Freelander 1 Power surges and diesel crack...

Hi folks, has anyone had this happen? I have read through some of the posts and couldnt find anything similar.
I have been getting intermittent power surges, the engine sounds at idle like it is hunting a bit, needle fluctuates at idle.
When I put the foot down, the engine revs powerfully then I get a diesel crack and black smoke from the exhaust.
When I am running, it seems fine and then I get a stutter, a crack, black smoke and a power surge...

The EGR has been blanked off, crankcase breather has been changed, air filter has been changed to a pipercross, oil and filter done and I have changed the fuel filter.

Anyone any ideas?

Oh, its a TD4 2004 with 120 on the clock.....

Sounds like a bad connection at the fuel rail sensor. It's quite a common problem as the sensor suffers corrosion to the contacts. There was an overly harness and upgraded sensor to solve sensor related running issues.

Nodge68 said:

Sounds like a bad connection at the fuel rail sensor. It's quite a common problem as the sensor suffers corrosion to the contacts. There was an overly harness and upgraded sensor to solve sensor related running issues.

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Cheers, I have seen so many different possibilities, but not this one and it makes sense....it seems like a fuel related issue....I will have a bash, thanks again....

Wullie Simpson said:

Cheers, I have seen so many different possibilities, but not this one and it makes sense....it seems like a fuel related issue....I will have a bash, thanks again....

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It's relatively easy to check the contacts on the rail sensor for corrosion. If it's not had the overly harness fitted, then that's the place to start looking.

Nodge68 said:

It's relatively easy to check the contacts on the rail sensor for corrosion. If it's not had the overly harness fitted, then that's the place to start looking.

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I had a look at the contacts onto the injectors last night, but I never checked the sensor connections, so I will get into that this afternoon....

air filter has been changed to a pipercross,

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that will potentially harm the maf sensor

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hd3 said:

that will potentially harm the maf sensor

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The pipercross filter is not oiled like the K&N, so no harm to the MAF sensor.
Mike

The pipercross filter is not oiled like the K&N, so no harm to the MAF sensor.

