the sedimenter to collect the larger solids from the fuel supply and also separate the water. This should be drained on service.
The fuel system has a switch which detects low primary pump pressure and if it sets it will prevent the engine from starting. This is done to protect the high pressure pump from damage due to cavitation if it were run starved of fuel. Change the filter next to the pump if it has not been changed in the past 12 months.

One of the problems with this engine is leakage flow at the injectors. This prevents the pressure in the common rail from reaching a sufficiently high value at cranking speeds . so the engine will not start. Using easy start in this case does start the engine and it continues to run since as the speed increases sufficient pressure is built up by the HP pump. I dont think this is your problem because the engine does not continue to run.

This maybe a stupid question, but does the Td4 have camshaft and /or crankshaft position sensors ?

Hi, Just an update for everyone that has helped. I had to get it towed to a local specialist in the end. He has gone through the same kind of things that I have with no success. He moved on to the ECU (that I had considered) and sent it off for testing. It was found to have 2 blown components so they were replaced. Unfortunately it still wont start. It has now been sent off for reprogramming but I am begining to worry.

I can only assume the ecu was damaged when it was initially jump started, but there was never any cross polarity so it must have just been a surge.

Has anybody had a similar problem? Also is the ECU easy to replace with a second hand unit or is it coded to the car / alarm etc?

Many thanks, stuart