L Series Hissing non-starter

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Laurence

Laurence

Member
Posts
61
Location
Fobbing, Essex.
Hi All, Happy new year and all that. Have a 1999 L series FLander with 127,000 on the clock, clutch is high as it can go with £500 (I have been quoted) to replace. Just put 4 new tyres on it and then had an overheat problem (hole in radiator) that together with getting my intermittent starter motor problem sorted out cost me £280.

Would not start three weeks ago. My mechanic put in new gloplugs (£80) and things were fine but I did notice a hissing noise coming from under the dashboard (driver side), but what the heck it was starting first time!
The day before yesterday would not start again and drained the battery and melted a set of jump leads trying to get it going. I'm pretty certain there is a compression leak, but would not know where to look without getting the engine going so I can hear where the hissing is coming from.

Been through my haynes manual a few time, rubbish fault finding section!

Anything that can help I will be grateful.

Having said all that, I've had the Freelander since 2004, drive in and out of London (60 mile round trip) every day which involves at least two hours sitting in traffic jams every day, carries muddy dogs at least three times a week, and has carried bricks, cement, plasterboard as well as two dogs and suitcases accross the country for holidays.

All in all I cant imagine being without it.:crazy_driver:
 
Laurence said:
Hi All, Happy new year and all that. Have a 1999 L series FLander with 127,000 on the clock, clutch is high as it can go with £500 (I have been quoted) to replace. Just put 4 new tyres on it and then had an overheat problem (hole in radiator) that together with getting my intermittent starter motor problem sorted out cost me £280.

Would not start three weeks ago. My mechanic put in new gloplugs (£80) and things were fine but I did notice a hissing noise coming from under the dashboard (driver side), but what the heck it was starting first time!
The day before yesterday would not start again and drained the battery and melted a set of jump leads trying to get it going. I'm pretty certain there is a compression leak, but would not know where to look without getting the engine going so I can hear where the hissing is coming from.

Been through my haynes manual a few time, rubbish fault finding section!

Anything that can help I will be grateful.

Having said all that, I've had the Freelander since 2004, drive in and out of London (60 mile round trip) every day which involves at least two hours sitting in traffic jams every day, carries muddy dogs at least three times a week, and has carried bricks, cement, plasterboard as well as two dogs and suitcases accross the country for holidays.

All in all I cant imagine being without it.:crazy_driver:
Click to expand...

Shooting in the dark here but If I am right the fuel pump is on the drivers side chassis leg. It is possible the hissing noises were the first signs of its failure. Is there any white smoke out the exhaust when cranking? If yes then you have fuel. If no then you don't.

When you say it won't start will it crank over? If it had a compression leak as bad as you say it sounded you would have felt a major loss of power. The same goes for turbo hose.

The only other thing I can think of on the drivers side that could hiss is the brake vacuum servo and assosiated pipes.
 
Thanks Ratty.
You know I told the garage that I thought it was the fuel pump when I first took it in but they insisted on replacing the gloplugs. Def not the brake vac, and there has been no significant loss of power so hgasket and turbo are unlikely. No smoke when cranked over. What I dont understand is why it ran for a week and a half after they replaced the gloplugs? What about a leak at the fuel pump? Presumably they purged the fuel lines after replacing the gloplugs, but then air worked its way in over the next week or so?Anyhow, I think the garage is back to work tomorrow will ask them to pick it up (for £40!), just thought I had a day or so to sort it myself if possible. Haven't got a lot of money after Xmas!

Anyone know how much I can expect to pay for a pump replacement?
 
I might be wrong here but I didn't think the L series had any other fuel pump other than the high pressure pump driven off the timing belts.

I doubt its compression failure, the engine would run rough and be gutless. Sounds like you have no fuel at the injectors.

Daft question maybe but try this for size. How cold was it? I'm thinking that it isn't something like a lot of water in the fuel filter that has frozen and severing the fuel supply.

The hissing under that dashboard on the drivers side. Might be a good idea to check around the master brake cylinder and the servo.
 
Try this it may be of some comfort to you.

Our Father in a hippo,
Stupid be your name.
Your Rust will come,
your Axel done,
on driveway as in heaven
Give us today our daily problem.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who drive around us.
Lead us not into water,
but deliver us home if we do.
For the heartache, lack of power and the head gasket are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen
 
ok, now I am confused. Just phoned my garage and explained what was wrong. He said if I can get it over to him (eek!) he'll have a look but if it wont start it will be a compression problem which will mean a new lump which is not worth doing, When I said I wasn't getting any smoke from the exhaust when turning it over, so looks like no fuel is being delivered, he said he would have a look anyway.

Wondering now if it is worth taking it to him (with the expense of getting a flatbed to take it over) if he is fishing. He's not a Land Rover or 4X4 or diesel specialist.

Anyone know of anyone reasonable in the south essex area by any chance?

