Freelander 2 Petrol HST I6

Hi. My Freelander won't start. Battery is fine. It's not even attempting to turn over. I dont think i held the start button for long enough initially. It's been fine for years then today about an hour after a 5 mile journey this happened. When you take the key out, there is a continuous electrical whine - almost like a gyro sound coming from within the bonnet. I've disconnected the battery and left it for tonight. Does anyone have any ideas? Ive tried both keys.

The electrical whine is coming from the injector area on top of the engine.

I've got a video if anyone needs it.

There is a loud beep about a minute after the ignition is activated - like a parking sensor beep.

Failure to crank over, can normally put down to the steering lock not functioning correctly. Or the battery doesn't have enough power. The Freelander 2 is very heavy on Batteries, normally lasting about 4 years before they're useless.

What actually does work? Does the steering unlock and the dash light up? If so have you tried scanning for codes?

AA looked at it, tried various things and said it's likely to be the immobiliser...

I don't have a code reader..

I thought the red flashing light was the immobiliser? Does the steering lock come off because that is what switches off the immobiliser? The yellow engine light is on so I would expect it to have some fault codes.

Dont think the dash would come on without the immobiliser. What year and model is it?

It's a 2008 i6

karl lawrence said:

AA looked at it, tried various things and said it's likely to be the immobiliser...

Click to expand...

didnt the AA man

karl lawrence said:

It's a 2008 i6

Click to expand...

Sorry I dont have wiring diagrams for that. Think I would be looking at the start relay or assosiated circuit first. Good luck let us know what was when you sort it.

jamie198140 said:

Ok thank you and I may sound stupid saying this but does/should your local garage have one of these or will I have to take it to a specialist to get one?

Click to expand...

If the ignition lights are coming on, then the immobiliser is just fine. If the vehicle doesn't recognise the key, it says so and nothing happens when the start button is pressed.
Unfortunately the AA and RAC are pretty useless now, not worth the effort really.
Do you hear a clunk from behind the steering wheel when you insert the key? If not then it's likely the lock actuator at fault, but a code read would be needed to confirm this.

I've swapped the starter relay over with the air con relay and there's no change.
Measuring 12.36v across the battery. It was saying coolant low on the start checks. I've topped it up, cleared that warning but still no attempt to start. Looking to get it collected on Monday at the earliest into Salisbury for R&E to look at it.

If the battery is only showing under 12.4 Volts, then it's flat or failed. A good condition battery will show a minimum of 12.6V, preferably closer to 13.2V. These cars need an absolutely perfect battery if problems are to be avoided.

I've currently got it with jump leads to my mini!. When I press the start button, all the lights on the dash turn off.

Ok, so that's useful information.
Start is being inhibited, so pressing the button is simply turning the ignition off again. First check is the brake light switch, as unless the computer knows you want to start the engine by putting your foot on the brake, pressing the start button simply returns the vehicle to the off state.

Hi. Just done another check and recorded a video of it:

A couple of things I see. You're not allowing the system check to complete before putting your foot on the brake to start the engine. Not doing so causes data errors on the coms buses, as the voltage fluctuates with the engine cranking over.
However this is a separate issue I believe. The voltage is dropping slightly when you try to start, so I believe the ECM is sending the start signal to the starter relay.
It's looking like a problem with the starter. Have you checked the starter is functioning by jumping its trigger terminal directly to the battery positive?

Just done an exaggerated attempt but still nothing. I'll probably borrow a fault code reader and see what it's throwing up. The AA guy already did that but I haven't got his report yet.

The beep is warning that the starter has timed out. I'm guessing the starter contacts have burnt out, which is something that happens every 50k miles or so.