Freelander 1 wont start after cutting out

Good evening all,

Looking for a bit of help....my freebie 1 cut out and would not start when static at some traffic lights. On calling recovery the guy plugged in his computer and it returned a catalytic converter fault (the cat and mid section is less that 6 months old) He did mention that it could be a false reading and was potentially the fuel pump.

I have replaced the fuel pump today and still no joy....it can be heard kicking in on the turn of the key.

the car is a x reg 1.8 gs I get all lights as normal on start up but no ignition, I'm thinking maybe ignition problems however I'm unsure and to be honest I'm not very mechanically minded.

Any suggestion or pointers would be greatly appreciated....and yes matches and petrol are at the ready lol!!!

"...would not start..." Was the vehicle running satisfactorily [normally] prior to this?
Does the engine turn over when you turn the key to start?

I'm not familiar with your registration system. Does X reg mean it's a earlier model between 2000 & 2001. If it is then I'd guess the motor has a distributor on the right hand end [ passenger side].

The failure to start could be a number of things including a faulty Cat' converter. Being only six months old doest mean it can't be faulty. Cat' converters can be damaged by motors which are worn [ burning oil / smokey] or have faulty ignition systems. Has your vehicle covered a high milage / is the motor worn [burning oil - smokey exhaust]?

Have the spark plugs and leads checked? Distributor cap and rotor inside it in good condition? Coil lead connected and in good condition?

Exhaust emissions are checked as part of your MOT. Were any problem/s indicated in the last test you had? These could point to over fuelling - poss a faulty O2 sensor or engine / air temp sensor... Over fuelling can damage / destroy a cat' converter.

There is also a crank position sensor which could be faulty. This would stop a motor too.

Have someone look at these things to see if there's a problem.

Thanks for the reply....yep car was fine with no issues before this.

I will have somebody look in to this tomorrow.

As htr asked ...does the starter turn mate ??

It's not the collision switch popped is it? Located on the bulkhead

or the ignition switch itself - numerous reports of them failing.

Cheers for the suggestions guys, I have checked the switch as freelance suggests that's fine.
starter motor turns as it should.

Got a guy out tomorrow to see what the score is.

Broken cam belt?

maybe the immobiliser has kicked in and sulking?

disco_mikey said:

Broken cam belt?

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yep.... thorough investigation, cambelt broken!

whoever plugged their computer in.. don't let them fix it.

trax said:

whoever plugged their computer in.. don't let them fix it.

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Exactly!!!!..... not impressed with green flag at all really!

and he kept on turning the motor over with a broken cam belt I would sue he should know better I bet a few valves have dug into the pistons and so on.

trax said:

whoever plugged their computer in.. don't let them fix it.

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Quite. A broken timing belt is obvious, the moment the engine is cranked over.

teddywood1 said:

and he kept on turning the motor over with a broken cam belt I would sue he should know better I bet a few valves have dug into the pistons and so on.

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In reality Teddy, the damage was done when the belt initially broke. Additional cranking generally does no more damage. Especially as a short crank is all that is required to determine a broken belt.

teddywood1 said:

and he kept on turning the motor over with a broken cam belt I would sue he should know better I bet a few valves have dug into the pistons and so on.

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Yep....was talking this through with my mate who came to look at it today. Considering I had to show the Green flag operator where the plug was for the diagnostic, he didn't really fill me with confidence anyway.

I am a mechanicby trade and I drive a recovery truck, I get called out to such a wide array of vehicles over the course of a year.... I can't remember where to find every diagnostic socket....

I drive a freelander and I dont even know where to find the socket on one! So just cuz he didn't know where to find the socket doesn't mean diddly.

However - missing the distinct whizzing that a broken cambelt produces is inexcusable!