Hiya Guys,

We have a freelander 1.8 1998.

When we went shopping today, we got there fine, when we started home after about 5 miles all power seemed to go and we stopped, the petrol was low but it had only just touched the red (which should have been more than enough to get us home).

We pulled into a layby for a few minutes and restarted the engine, the car drove again for approx. 3 miles and did the same again,we had to repeat this all the way home, only being able to go between one and two miles at a time before the power went.

It appeared the longer we waited on our stops the further the car would go. if we only waited a short time before trying to start the engine it would turn over but not fire.

We were on a country road, with no petrol stations between us and home.

Would be really grateful for any input as to what the problem is, Thanks.

Not sure but you may have sucked in some sludge from your empty tank

A friends did similar and the garage put it down to bad French diesel

Somebody with experience of the FL1 will pop in at somepoint though it's predominately a FL2 site Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

On gasoline engines, as yours, inside the tank there is a small pot (so called surge pot) from where the fuel is taken by the fuel pump and returned through the return line.
This pot is slowly filled at its base by the use of small orifices on the principle of communicating vessels.
The existence of this pot is for avoiding fuel starvation on low fuel cases during long highway road curves, at high speeds, when the centrifuge force could push all the fuel on a side of the tank.
Because of the slowly filling/emptying through the small orifices, the above phenomena could be avoided.
It is possible that those small orifices on the base of the pot to be obstructed.
You need a tank cleaning job. And don't use it on low fuel too much again.

..... or it may be that you have a vacuum being created in your tank. Was there an inrush of air when you released the fuel cap, check for a blockage on the breather tube.

hi yes there was a rush of air after we had stopped but it also does it when at garage to fill up car also does not cut out just no power untill restarting how could i get an overwiew how to get pictures of pump and filter to check them thanks