:Cry: :Cry: :Cry:
 
Laurence said:
ok, now I am confused. Just phoned my garage and explained what was wrong. He said if I can get it over to him (eek!) he'll have a look but if it wont start it will be a compression problem which will mean a new lump which is not worth doing, When I said I wasn't getting any smoke from the exhaust when turning it over, so looks like no fuel is being delivered, he said he would have a look anyway.

Wondering now if it is worth taking it to him (with the expense of getting a flatbed to take it over) if he is fishing. He's not a Land Rover or 4X4 or diesel specialist.

Anyone know of anyone reasonable in the south essex area by any chance?

:Cry: :Cry: :Cry:
Click to expand...

It might be worth putting a new thread up for garage reccomendations in your area in the general landrover chat forum. You'll probably get a better response there.
 
hmmm. . . . .try a new fuel filter . . . .drain off water trap . . . .un re prime fuel system [using the squeeze fing]. . . .check all vacuum hoses and change vacuum filter. . . . .:) :) :)
 
ratty said:
You took yer time dint ya space twonk?:eek: Earth coulda been invaded in the time took for you to fecking get here!!!!:mad:

;)

:D :D :D
Click to expand...
Earth will niffer get invaded wiff me un Porky on patrol. . . . . . . . .um after we get the rockit goin :D :D :D :eek: :eek:
 
Thanks guys.

Managed to get it over to the garage and he says he will check out the relays and the fuel pump. I think the big clue is that it was working (for a week or so) when he replaced the gloplugs so he needs to check their operation. Given that he is fixing the same problem for the second time its worth letting him check out what he did last time, he seems to have missed something. When I spoke to him today he seemed to have changed his view about needing a new lump.... so I'll see what he comes up with. I think the new engine line was because he is not keen to do it. There were a lot of cars in his yard!

What puzzles me is that changing the gloplugs fixed it for a while. Ran like a dream for a week and a half. If the gloplugs were not the problem he must have "reset" something when he replaced them.

Cheers
 
I had a hissing noise on a TD5. Got worse and smoked, power was way off..it was a perished turbo hose, Cheap as chips to fix. BUT it never stopped it starting.

Is this a Diesel?

Generally if they have fuel and the gloplugs work, they run.

See my thread on fuel pumps for discussions about things that stop TD4's running.

If your fuel pump ain't running, neither will the car.

You don't need a new engine, you need a new garage, BTW.
 
OK, got another number for a landrover specialist who has done a mate of mire a good turn now and then. Going to wait and see what the man who has it says. Wont let him work on it until I have spoken to the LR man.

Anyone know how much I might expect to pay for a fuel pump if it turns out I need one?

Thanks for all the help
 
Ok, garage at last managed to look at it. Its a cold start problem, so freezing water might be part of it. Says though the compression is on the low side and it starts every time with a couple of squirts of easy start (my missus is going to love me getting her out of bed at 5.30 in the frost to squirt as I turn it over!) I'll get it to the LR specialist my mate recommended.

He did say though it would be £1500 for a reconditioned lump if it came to it, does that sound reasonable?
 
Did he give any figures on what compression pressures he was getting. The L series isn't particularly high for a diesel. If it was fuelling but not igniting then there would be white smoke from the exhaust, but didn't you say you had no smoke.

As Ming says, check your fule lines first, no fuel, no splat!!
 
check the leakoff pipes between the injectors anorl. Check the rubber cap on the end one isn't perished too. I went out to a mondeo the other day. It wasn't until I got the engine running that you could see the feintest of traces of fuel from the rubber blanking cap. It was that small it was evaporating as it came out. It made the car a right fecker to start though.
 
Laurence said:
Hi All, Happy new year and all that. Have a 1999 L series FLander with 127,000 on the clock, clutch is high as it can go with £500 (I have been quoted) to replace. Just put 4 new tyres on it and then had an overheat problem (hole in radiator) that together with getting my intermittent starter motor problem sorted out cost me £280.

Would not start three weeks ago. My mechanic put in new gloplugs (£80) and things were fine but I did notice a hissing noise coming from under the dashboard (driver side), but what the heck it was starting first time!
The day before yesterday would not start again and drained the battery and melted a set of jump leads trying to get it going. I'm pretty certain there is a compression leak, but would not know where to look without getting the engine going so I can hear where the hissing is coming from.

Been through my haynes manual a few time, rubbish fault finding section!

Anything that can help I will be grateful.

Having said all that, I've had the Freelander since 2004, drive in and out of London (60 mile round trip) every day which involves at least two hours sitting in traffic jams every day, carries muddy dogs at least three times a week, and has carried bricks, cement, plasterboard as well as two dogs and suitcases accross the country for holidays.

All in all I cant imagine being without it.:crazy_driver:
Click to expand...
Whyb do you take bricks, cement and plasterboard on holiday? Is it a 'build your own chalet' thing?
 
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