What happens to the Engine, the ECU, Fuel tank, Fuel filter when running low on fuel.

I managed, well not deliberately, to do just that today.

Gauge read ZERO for over a mile.

The engine should shut down, and will take at least 8 litres before it fires back up.
The system is a complete and utter basket case to bleed at the side of the road - you need a remote pump to suck the fuel through from the tanks as there is no pump in the tank to shove the fuel towards the engine, and the high pressure fuel pump is not designed to operate a high vacuum to suck fuel through.

There is a fuel pump in the tank, this transfers fuel from one side to the other - tank is a saddle design.
The fuel pump attached to the camshaft expects to be flooded all the time and generates high pressure for the injectors. This pump is lubricated by the fuel, can you imagine how much damage you can do to a precision high pressure fuel pump by running it without lubrication

Why would anyone deliberately ruin a VERY expensive pump, risk being stranded, and incur the labour to replace said expensive fuel pump? Just because they can't be bothered to call in at the petrol station to fill the tank? Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I thought the Freelander 2 went into limp home mode so you could safely stop, then the engine shuts down before it runs dry to prevent damage and will not restart till fuel is added.

Richard FL2 07 TD4 GS Auto
Ex 02 TD4 Auto

From the owners manual :-
Diesel engines
Vehicles with diesel engines are equipped with
a system to prevent the fuel tank from
emptying completely. When the fuel reaches a
minimum level, the system will activate a
reduced power mode (i.e. the engine will not
run properly). This will be followed by the
engine stopping in approximately 1.6 km
(1 mile).
This feature prevents the fuel system from
running dry, which could cause damage to the
vehicle. If the gauge indicates low fuel or the
warning indicator illuminates, the fuel tank
should be refuelled as soon as possible at the
next filling station, with at least 4 litres (0.9
gallons) of fuel.


Richard FL2 07 TD4 GS Auto
Ex 02 TD4 Auto

As a founder member of the dodgy fuel tank sender club I can assure you that it takes well over a gallon (4.5 litres) to be able to bleed the system if you do run out of fuel. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

If you have a faulty fuel gauge you will have truly run out of fuel as the system wont know you are low on fuel and then yes the whole system will need bleeding as there will be air in it.

Richard FL2 07 TD4 GS Auto
Ex 02 TD4 Auto

Also if you have the Sat Nav on the nearest petrol stations automatically show up on the screen

Andy131 wrote:

Why would anyone deliberately ruin a VERY expensive pump, risk being stranded, and incur the labour to replace said expensive fuel pump? Just because they can't be bothered to call in at the petrol station to fill the tank?

seagull1 wrote:

I thought the Freelander 2 went into limp home mode so you could safely stop, then the engine shuts down before it runs dry to prevent damage and will not restart till fuel is added.

Richard

If said faulty fuel gauge shows that you have no fuel when you do then yes it shuts the engine down.
On the other hand if it shows a quarter of a tank when you are on fumes ..... too late.

My own fault, I had a rear end shunt, fixed everything, and didn't think about the fuel gauge senders. But to make matters worse, 400 miles range was about maximum with my driving style, so why when I got over 500 miles did I not think something was wrong - before the car stuttered to a halt, on a dark rainy evening on the M56 Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

on the motorway,to get a freelander running with a faulty gauge,i used easystart to get it going after adding 10 ltrs