The cars a 2010 diesel Freelander 2. I got in the car the other day and it started but ran really rough. I shut it down and then went to start it again but now all I get is a loud tap/click from under the bonnet and nothing else. Thinking it was the solenoids in the starter motor I took it off, the auto electrician pulled it apart, replaced a few bits but said it wouldn’t have been the reason as to why it wasn’t starting as it seemed fine apart from the usual wear and tear. I should also add I initially tried a new battery and an additional earth lead. So I’ve put the starter motor back in and I’m back to square one. I’ve checked all the fuses and relays, they are fine. I’m now really left scratching my head, anyone got any suggestions/ideas/things to try?

It may be a new battery but is it charged? What messages do you get on the dash? Typically I get “HDC not available” along with click from under the bonnet and tripmeter resets, everything else, lights, radio etc. works except the motor doesn’t turn over. Since the starter/solenoid have been worked on have you done a reset? Disconnect the battery leads from the battery, touch the ends together, leave for 10 minutes, reconnect leads to battery. A charge or jump start normally works for me.

Have the codes read.

Many thanks for the reply’s. I don’t get any messages on the screen, only the click from under the bonnet. The battery was load tested and came up as being ok. I will try your suggestion of joining the leads for 10 minutes to do a reset. I would like to test the codes but unfortunately my obd2 code reader has problems connecting and will only give me live data and not the stored codes which is equally frustrating,

Can you move the car back and forth? If it was running rough and now won’t turn over, it sounds like a timing chain has slipped a tooth or two due to tensioner ware but I don’t know if FL2 engines have belts or chains.

Basically I’m wondering if the engines locked up and won’t turn over.

I’ve seen a timing belt on a Vauxhall that spilt leaving half the width of the belt on the sprocket but it was weak enough to have slipped a few teeth and the piston hit a valve, bent it and the engine would only rock back and forth one revolution before stopping dead until rotated in the opposite direction. I’ve only seen that once but my experience is limited but I think it’s worth checking.

I haven’t had the belt cover off but I have put a wrench onto the main pulley and can rotate the motor so I’m hoping it’s not a collision between valves and pistons. I have also tried to jumpstart the motor and again without luck.

Did the electrician test the motor as well as the solenoid and is the motor spinning over also is power getting to the motor and not just the solenoid

Whereabouts are you Luke? Australia is a big place, if you were nearby to me I would offer to help.

Nick (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

Time for an update...Suspecting the worst I thought I would dig a bit deeper and turn the motor via the crankshaft pulley through several rotations. My worst fears have been confirmed, there is a connection between the valves and pistons, but I’m not quite sure why yet. I’m going to over time remove the head and have it rebuilt. Getting the crankshaft pulley off has already proven problematic, they must have painted on the strongest loctite onto the bolt, I ended up using a 2metre extension bar on my rachet to undo it after several attempts with the air gun. I would be interested to know if anyone else has had to go down this path before.

A 2 metre extension bar sounds a bit excessive but yes they are tight & especially if never removed previously. (Now Sold). 2008 Freelander 2 (Nazca Sand) SE TD4 Auto. Statutory write off & on WOVR for hail damage but still road legal.
171037Km as of 09/05/22
Superchips Bluefin Flash
Nanocom Evo II (also sold)

I know it sounds excessive but I’m not kidding, they had so much loctite on the thing that it just wouldn’t budge!

Hi Luke G. You will find using a torque multiplier will make the pulley bolt easy to remove.

Ok I can finally report back on what has caused my starting issue. After I couldn’t crank the engine over by hand and I could here something going on in the head I removed it to find a nut lodged on top of one of the pistons. I remember when I took the inlet manifold off to take out the swirl flaps that I lost a nut that secures the egr pipe to the inlet manifold. At the time thought id taken it off and then misplaced it, alas not, it must have dropped into the inlet manifold while I was refitting it and it eventually got sucked into the cylinder. Damage looks minimal, I’m going to take the head to a specialist. I’m not if I should replace the piston or just file out the knock. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions/advice.

Jesus I actually think you got off lucky there.