Freelander 2 (LR2) Limp mode - swirl flaps?

Got an early FL2.

Goes to "reduced engine performance" with no discernable error logged (I mean, sure, it must log somthing but neither I, nor any others, have been able to determine what)

Been doing it periodically for years. Generally when it's been driving for a good amount of time and then hits a long shallow hill on an a road. As you're going up the hill, not as you crest it.

Garage last year (I try not to get involved with it, I'm more of a 300tdi person) found the intake manifold was full of junk and the swirl flaps were getting jammed.

Cleaned it all out. Drove way better. Still the occasional limp mode though.

It's a year on (since the cleaning) now and it failed 5 times on one trip yesterday (hot weather, hot engine, fast road, long inclines).


Engine is 100% standard. No mods or deletes.


What I dont understand is -

The swirl flaps, dont they just open and stay open? Why should they cause limp some way into the trip?

People on the interweb mention breaking them out (so the motor is still in place, no ECU mod needed, but they just do nothing). Advisable?

I guess the egr should go also? It's a 57 plate but does have the dpf (yes, it has the dpf, as an optional extra, I'm aware most 57s do not) although it's never had any dpf directly related issues.

What do you think?

Swirl flaps won't be causing the issue. Mine have been removed though, but only to prevent them breaking off and damaging the engine.

The common causing of random reduced power are the throttle body gears wearing, the crank sensor beginning to fail, or having a bad electrical connection at the plug.
The turbo actuator can go sticky, as can the turbo vanes, both of these often show up when more power is needed, after a period of sustained throttle in one position.

Nodge68 said:

The common causing of random reduced power are the throttle body gears wearing, the crank sensor beginning to fail, or having a bad electrical connection at the plug.
The turbo actuator can go sticky, as can the turbo vanes, both of these often show up when more power is needed, after a period of sustained throttle in one position.

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Thank you.

I can go up the same hill at the same speed in the same way when the engine is cooler (as in up to temp on the gauge, but not backing like it's been driven for an hour before) and it doesn't fail.

Can you guess as to what from your list would be affected by engine run time?

Again, I'm not comparing cold with hot. I'm comparing up to temp at the start of a trip Vs same position on the dial but having been driven for some time.

Thank you.

julianf said:

Can you guess as to what from your list would be affected by engine run time?

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Anything that gets hot, so basically anything on the engine.
However my first port of call would be the turbo vanes sticking, second would be crank sensor plug cleaning work contact cleaner.

I used to have a VAG engine that the variable vane turbo was sticking on.

On that one the limp mode was so predictable, but different from this one -

On the VAG (golf MK4) it would always fail just as you crested a long fast hill. I guess the ECU was demanding full boost all the way up the hill, and then, as it suddenly needed less boost at the crest, the vanes would not move quick enough and it would overboost / go into limp.

This one, sadly (in a way), isn't like that. It's always half way up the hill. Not right at the bottom, nor as you crest it.

Turbo vanes would tie with the report of the inlet manifold being covered in accumulated muck, but just doesnt seem to fit with my own prior experience of variable vanes sticking.

I mean, I want you to be right, as, really, I just want to get to the bottom of it - what do you think (re different symptoms to the sticking vanes on the VAG engine)

Thank you again.

The best way to check is to remove the tiny clip holding the turbo actuator to the vane lever, and operate it through its range of movement and see if it's sticking.

The inlet manifold is always full of muck, unless the EGR has been blanked off.
The manifold being messy shouldn't have much of a bearing on the turbo vanes sticking, as any mess getting through the engine will be turned to ash, and go out the exhaust pipe.

I'm away at present but had cause to open the bonnet for another reason and spotted this -



What's that all about? I initially thought it looked melted but now I'm not so sure it's not some sort of glue / repair.

That sensor (don't know which one it is - again I'm away with no tools and only a mobile phone) only has a single screw in it also (ie one screw missing). I doubt leakage there makes any difference at all though. I'm guessing that sensor is somthing to do with sensing pressure drops from blocked filters or somthing.

I'll investigate further when I get home next week.

julianf said:

What's that all about? I initially thought it looked melted but now I'm not so sure it's not some sort of glue / repair.

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Someone has broken the pipe, and had to glue it up. For neatness, you can pick up another intake pipe from Ebay or a breakers.

julianf said:

I'm guessing that sensor is somthing to do with sensing pressure drops from blocked filters or somthing.

Click to expand...

The sensor to the right of the messy repair is the MAF sensor. It measures the amount of air entering the engine so the ECM can calculate if the EGR valve is working, and how much exhaust gas the EGR valve is actually passing.
The ECM needs to know this, or it will over-fuel the engine during the EGR cycle, generating black smoke.

The sensor should have both screws fitted, as any air entering the engine unmeasured, will confuse the ECM, potentially causing things like limp mode.