Freelander auto 2004 v6 F4 dash flash

Good morning all

again randomly this morning after the trucks been used continuously for the last week it’s stuck in limp mode F4. It doesn’t allow me to even turn over the engine. Checked loose connections and removed battery and put back , I have a full battery and everything is working on the truck but it’s just won’t turn over and instead it’s just flashes when I turn the key F4. I would expect it to go in limp mode when driving not when it’s sat on drive , only thing which has been different this week is that it’s been cold and had a heavy frost most nights but it’s still be driving fine .
Any ideas would be appreciated before I call out a mechanic as it’s now stuck on my drive .

What happens when you turn the key to the start position? Is there a clicking sound under the bonnet? Have you checked the starter trigger connection for corrosion?

Hello, when I first turn the key to fire all seems ok, all normal lights are on and then go off and the Parking P is On the dash, as I turn it to turn over it simply then changes to a F4 and all the dash lights come on and a clicking starts but gradually fades out?
I checked the spade end connector which slips onto to starter at that seemed fine and nice and tight and no corrosion. Starter is only 1 year old and 2500 miles.
Again just weird it’s randomly stopped and limped mode before evening cranking.

Really you need to read the codes, as I suspect you have an issue with the gear position switch, which is preventing it from cranking.

Yes I managed to get a landrover reader and the below codes came up which I couldn’t remove.

C1221 break pedal switch electrical failure

previously had the same issue 2 months ago and same code and a clean and wiggle of wire and managed to get her started

other code is c1151 Can gbox data failure

Not sure where to begin

Start by... Turn on the electrics only and select all positions on the gear lever. Check the led's by the lever report correctly and same for the dash display PRN... etc.

Yer bake pedal signals need to be correct for it to start. If not it won't. If the switch is failing it will need replaced.

Yes check the electrics and each led light is correctly lit and displayed on the dash.

I have ordered a new break switch anyway just to try , I’ll go over all the earths again and check starter motor connections etc like I did previously and check the twisted connection cables.

failing that I’m basically stuck , will have to get it towed to a garage for an auto electrical fault find

Its unusual for it to flash F4 without the engine starting.

resistance video = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTmdkDuKZ6A

If you have access then read the error codes from the engine, auto and abs modules (computers).

Thanks hippo, both occasions the car has not been able to start or even crank with F4 flashing , code reader had the faults above .
Will try the barrel connectors method 1 tomorrow and will have a good check with all cables etc

Hippo said:

If you have access then read the error codes from the engine, auto and abs modules (computers).

Click to expand...

My misbehaving Jatco randomly flashed F4 with just the ignition on, although it did allow the engine to start.

I sold the car in the end, as I couldn't find the fault.

Nodge68 said:

My misbehaving Jatco randomly flashed F4 with just the ignition on, although it did allow the engine to start.

I sold the car in the end, as I couldn't find the fault.

Click to expand...

I always thought your fault was down to a calculation error, due to a problem with one or more of the signals it uses to calculate the required gear to be in or the desired change if one were needed. Probably a rouge change calculated but one that shouldn't have happened as you were cruising. Hence the sudden drop from 4 to 1, which would never happen under normal conditions as it would never drop to 1st when moving at speed. It's forbidden but possible if the signals to the gearbox solenoids tell it to, because of a calculation fault. The key thing to note/test when dealing with calculation errors is the auto will drive normally in manual selection mode and change gear up/down and cruise happily. Only when you ask it you choose gears for itself, things then go wrong. If it's intermittent it's a sod to find.

I member some years ago meeting up with someone to go for a drive until his car produced F4 flashing so we could see what codes were available. Armed with me hawkeye we did 80 miles of mixed driving with no problems. We tried everything but it didn't fail. During that time I rolled through the live data on me hawkeye and filmed it so we had a log of what was happening. Mainly the engine and auto, but still no problems. It then produced F4 on the drive without the engine running when it was back home. First time I'd ever seen that happen in front on me and the first time the owner had seen it as anorl. Would never have believed it if I had not seen it myself. Would need to find my notes on it but it had intermittent engine and abs signal problems. When they were solved the F4 never came back. The auto gearbox module only ever had the vague gear ratio fail message. Sadly the owner had already been scammed for a replacement auto and the intermittent issues were still present after.

Thanks for your response , really detailed.
A month on and after fitting the new break switch it started first time and being running fine .
However after 2 weeks of not being driven as I was offshore and the harsh snow this week again the Freelander has failed me . It tried turning over several times and then finally the F4 code came up and just persistent clicking !!!! I’ve checked battery and it’s not brilliant at 12.05v before attempting to start, I’ve even tried charging it and tried another car with jump leads but still just clicking. Battery cables seem good and no corrosion, earths seem good , gbox connectors all clean and contacts good,removed ignition barre, cleaned and checked all connectors, alternator wiring cleaned and recrimmed/ starter spade re wired and tight, all fuses removed/checked and Re- installed.
Tried again and still just clicking and F4 flashing with symbols on the dash. Could a not so good battery make a F4 code present ? Or could a starter motor ? I’m tempted to either get a new battery or remove starter motor as that’s where the clicking is coming from.
So frustrating it keeps randomly happening and it does seem to always happen when temperature are freezing .
Anything else I can try before I get it towed to garage for further inspection

At 12 Volts the battery is dead.
The starter also suffers burned contacts, which means it'll just click, and not turn the engine over, so it could also be that, but the battery should should 12.6V to 12.8V, otherwise its considered flat.

Cheers for your reply. Yes I’ve looked at getting a new battery today, I’ll try charge it fully first and see if it holds enough juice to start it and if it does I’ll get a new battery.
I did randomly this afternoon try my spare key and would you believe it , it actually turned over and tried to fire, tried it again and straight back to clicking and F4. It’s really bizarre..... I would of usually gave up and got rid but it’s an excellent motor, great off road on my marshes and only 76000 on the clock ! And this is the only really issue I’ve had for the last 5 years

Can you trigger the F4 flashing without trying to start the engine? Switch the electrics on only and move the gear lever through all positions. Use the break pedal to do it. Also press and release the break and accelerator pedal in each position, seprately. Does that trigger F4 flashing?

I will try in the morning and report back

So this morning I tried to get the code to trigger without turning the ignition on to crank, electric only . Good news is that there wasn’t any F4 code. All gear selection worked fine and replicated the gear on the dash.
On attempting the crank the F4 code came up,it didn’t turn over and no clicking this morning , just silence/dead tried both keys and exactly the same , removed battery connectors for reset and tried again by nothing, the rear window took nearly 30 seconds to close so defo issue with battery. I’m still hesitate to change £120 battery when it randomly tried turning over yesterday and the clicking of the starter suggests that could also be knackered

Adam131 said:

I’m still hesitate to change £120 battery when it randomly tried turning over yesterday and the clicking of the starter suggests that could also be knackered

Click to expand...

You don't need to spend anything like £120.
Order one for here, which is who I use.
https://www.tayna.co.uk/car-batteri...EKOy829pVayH0uAUg27o5485ErLoTXBoaAnqdEALw_wcB

Use another car to charge yer battery to rule it out. Leave it charging for 5 minutes to give it a boost. Then disconnect and start yours.