It was -9 this morning and I went to start my usually reliable freelander 2 on a 57 plate and it wouldn’t fire up. It’s got a new battery, it’s got fuel and it’s got power through the heater plug relay. It just wouldn’t fire up until I gave it some easy start. Has anyone got any ideas

One or more(or all) failed heater plugs most likely. The Freelander will start in most conditions with burnt out heater plugs but needs them when the temp gets really low. There are lots of threads on the issue and tips on testing/ changing them if you have a search. Symptoms include difficult starting, rough idle for a few seconds when it does start and lots of smoke from the exhaust for a bit once it gets going. Good luck!

Thanks for that, they look like a nightmare to get to

I have a 2007 FL and it struggled to start below zero.

I changed the battery, changed the glow plugs and fitted a 3rd earth strap -still tricky to start when cold.

Eventually changed the starter motor - now it starts in less than a second at -6 deg, it is like having a new car !

Thanks for that Fletcher, I fitted a full set of glow plugs and it seems ok but the temperature in Newcastle is about 10 degrees since I got the car back so it’s untested as yet.

I was told that Easistart is not good for diesels as you then have no control of the ignition phase and will get very high cylinder pressures with potential damage to pistons and con rods. Petrol engine ignition is always timed by the spark plugs whereas diesel ignition relies on compression of injected diesel fuel - adding a volatile will cause ignition to take place at the wrong times. Jules

My wife's old father used to say that you shouldn't use Easystart on tractors as the engines get addicted to it and once that happens you will never get them started normally.  3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

I was watching a programme last week about Australian truckers think it’s called outback truckers and no word of a lie one of them couldn’t get his truck started and pulled out a can of “start yer bastard”

Yeah that’s right, easy start is basically drugs for cars and once they get a taste for it , well they just love the stuff and are easily addicted.

In the next few weeks I will trying to coax my lawn mower into life after standing several months in the shed.

I probably will need every trick in the book including Easystart, cooking the plug on the gas stove, applying choke, applying full throttle, etc plus a lot of swearing.

It will then start reasonably well for the rest of the year.

This, of course, used to be how all cars were, now we are spoiled, and complain if we have to wait 5 seconds for the glow plugs to warm up. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)