Freelander 1 Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going mad. Freelander electrical problem

Hi, I've got a 1999 Freelander Mk 1 with an electrical fault that is driving me barmy!

The connection in the offside indicator bulb holder is broken, so the previous owner put in some foil to pack it out. So far so good, the bulb works perfectly, until it rains when the light cluster fills with water. This would seem a simple thing, just dry it out and change the foil or the lamp holder. Unfortunately this Freelander seems to have different ideas than us mere mortals. Instead I now have a situation where when I turn the key to start it only the fuel pump kicks in and the clock lights up. The engine will not turn over and the dashboard display is out. To get around this I have used the key fob to lock the car, and then double clicked it to open it again as usual. Now when I go to start it the engine starts, but I have no lights, indicators or dashboard display. Is there anyone out that can help before I have a nervous breakdown?

Nick Goodwin said:

Hi, I've got a 1999 Freelander Mk 1 with an electrical fault that is driving me barmy!

The connection in the offside indicator bulb holder is broken, so the previous owner put in some foil to pack it out. So far so good, the bulb works perfectly, until it rains when the light cluster fills with water. This would seem a simple thing, just dry it out and change the foil or the lamp holder. Unfortunately this Freelander seems to have different ideas than us mere mortals. Instead I now have a situation where when I turn the key to start it only the fuel pump kicks in and the clock lights up. The engine will not turn over and the dashboard display is out. To get around this I have used the key fob to lock the car, and then double clicked it to open it again as usual. Now when I go to start it the engine starts, but I have no lights, indicators or dashboard display. Is there anyone out that can help before I have a nervous breakdown?

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I guess a good start would be to sort out the obvious stuff. Replace the light fitting with either a new one or a good used one. That way you can rule out shorts in that area.
Have you checked all the fuses?

I had a similar issue with the light unit, a burnt out connector. I 'fixed' it by filling the connector with solder so that connections are made. Its not a great fix as the solder was reluctant to bond to the fitting and I'm sure it will just fall out if I ever need to change the bulb, but its been working OK for over 2 years now so has saved the cost of a replacement light fitting so far

I have no idea why it burnt out, presumably a poor connection, but it looks like I'm not alone in suffering the problem. It was difficult to get a good pic, but this is as good as it got...



Mine though does not fill with water, I agree with Ali, you probably should be replacing it.

As for your electrical issues. Not sure what's going on there. The fuel pump will be controlled by the engine ECU, not sure the clock. Everything that has died would appear to be controlled by the CCU. So I'd start by making sure the connectors to the CCU are all plugged in firmly.

I'd be replacing the lamp unit. I'd also be changing the ignition switch too. These are known to suffer the ravages of time. From memory the ECU is fed from a different set of contacts to the rest of the ignition powered circuits. This would explain why the FP runs, but the lights are off.

Alibro said:

I guess a good start would be to sort out the obvious stuff. Replace the light fitting with either a new one or a good used one. That way you can rule out shorts in that area.
Have you checked all the fuses?

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Alibro, you are a fully certified genius!!!!

Who would have thought that a blown indicator lights fuse would have given the immobiliser a dose of the snots? Fuse now changed and the dashboard and everything else now OK. Just waiting for a lampholder which is on its way from the UK and by Christmas our home will be peaceful again.

Thanks again, you are a star!

Nick Goodwin said:

Alibro, you are a fully certified genius!!!!

Who would have thought that a blown indicator lights fuse would have given the immobiliser a dose of the snots? Fuse now changed and the dashboard and everything else now OK. Just waiting for a lampholder which is on its way from the UK and by Christmas our home will be peaceful again.

Thanks again, you are a star!

Click to expand...

Err, sorry mate you must be talking about someone else. I don't recognise the description.
I'm not that smart, I've been a computer engineer for nearly thirty years and figured out somewhere along the line, if you have a horribly confusing fault to fix all the simple things and sometimes your lucky.