Freelander 1 Engine won't rev beyond 3750-4000rpm

Hi guys,

I recently picked up a 2004 Freelander TD4. Consistent with my usual luck with four-wheeled vehicles, it looked and ran fine on testing but quickly developed issues within just days of owning it. I won't go into all the details here, but suffice to say that the one previous owner had a complete **bleep** working on it at some point.

Anyway, one of the remaining issues (that I know of at least) is that it will not rev properly. This became evident after a couple of days of driving it. Given that one injector had started spraying diesel all over the engine rather than into it, I put it down to that. However, today I replaced that injector and also replaced the copper washers and O rings on the other three, as well as giving them all a thorough clean. I also replaced the saturated crankcase breather filter with the BMW oil separator upgrade.

On starting everything seemed fine and the engine revved readily to red line. (I know, I know... you shouldn't push a cold engine...) A few minutes later once the engine had warmed a little, it only revved to ~4000rpm. Some time later when the engine was fully warmed up to operating temps, that dropped to ~3750rpm and that's pretty much where it stayed. The engine picks up ok, revs smoothly and sounds fine, but just stops when reaching that rpm.

I'm good at tinkering and fixing things but I'm not a trained mechanic, so I'm after some ideas as to what could be causing this strange issue.

(Note: I'm a Brit that has emigrated to Romania, and my Freelander is from Germany. Getting "official" support is out of the question!)

Edit: One extra piece of info is that if I floor the throttle and hold it there, I do get the engine malfunction light come on when it reaches ~3750rpm. The light immediately goes out as soon as I release the throttle.

Goffik said:

On starting everything seemed fine and the engine revved readily to red line. (I know, I know... you shouldn't push a cold engine...) A few minutes later once the engine had warmed a little, it only revved to ~4000rpm. Some time later when the engine was fully warmed up to operating temps, that dropped to ~3750rpm and that's pretty much where it stayed. The engine picks up ok, revs smoothly and sounds fine, but just stops when reaching that rpm.

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that test were all done with vehicle static ?
i think the ecu might take into account engine ''load'' ..
and therefore may reduce top rpm if there's no engine load

will it pull 3500 - 4000rpm in 4th gear .. on the road ??

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hd3 said:

that test were all done with vehicle static ?

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Yes, all static so far. I know sometimes there is a limiter when not moving as both of my VW Caddys had exactly that, but I'd read on da interwebs that the Freelander 1 doesn't. It's a bit late for a test drive now as there would be no chance of a recovery truck if something goes wrong (life is much slower here!), but I'll go for a drive first thing tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion.

Faulty crankshaft sensor limited mine to about that rpm. Gave a hefty jolt when hitting about 3500 rpm. No fault codes given.

Goffik said:

I know sometimes there is a limiter when not moving as both of my VW Caddys had exactly that, but I'd read on da interwebs that the Freelander 1 doesn't.

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No stationery limiter on the TD4, it will rev to the red line, something which a VW won't do, much to the frustration of the MOT testers.

As Andy said, the crank sensor can break down at higher RPM, limiting RPMs.
The low pressure fuel pump can also do it, if it can't maintain pressure under load. A diagnostic on live data will be needed to check that though.

keep ''fuel filter'' in mind as well.
if that's somewhat clogged it'll restrict rpm on demand .. when driving.
[ if it's the rear-arch lp.pump / filter .. td4
[ drain the sedimenter ..
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Thanks a lot for the replies guys. Still haven't test driven yet as I was watching F1, but it seems that may not be entirely necessary anyway if the Freelander doesn't have a stationary limiter.

When it broke down after the MOT it was because the fuel pump stopped working. That seemed to be down to a sticky relay as it worked again when I swapped it for another. Of course that doesn't mean the pump is working 100% so I'll keep that in mind, and check the crankshaft sensor too. As for the fuel filter, the first thing I did after purchase was give it a full service. All fluids and filters have been changed.

One extra piece of info is that if I floor the throttle and hold it there, I do get the engine malfunction light come on when it reaches ~3750rpm. The light immediately goes out as soon as I release the throttle.

It seems that the problem has revealed itself. Didn't have time to check anything but the turbo hoses today (which were fine), but did take the car on a short trip to visit family. Performed ok on the way, and didn't even notice the revving problem since it's beyond the normal range for regular driving. Got in to come home, and there was no sound at all from the fuel pump when I turned the ignition on. Switching relays did nothing, so it looks like the pump is dodgy and it was just a fluke last time.

I suppose it's nice to know what the issue (probably) is, but now the bloody thing is stuck on a gravel road in a village twenty minutes from home, which is hardly the ideal place to be working on it. Typical.

Can't remember the last time my TD4 revved over 4000rpm

Just an update on this. On loading up my tools and driving across town to work on my stranded Freelander, the pump had decided to start working again. Typical. Quickly drove it home and replaced the fuel pump and filter (which had not been changed by the garage during the "full" service) yesterday. It appears to rev to red line now, and the pump is quieter too.

That said, there is potentially another issue but that's perhaps for another thread. I want to take it out for a good run first though, to blow out the cobwebs and see how it goes. Thanks all for the help so far.