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mine came with oil spray .. and it slowly killed the maf
didn't want to use it without said tacky oil ..
~~~~~
had a K &N as well .. oiled with their product ..
that didn't screw the maf up
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just mentioned it in case a loopy maf wuz causing the op's running issue

~ Simon ~

hey .. did ya read that .. evidently .. the craven district ..
is the happiest in the land .. supposedly ..

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Good job I read down, nah its not oiled, checked with someone on here before I replaced it.....

.. i read some report stating that engines using non oiled foam air filters
were found to have pitting marks in the upper cylinders .. valve 'n such
so i panicked 'n used the supplied oil ..
now have gone back to using the standard ones ..

( edited to add .. ) .. btw. ..
that report did Not mention the environmental conditions
in which the motors were operated
they were various service place customers cars
southwest usa i think
the report subject were the different filtration factors
between the various types of air filters ..
'pitting' were something to do with:
micron grit particles subject to heat and pressure
within the cylinders ..
similar can happen to injector internals ( see link in sig. )
micron particle plus .. a smidgen of water ..
under pressure .. mini steam explosions
that can dig a cavity in the metal parts

anyhowz .. guess with the advent of electric cars ..
certain worries will be a thing of the past ..
to be replaced with 'lectricity issues ..

( LR to produce only electric and hybrid cars from 2020 onward ..
( in news items today ..
( i might have read it wrong

btw: regarding the fuel rail sensor ..
and other electric plugs 'n suchlike
check out "contralube-770" ( link in signature text )

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hd3 said:

hey .. did ya read that .. evidently .. the craven district ..
is the happiest in the land .. supposedly ..

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That would be because the beer is hand pulled and of fantastic quality.
I make sure I test the quality whenever I'm in the area
Mike

I make sure I test the quality whenever I'm in the area

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meant to mention this t'you at some point ..
have walked by the place a few times .. seemed / looked interesting
( i've not tried any of their wares .. yet .. )
http://www.fuggleandgolding.co.uk

actually .. on a different note ..
was wondering if the fuel regulator ( on the hp fuel pump )
might cause the OP's issues
i.e. : this

When I put the foot down, the engine revs powerfully then I get a diesel crack and black smoke from the exhaust.

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implies that the motor is getting a load of fuel when the go-pedal is
opened up wide .. but before the turbo comes into full play
at least .. that what old design diesels would do ..
before they had the likes of sensors telling the system how much fuel
to inject on demand to avoid polluting black smoke

maybe an over fuelling maf might do that ?

on the road to ilkley .. there's a layby on a steepish hill
( one my dog's favourite take-five places .. )
'n often i see / hear this guy drive up in a old series LR
( or maybe it's an older defender ) ..
open exhaust ( stack ) .. diesel ..
don't half sound good climbing the hill
ditto for a dodge pickup with a cummins engine
open exhaust .. sounds like the dogs bollocks

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hd3 said:

meant to mention this t'you at some point ..
have walked by the place a few times .. seemed / looked interesting
( i've not tried any of their wares .. yet .. )
http://www.fuggleandgolding.co.uk

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Yup, seen it, but it was shut. I'm sure I'll make an excuse to go back, isn't that cake shop further up the road? Beer, cake mmmmmm.
I think I'm with @Nodge68 on this one, sounds like the wiring harness shorting out. But the MAF should be checked and live data from the HP pump would prove helpful.
Mike

I'd start by unplugging the MAF and see if that changes anything - its a no cost bit of diagnosis that will tell you if its the MAF at fault.

Cleaning up the connections on the fuel pressure sensor should also tell you if its that at fault. There is a replacement upgraded loom for that with a part number of YMQ503320.

As a cheap possible fix - the O Rings in the Pressure Regulator on the HP Fuel Pump are cheap as chips and fail all the time - even if its not them causing this fault, if you replace them then you have saved your car from breaking down in the future. It isn't a 2 minute job, but cheap if you have a couple of hours to spare and enjoy tinkering.

Other than that, a trip to Fuggle & Golding sounds like a good option - forget the car and have a nice beer instead

Not sure on Craven District being the happiest people - my mate here from Guiseley is probably the one out of all my ex-pat mates who has the least good to say about 'back home'!

Thanks for all the replies guys, I will check the MAF first, same time I will look at the sensor (my nap for the cause....seems to fit the bill) and also, good tip re the fuel pump.....I do enjoy tinkering and that may be a sunday afternoon job.....kids rugger in morning keeps me busy first thing.....appreciate all the feedback lads......oh I do love landrovers....I had nothing much to do when I had a Mitsi, just serviced it......dull!!

don't know if this would cause surging .. but ..
after a certain year (?) .. the air intake temp sensor was relocated to
the top intercooler hose ..
( was prev. part of the maf circuitry a.f.a.i.k.)
if it fails .. the ecu defaults the temp. reading to minus 5c deg.
so for avrg. uk temps that would be way too cold
and the ecu would be injecting too much fuel as a result

not unplugged it myself to see what exactly would occur
thread about it here:
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/and-the-black-smoke.224520/

some td4/m47r info here ( link to a .pdf file )
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/td4-m47r-engine-pdf-file.288724/#post-3564507
( does not include variable vane turbo info ..
( and lp fuel pump info be for older vehicles methinks ..
have just checked the link to see if it be working

a td4 fault sheet download here ( .pdf file )
https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/75-zt-td4-fault-diagnosis.203935/

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Gentlemen, I bow down and tug my forelock, well I would if I had one......to your knowledge of Freelander quirks.....I stripped down the top end, the fuel sensor, despite looking ok and free from corrosion, obviously was not, I gave it, the MAF sensor and the turbo boost sensor a good spraying with WD and hey presto, the crack and smoke on revving seems to have gone. I am on sprog duty tonight, so I couldnt get out for a run with it, but I will do tomorrow. I'm guessing I should replace that fuel sensor anyway as this seems, in previous posts to be a temp fix.
Many thanks for all the tips, I have taken note of them all.....

Thanks again! Much appreciated......

And yeah, as soon as I can, I will get the fuel pump stripped and the O rings replaced, good tip, thanks again!