Thanks Andy,

Could i assume that as i had the same experience with my old battery and also this brand new battery it may be more related to the terminals/leads?

Could i cause any damage to the car by trying to continually start it when it keeps cutting out, that is my main concern?

Back in 2007 when my FL2 was brand new, the battery went flat on day 4. This was because I had not set the alarm. LR assist said that as the battery was flat , and of the Calcium type, it would need recharching at the garage as the engine alternator would not recharge to 100% full from flat. (Normal day to day recharging on a nearly full battery was ok by alternator). So as you have faltened your battery, presumely even with engine recharging, you still don't have a fully charged battery.

I suspect that Disco George can confirm and explain better than I can- please.

tonyk28 wrote:

Thanks Andy,

Could i assume that as i had the same experience with my old battery and also this brand new battery it may be more related to the terminals/leads?

Could i cause any damage to the car by trying to continually start it when it keeps cutting out, that is my main concern?

Hi Andy,

Just had a quick look under the hood, im no mechanic but the battery terminals all look clean and well tightened, think i have found the chassis bond, small thick cable that leads off to the chassis about 50 cm away, again looks fine..

Now dont laugh if this is ridiculous but is there any strategically placed insulation i can place under the bonnet for the next month when it is particularly cold that may help my cause, just until i head back to the UK next month? or am i clutching at straws!

I think insulation wouldn't be feasible. Your best option is to use a trickle charger when not in use (overnight etc.) but access to mains power might be a problem if it's in a car park for example.
Try a glow plug preheat next time it's very cold.
If your troubles persist you'll need to measure voltages during cranking to see where it's dropping. I'm assuming your cranking sounds slow and laboured then it just stops due to the electronics (dash) shutting down?

Thats pretty much it, ill try it in the morning and see how i get on, just difficult for a garage to diagnose as by the time i get it there it will start just fine!!

My main electronic issue aside is it quite normal for a diesel freelander 2 to require some cranking to get it started when its cold (-10c), about 20 seconds or 3/4 button presses i reckon, just checking this isnt another part of the problem

Next time it does it have the Land Rover Assist guys out straight away, they can diagnose the fault and then you can get it sorted with the dealer.

I have suffered the same problem with starting the car in the very cold temperatures recently, -10. The glow plugs should help with starting in these low temperatures and I have had a message on the dashboard similar to "cranking will start after glow plugs have heated",but failed to start. The battery was new in January but i put it on charge to top it up and the car started the next morning, although not in as cold temperatures.I have not had any problems since.There does seem to be an issue with cold starting in very cold temperatures.

Strange. I've had no starting problems whatsoever. My FL2 sits outside, doesn't get used every day and it still fires up first time.
I didn't use it for three days and it still started no probs at -13. Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

I have the same problem! Only when it's say -6 and below. I have a fully charged battery, well it crankes over with no hesitation. I bought the car second hand with 3 months cover, they have agreed to change the glow plugs, fingers crossed. It's being done on Monday so i'll report back the next time it's cold. Funny thing is when i press the start button i've never had the delay, it tries to start straight away. I have tried the two stage start but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Funny thing is i still love the car and it's not mine it's the wifes

Ah, something is wrong if you don't get the delay. The glowplug timer isn't working for some reason. The glowplugs arn't getting hot enough. No wonder you've got start problems.
It's possible that you've got a faulty temp sensor; it could be several things.
Take it back to the dealer and get it sorted. I dont think new plugs will solve the problem. But get them anyway if you can, they aint cheap!
Tell 'em that the plugs arn't pre-heating.
Good luck  Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Hi silvermilnec

I go along with pegleg. Get those plugs out of the dealer and then start looking for the real problem.

The real issue is that most dealers (irrespective of manufacturer) are solving problems by substitution of parts either on the back of motorplan or with the customers purse.

I think pegleg is on the right track with the temperature sensor. But that you only tackle AFTER you got the new plugs  With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff

Hi Pegleg

does the bluetooth glitch apply to the BY614 as well? With kind regards
DiscoGeorge
1998 Disco1 ES 300Tdi with twin TrueTracs
2005 Disco3 TDV6 S
And some more serious stuff

I have now gone through the hole non-starting crap with my FL2. Problems started below -5 and did also end in flat battery and several click click on all electronics.
Bought a brand new top of the line Sønnac battery with 800CCA and also a CTEK charger. This helped some as I now could crank more and faster than before, but still had to give it 4-5 tries before starting.
Running on winterdiesel so that is not the problem.

Took the car to the dealer and they ohm'ed the glow plugs(according to Alex's guide) and quite correct 2 of 4 was defective. This should also explain why it sounded like it fired on only some of the cylinders when starting.
I now have an appointment on Friday so I am keeping my fingers crossed.........
But as for Silvermilnec the fact that you never seen the glow sequence leads me to think new plugs wont help you.
Defective Glowplugs don't throw error codes.

GL. FL2, TD4 HSE
The flaming Orange!

Hi, I picked up my 07 HSE just over a week ago and I have the same problem - cranks and cranks below -5 but won't fire. I do not get the glow plug heating lamp on the dash when I start the car. I have tried switching on without depressing the clutch in order to try to pre-heat before cranking and that did not wotk either. Is this a common problem or just one the lies hidden until the temperature plummets? Does anyone know where the temperature sensor and the control unit for the glow plugs are located?

Thanks I'm just popping out, I may be gone for a while.