Won't rev over 3000 rpm

I have a 2004 TD5 and yesterday when driving home the engine would not rev above 3000 rpm. It is a manual and with foot flat to the floor 3000 was the max. There was no smoke but there was a high pitched noise that came and went. I could hardly hear it but my son said it was loud and very annoying.

A quick google on here last night suggested the car is in limp mode due to oil in the ECU.

Today I have taken the ECU off and the red plug was dripping with oil. I have cleaned the connector with electrical contact cleaner and am leaving it to dry.

If the problem was due to this and the car was in limp mode will it reset itself?

Any other suggestions as to what to check next? I have a limited mechanical knowledge but am prepared to get my hands dirty.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Morning, you'll need a new loom I'm afraid, I've never done it but theres lots of info on here on how to do it...good luck.

NeilT said:

I have a 2004 TD5 and yesterday when driving home the engine would not rev above 3000 rpm. It is a manual and with foot flat to the floor 3000 was the max. There was no smoke but there was a high pitched noise that came and went. I could hardly hear it but my son said it was loud and very annoying.

A quick google on here last night suggested the car is in limp mode due to oil in the ECU.

Today I have taken the ECU off and the red plug was dripping with oil. I have cleaned the connector with electrical contact cleaner and am leaving it to dry.

If the problem was due to this and the car was in limp mode will it reset itself?

Any other suggestions as to what to check next? I have a limited mechanical knowledge but am prepared to get my hands dirty.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Click to expand...

oil comes from injector loom ,it will need replacing it costs £30ish,youd need to remove cover from engine then rocker cover to get at loom ,the main loom can then be cleaned out either end using brake cleaner etc mabye several times till its dry

NeilT said:

I have a 2004 TD5 and yesterday when driving home the engine would not rev above 3000 rpm. It is a manual and with foot flat to the floor 3000 was the max. There was no smoke but there was a high pitched noise that came and went. I could hardly hear it but my son said it was loud and very annoying.

A quick google on here last night suggested the car is in limp mode due to oil in the ECU.

Today I have taken the ECU off and the red plug was dripping with oil. I have cleaned the connector with electrical contact cleaner and am leaving it to dry.

If the problem was due to this and the car was in limp mode will it reset itself?

Any other suggestions as to what to check next? I have a limited mechanical knowledge but am prepared to get my hands dirty.

Thanks for any help and suggestions.

Click to expand...

Hi Neil, the fact that your engine would not rev beyond 3000rpm does not necessarily mean it is in 'Limp home' mode. In fact it is unlikely unless the autobox (assuming you have auto?) has stuck itself in 3rd gear?

The most usually cause I've come across for this issue is a faulty Turbo Wastegate Modulator - a component which monitors the turbos operation. This is a cheap part to buy, approx £20 from LR dealers, so it's worth changing 'just in case'.

The oil in the red ECU plug is caused by oil in the top of the head leaking past the injector loom 'O' ring seals. This can be easily rectified by replacing the 2 blue 'O' rings approx £2 or by replacing the injector loom approx £30.

Other things to check if the above doesn't resolve the problem:

1. There is a gauze filter in the base of the in-tank fuel pump which can become semi-blocked restricting the fuel flow. Clean it and all is good!

2. A blocked fuel filter - replace and all is good.


You sound like a sensible chap so you'll know to do just one thing at a time and see if the issue still remains.

Good luck

Dave

Thanks for the suggestions so far. More jobs to add to the list.

My Disco is a manual does it have a limp mode?

I was also going to check waste gate arm movement. Is that a good idea? Should I put some wd40 or 3 in 1 on the shaft or is that not necessary?

NeilT said:

Thanks for the suggestions so far. More jobs to add to the list.

1. My Disco is a manual does it have a limp mode?

2. I was also going to check waste gate arm movement. Is that a good idea? Should I put some wd40 or 3 in 1 on the shaft or is that not necessary?

Click to expand...

Hi Neil,

1. Manual gearbox TD5's do have limp home mode, it just shows itself in different ways.

2. Don't lubricate the wastegate arm.

Dave

Well cleaning the ECU connector hasn't helped so next job, the Turbo Wastegate Modulator

Neil

thebiglad said:

Hi Neil,

1. Manual gearbox TD5's do have limp home mode, it just shows itself in different ways.

2. Don't lubricate the wastegate arm.

Dave

Click to expand...

Lubricating my waste gate arm was absolutely essential to getting my td5 running right. But not wd40! I used a ptfe based lubricant called Amberglide. No problems since!!! I also done the injector harness although I had no issues with this I did have oil at the ecu plug!

An update:

Bought a Turbo Wastegate Modulator or whatever the dealer called it, £25.

Had a spare few minutes tonight so thought I will just have a look where it goes so as to see what is involved. Found where the modulator is and noticed that one of the pipes connected to it was split. Wrapped some insulating tape around the pipe as a temporary fix, quick test drive and bingo car went to 4-4500 revs with ease.

Bit annoyed that I didn't look earlier but pleased that I have sorted the problem.