My 2008 auto Si6 has been struggling up hills for a few months now, but recently it has come to a point at which the car has come to a standstill on a few occasions.

I had the RAA come to inspect and they suspect it could be fuel injectors or transmission.

In the past two weeks I have replaced the spark plugs and the fuel pump and filter module.
I drove it for the first time today since replacing these parts, and all seemed to be well, acceleration up hill seemed ok, and fuel economy was back below 13lt/100km. I drove about 100km one way (mostly country driving), and it wasn’t until I reached an inclined section of road on my way back that the car started losing power until it was stuttering along at a max speed of about 40km/h, (the external temperature had increased to about 26C since earlier in the day when it was a lot cooler).
After more than an hour on the side of the road, I started the car and managed to drive it 50km until it finally stopped again on a steep hill.
While struggling up hill, If I have the accelerator pedal fully compressed it will sit around 4000rpm with very little pull and the speed gradually decreasing until the car stops. I have also noticed when pushing it to this extreme that there is now a burning smell.

It seems heat is exacerbating this problem.
Also noticed that the wheel on the AC compressor was hardly moving, belt slipping, and that the right side of the motor has more movement than the left (not sure if this is normal).

Could this be fuel injectors or transmission, or both?

Shove 98 in it for a start.

I had a heat issue on both previous cars, the radiator thermostat was stuffed.

The radiator thermostat in those day was simply a mechanical independent device. Worked well... until it failed! Quarter of a million km on each car, don't think one can complain!

One time on Sydney Harbour Bridge, Peugeot 504, in middle of summer. I put the heater on in the car to maximum to take load of the engine. Also turned on the AC as I felt the AC's fan added more air flow to the engine. The AC was an after market installation (to this day the only AC to freeze the nuts off a brass monkey).

Got across the bridge, just, traffic moved, & was just ok. Took the car to mechanic. Radiator thermostat.

The precious car more or less the same thing on the M4 to the Blue Mountains, actually to buy the Freelander. Turned around & got the train the next day to Orange NSW. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Strange problem. Difficult to give any advice without looking at the vehicle. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Also worth mentioning
-When the car becomes un-drivable, when I have it in neutral and push the accelerator, that the revs remain lumpy.
-When the car becomes un-drivable the temperature gauge shows normal temperature.
-When I pulled the fuel filter out, there was a noticeably dark brown fuel running out of the filter (petrol in tank is clean).

The temperature gauge may show normal because the radiator is cool. That was the problem on my previous cars. I have no idea how the thermostat is set up in the Freelander.

But once the engine has been running awhile the radiator should be hot. Check its temperature without cutting your fingers off. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Also, the smell is somewhat similar to the smell of freshly laid bitumen.

Lightwater wrote:

The temperature gauge may show normal because the radiator is cool. That was the problem on my previous cars. I have no idea how the thermostat is set up in the Freelander.

But once the engine has been running awhile the radiator should be hot. Check its temperature without cutting your fingers off.

Nodge68 wrote:

Strange problem. Difficult to give any advice without looking at the vehicle.

Sorry, couldn't help myself! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Gland rover wrote:

Also worth mentioning
-When the car becomes un-drivable, when I have it in neutral and push the accelerator, that the revs remain lumpy.
-When the car becomes un-drivable the temperature gauge shows normal temperature.
-When I pulled the fuel filter out, there was a noticeably dark brown fuel running out of the filter (petrol in tank is clean).

Lightwater wrote:

Nodge68 wrote:

Strange problem. Difficult to give any advice without looking at the vehicle.

Sorry, couldn't help myself!

Haha

Apologies for attempting online diagnostics.
Problem is I’m rural and don’t want to pay $300 to have the car towed to a mechanic with little knowledge of the trove of FL2 problems that could be causing it. My closest mechanic refuses to touch my car because it’s a Land Rover..

I will change the transmission fluid and see if that makes any difference.

The Si4 has the pump & fuel filter in the tank & it's one unit which is replaced at 10 years. I have always put 98 in the car, due to fuel issues on previous car. Never had any fuel issues on either car with 98.

My mechanic said to me at the last service, since I have always used 98 the pump/filter can be left a lot longer.

How clean it the bottom of the tank. Is the engine starving due crap from the bottom of tank, possibly being stirred up due to rough roads. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I’ve been running it mostly on 98, sometime 95 if feeling stingy.
Fuel tank was surprisingly clean.

Have you a Code reader

I have one of those Autel maxiAP Bluetooth code readers. I used it once for coding a new fob, not really sure how to use it for other things.

You have narrowed it down to, the car runs better when it is cool.

When we camped in central Australia, as soon as we stopped for the night we opened everything in the car to cool down quicker for sleeping.

But no issues with leaving the car running in the outback at >40°C with air conditioning running while we had a walk around (wouldn't do it in a town/city for obvious reasons) & could come back to a cool environment. Both radiator fans (large & small) were screaming their heads off at about 44°C, but the car is designed for 60°C environment, >40°C is a piece of cake! The highest we have had is 47°C in Mildura.

Take the car to the mechanic very very early in the morning, you could go ahead, hopefully you have mobile phone coverage (lack of outback Australia mobile coverage for the uninformed) & tow rope (maybe later (we always carried 6m tow rope & 20m extension) friend in their car.

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