2004 TD4 Rattle, Stutter in power delivery and puff off smoke

Hi
My 2004 2.0 Diesel TD4 Freelander has developed an issue when the vehicle is on an incline or when you come off the accelerator and then re-accelerate. On occasion there is a metallic sounding rattle which appears to come from the back of the engine / underneath of the vehicle this is then followed by a stuttering sensation in the power delivery which when clears is followed by a puff of smoke from the exhaust. A local garage has looked at the vehicle and has advised that I have two leaking Injectors and one with an intermittent fault, I don't dispute this but I am unsure that this explains all of the symptoms.
When I purchased the vehicle I was told that it had the BMW engine, not sure if this makes a difference.
Looking for any advice from owners that have experienced the same

TD4 has what they call a common rail fuel injection system where a high pressure fuel pump delivers a controlled pressure to the common rail and injectors that are electronically opened and closed giving a metered dose of fuel to each cylinder. To test injectors and their spray pattens they need to be removed and tested using specialist equipment, however I would check the common rail pressure sensor first as this might be faulty causing over fuelling to the injectors and quite common on TD4 engines

redwood said:

TD4 has what they call a common rail fuel injection system where a high pressure fuel pump delivers a controlled pressure to the common rail and injectors that are electronically opened and closed giving a metered dose of fuel to each cylinder. To test injectors and their spray pattens they need to be removed and tested using specialist equipment, however I would check the common rail pressure sensor first as this might be faulty causing over fuelling to the injectors and quite common on TD4 engines

Click to expand...

Do you know how best to test the rail pressure sensor or is this a garage job ? Understand that the injectors etc could impact the acceleration but what would the metallic rattle noise be ? Just wondering if all the symptoms are connected or if I have two seperate issues.

Easiest way is to disconnect the plug and rev the engine and see if the knock and smoke goes away. WARNING this will bring a warning light up on the dash and could cost you £40 to clear it.
It takes a trained ear to know the difference between a diesel and mechanical knock.

On occasion there is a metallic sounding rattle which appears to come from the back of the engine / underneath of the vehicle this is then followed by a stuttering sensation in the power delivery which when clears is followed by a puff of smoke from the exhaust.

Click to expand...

back of the engine / underneath of the vehicle .. be where the turbo and exhaust cat. be ..
wondering if the noise be connected to the turbo vanes actuating linkage .. maybe its loose .. or something
or the turbo vacuum solenoid is acting up ..
or somethings loose inside the catalytic converter

people have mentioned a heat shield on the exhaust .. near the engine .. that sometimes comes loose and rattles
( but not sure if that's the td4 or one of the other fl1 engines .. even so .. that .. is unlikely to cause a stutter in the power delivery )

A local garage has looked at the vehicle and has advised that I have two leaking Injectors and one with an intermittent fault,

Click to expand...

good chance faulty injectors would cause a 'diesel knock' rattle
not to mention stuttering in the power delivery 'n some smoke ..

Try getting a leak back test this should pin down the injectors which may be out of synch