Intermittent starting problem

I've got a 2001 Freelander TD4 that's developed a starting fault. It's fine from cold start, but when it's warm it won't start (sometimes). It's been in and out of JV Like - the LR dealer in this area - who said it seemed like a fuel problem and changed the fuel pump. Fine for a few weeks, now it's back again. The engine turns over but will not catch. ANy ideas please? This fault is driving us mad and costing us money. Each time it goes in to the garage Likes can't find a problem - but they don't usually look at it for 3 or 4 days when it starts perfectly. It's been in 3 times now. Any suggestions?

change ya lr garage

I think Slob would like to discuss the intermittent bit with you.


Any how is the Td4 the BMW injun (don't laff cos I ant a clue about any landy that was made after 1990, and even then only the real ones) Any how my mate had a similar problem with his Beemer that has the same injun they put in Landies and it turned out, after three years of looking, to be a crappy connection in the fuel pump wiring behind the glovebox. The glove box in the Beemer not the Gaylander cos they'll probly be in different places, although they'll both have them somewhere near the front I reckon, but then wot do I know real vehicles just have a wet shelf not a glove box.

Blenx said:

I've got a 2001 Freelander TD4 that's developed a starting fault. It's fine from cold start, but when it's warm it won't start (sometimes). It's been in and out of JV Like - the LR dealer in this area - who said it seemed like a fuel problem and changed the fuel pump. Fine for a few weeks, now it's back again. The engine turns over but will not catch. ANy ideas please? This fault is driving us mad and costing us money. Each time it goes in to the garage Likes can't find a problem - but they don't usually look at it for 3 or 4 days when it starts perfectly. It's been in 3 times now. Any suggestions?

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hi do you know what they have done and do you have any print outs from the computor, if they say its fuel your freelander has 2 fuel pre pumps and 1 high pressure pump. sometimes the pump in the wing can get hot and seize and then get cold and unseize, this will cause problems starting but if the pump in the boot packs up it probably wont start at all. the cam sensor can have intermitant faults as the engine only uses this for starting and not when engine is running but this should brink up a fault, they also have problems with the wiring connector on the end of the high pressure rail if you disconect it it sometimes is ****ed up. and injectors can leak back to much fuel causing low starting pressure and very rare the pressure control valve in the high pressure pump goes wrong and leaks back to much fuel. 1 way i found to test the high pressure pump if car wont start is spray easy start in to inlet and see if car starts on alternative fuel normally when they start they keep running, i dont think its this as your car starts sometimes and vehicles i have seen wont start at all unless sprayed need to know what they have done really keep happy tig

What pump did they change? Sounds like the cam sensor. Its around £40 and takes 5mins to fit. I would refit your old pump (if you still have it) and ask for a refund. You can fit the cam sensor yourself. To check the pumps, turn on the ign, then listen as the pumps hum. After approx 40secs the pumps switch off when the pressure has built up. If your model has the filter fitted on inner N/S wing behind battery, squeeze the hose, these should be harder as they will be under pressure.

Hi there, any joy with your starting prob. If you did could you let me know what it was as it sounds exactly the same as the problem I have just got with my td4, all the best cheers in advance, andy

Blenx said:

I've got a 2001 Freelander TD4 that's developed a starting fault. It's fine from cold start, but when it's warm it won't start (sometimes). It's been in and out of JV Like - the LR dealer in this area - who said it seemed like a fuel problem and changed the fuel pump. Fine for a few weeks, now it's back again. The engine turns over but will not catch. ANy ideas please? This fault is driving us mad and costing us money. Each time it goes in to the garage Likes can't find a problem - but they don't usually look at it for 3 or 4 days when it starts perfectly. It's been in 3 times now. Any suggestions?

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Just had exactly the same problem with my 06 Freebie.

I ended up having to have the Fuel Rail Sensor harness replaced but it could also be a problem with the crank sensor, or an injector staying open when warm.

coming from a man who's spent fricking thousends on a similar problem......

