Freelander 1 TD4 engine electronic thingy - what is it?

...and where should it go, please?

I'm just replacing my maggoty induction hoses, and noticed this thing has been flopping about, dangling on its wires and getting partially melted by the EGR tube!



It appears to be spliced into the engine's wiring loom under the inlet manifold. Looks rather "home made" (the box, that it) and I can't see anywhere that looks like a natural home for it?

It's a bolt on tuning box. It basically tells lies to the ecu about the fuel pressure causing the ecu to pressurise harder and get more umph from the poor tired old diesel.
To revert to original unplug box and put plug from box into common rail sensor. So box omitted, lead goes where box was plugged. Does it have a make or model on the box??

andyfreelandy said:

It's a bolt on tuning box. It basically tells lies to the ecu about the fuel pressure causing the ecu to pressurise harder and get more umph from the poor tired old diesel.
To revert to original unplug box and put plug from box into common rail sensor. So box omitted, lead goes where box was plugged. Does it have a make or model on the box??

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Excellent! Thanks. I was suspicious of it because it looked like it had no natural home, and the casing didn't "look" OEM. No name on it that I can see. There's a shiny label that looks like it might have once been a bar code. I've just taken the lid off, but everything inside it is potted. There's another barcode with the numbers 55476 and R220 on it inside on the potting compound. Nothing else though.

Car doesn't "feel" like it has more than 110 horse, but that's only subjective based on what a 136 horse X-Trail used to feel like. I've taken it off and will see how it goes after I've finished the induction hoses. I'm always deeply sceptical about these "tuning boxes", so I'm hoping for a few more MPG if I remove it!

Maybe the R220 referred to the power it was supposed to give...?

220 is the price you'll spend on hp O rings if you leave it in!!

Well, just been out for about 15 miles and can honestly say I can't feel any difference. Might have been my imagination, but maybe a bit less smoke when I booted it. In all other respects, I really couldn't feel anything at all. My sister wouldn't have fitted it, so it's likely to have been one of its previous owners, which means it's been on for at least 55,000 miles!

I had a Synergy 2 on mine for a couple of years. However in that time I went through 3 HP fuel pumps, all which were leaking diesel. Having removed the Synergy, the leaking pump has stopped leaking, and I've picked up about 3 Mpg, although the vehicle is noticeably less responsive. However it's not leaking fuel, so it smells better and won't upset the MOT tester now. The Synergy will be up for sale in the new year.

Nodge68 said:

I had a Synergy 2 on mine for a couple of years. However in that time I went through 3 HP fuel pumps, all which were leaking diesel. Having removed the Synergy, the leaking pump has stopped leaking, and I've picked up about 3 Mpg, although the vehicle is noticeably less responsive. However it's not leaking fuel, so it smells better and won't upset the MOT tester now. The Synergy will be up for sale in the new year.

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Wot's a "Synergy"? Is it a similar kind of thing to what I've just found?

Avocet1 said:

Wot's a "Synergy"? Is it a similar kind of thing to what I've just found?

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Very similar, but also supposed to the best power boost box for the TD4. However I've found it very hard on the HP fuel pump, and I'm not alone there. It does however allow the use of a cheaper MAF sensor, which is good, but it seams at the expense of the HP pump, which kinda defeats the object of it.

I am sure it does place a bit more stress on things, but I had a Synergy 1 on my Rover 75 CDTi for about 80k miles with no detrimental effects and a very beneficial effect on power, but the car was well maintained. Sadly I learnt the other day that the guy I sold her to has decided to break it for parts

Steve in Antrim said:

I am sure it does place a bit more stress on things, but I had a Synergy 1 on my Rover 75 CDTi for about 80k miles with no detrimental effects and a very beneficial effect on power, but the car was well maintained.

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I was unlucky I think. However my once leaking Synergy equipped TD4 isn't leaking anymore, now the Synergy has been removed.

Nodge68 said:

Very similar, but also supposed to the best power boost box for the TD4. However I've found it very hard on the HP fuel pump, and I'm not alone there. It does however allow the use of a cheaper MAF sensor, which is good, but it seams at the expense of the HP pump, which kinda defeats the object of it.

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I'm coming to a similar opinion with mine at the moment (although I'm running the original Bosch MAF). Recent poor running issues seem to be less magnified with the ronbox switched off and I've gone through two hp pumps in the last 3 and a half years. I miss the power though.

kernowsvenski said:

I'm coming to a similar opinion with mine at the moment (although I'm running the original Bosch MAF). Recent poor running issues seem to be less magnified with the ronbox switched off and I've gone through two hp pumps in the last 3 and a half years. I miss the power though.

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Did yours actually make any more power?! I honestly couldn't feel a blind bit of difference when I took mine off! (But then, as far as I'm aware, my HP pump is original and this box has been on for at least 50,000 miles and the car has done 150,000)!

That box fitted to your car is not a synergy though. Probably does nothing. A synergy box can give a good power increase if you make the car breath better at the same time. Does make the high pressure fuel pump work harder though and put more pressure on the whole system.

Steve in Antrim said:

That box fitted to your car is not a synergy though. Probably does nothing. A synergy box can give a good power increase if you make the car breath better at the same time. Does make the high pressure fuel pump work harder though and put more pressure on the whole system.

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That's true. I can't find a maker's name on it anywhere. As the car has done 150,000 miles, and certainly hasn't had a fuel pump since 100,000 miles (maybe never), adds weight to the suggestion that it did nothing!

Avocet1 said:

Did yours actually make any more power?! I honestly couldn't feel a blind bit of difference when I took mine off! (But then, as far as I'm aware, my HP pump is original and this box has been on for at least 50,000 miles and the car has done 150,000)!

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Yes, the synergy makes a significant difference, but as others have said, yours is definitely not a synergy. The one on yours looks a fairly cheapo thing by comparison.

kernowsvenski said:

Yes, the synergy makes a significant difference, but as others have said, yours is definitely not a synergy. The one on yours looks a fairly cheapo thing by comparison.

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Ta. Yes, that seems to be the consensus. I think I'm grateful, really. I'd rather have the fuel pump longevity! The only disappointment, was that I was hoping fr a tad better fuel consumption at the next fillup, but if it was doing nothing, I probably won't get that either!

"Psssst! Anyone wanna but a plug-in box for a TD4? 600bhp and 75MPG...."