1. if you just continue to turn it over and over and over for like 20 seconds does it finally splutter in to life?

2. does it occasionally have an unstedy tick over, it hunts (surges)

Universally_Challenged said:

coming from a man who's spent fricking thousends on a similar problem......

1. if you just continue to turn it over and over and over for like 20 seconds does it finally splutter in to life?

2. does it occasionally have an unstedy tick over, it hunts (surges)

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Yep had lumpy tickover.

Getting it started was fun depending on how long I had stop for once up to temperature and it got worse.

If I turned it off then tried to start it straight away it could take 20 second to a minute to get going, after 5 minutes off could take anything up to a few minutes to get it going.

The day before it went in I stoped in a shop for 5-10 mnutes and it took me twenty minutes to get the ****er going again plus at this pont the engine warning light started flicking on and off

Universally_Challenged said:

coming from a man who's spent fricking thousends on a similar problem......

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You don't know the half of it, this is what happend in the first 3 months of ownership. This is from post last year on another forum

OK so I've owned my freelander since May and have done 4500 miles in it and it has broken down 4 times.

All of them have had to do with sensor faults.

And the best bit, on the 3rd breakdown the dealership wanted to keep it for 2 weeks to run it to see if anything else hapened, OK no problem LR gave me a 5 dr 06 freelander with 500 miles on the clock (built same month as mine) 1000 miles later it breakes down with the sam fault as mine thats in for the inspection.

Ahh, British built cars you just cant beat thm

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Hi Chris,

Sorry last of the old ones, build month May 2006.

I reckon they have either bought in a load of old crappy sensors or the guy doing the wireing loom is just stuffing them in any old how.

Interesting thing is, mine that broke down and the hire car were in 500 miles traveled of each other when the fuel presseure sensor went and both built within a week of each other.

Our latest breakdown was due to Green dust in the sensor, but don't know which one as my wife was driving and she didn't ask.

Tim

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OK I don't know what measurement LR uses for fuel pressur so I'm going to psi in and wait to get shouted down.

When our Freebi first broke down and the took a reading our fuel pressure sensor was reading 9200(psi?) Dealer had never seen the fault code before so they called LR Tech who told themwhat was up and just clear down the system.

Fault was cleared from the cpu and 10 days later car promplty broke down again. This time dealer phoned LR Tech and asked what they should do and gave LR tech the figures. Much scratching of heades from the bods at LR Tech as the fuel pressure sensor should read between 5 - 6500 (psi?).

Dealership being canny lads decided to look at one of their demo vehicles, on the road for over a year 12,000 miles is never a problem. FPS on that read 8,200 so way above LR Tech's parameters.

To cut a short story long, FPS replace and still reads 7,850 (psi?) then to top it all another sensor gave up because it was full of dust.....what the **** is that all about. A nearly offroad vehicle being stopped by dust?????????????

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Just spoken to the manager at the rental company that supplied the hire car that broke on us and found that 3 of their five Freebies (supplied to the by Land Rover Supprot) have broken down with the same problem.

All are 06 models. Me thinks there is somthing going on here but LR won't admitt anything.

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Some interesting other facts.

When we broke down with the hire car the landrover tech guy went straight to the fuel pressure sensor,he'd spoken to a mate on the way to us and was told that was where to start, bent the contacts plugged it back in and no pobs until we handed the car back.

The last break down, sorry don't know what sensor (wife driving she didin't ask) again land rover tech went straight to it and said "thought that was where the problem was" he didn't even bother running diagnostics before hand.

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I have a 2001 Y Plate Freelander TD4 with intermittent starting problems, Can someone please tell me where the Cam Sensor is situated as I understand this could be the problem?

The problem seems to happen intermittently, I can switch off the engine only to find that I cannot start it again. Battery OK and it Runs OK when I eventually manage to start it,, till i switch off again!!!!

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