2009 HSE, bought this vehicle 12 years ago and of all the many cars I have had since 1963, this Freelander 2 has been the best. Immaculate condition with just 49,000 miles on the clock and is a delight to drive. Always garaged and never used for short journeys.

Timing belt, tensioner and water pump were changed at the recommended time.

Recently paid £900 to have the fuel tank removed and all the kit inside renewed due to a very unstable fuel gauge. Carried out by local LR specialist and all running fine again.

On Friday I decided to renew the fuel filter although the engine was running fine, I couldn't remember when it was last changed. Purchased a Bosch unit, fitted it and primed the system and no air bubbles in the line. Engine started immediately and ran for 5 seconds and cut out and refused to restart.

After many attempts, I wondered have I got a faulty filter so removed it and put the other back on but no luck.

So I rang the AA, The AA man turned up, plugged in his piece of kit and could find nothing wrong,
no fault codes. He sprayed some easy start into the air intake and yes it ran on that for a few seconds.
He gave up so I told him to go.

MY fear is that the high pressure injector pump has died, but not sure how to check it. I don't want to fork out 6 or 7 hundred pounds and no result.

So there we have it, any suggestions would be welcome.

Gez: From what you have written it sounds like the problem has to be connected to your fuel filter change….since it ran ok before & the engine will run on brake cleaner……can’t be anything serious…
Are you sure the system is fully purged of air ? If it is then it seems likely that a piece of foreign material has gone down thé high pressure system……either to the HP pump & damaged it….or could have passed through the pump & jammed thé pressure control valve……PcV on right of common rail. Cleanliness is next to Godliness as far as the fuel system is concerned……& you have to be mindful of the very high pressures involved in the system. Depends how much knowledge you have about the dangers involved.
You could open the HP pump outlet to see if anything comes out….or remove the PCV to check for any dirt etc….but be careful.
Good luck FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto MY 2012— current
D2 TD5 HSE Man MY 1999 470kmls….gone 2014 ….lovely engine..chassis rotten
D1 300TDI Man MY 1996 56kmls….gone 1999…D2 much better
Wife’s FL1 1.8P MY 2001 32kmls …gone 2007…has Mini since.

Hello, thank you for your reply. That is a very good point, bank holiday tomorrow and I'll be under the bonnet again checking that out. I will report back on my findings. Thanks again for the advice.

Are you 100% sure you primed the filter correctly using a bulb hand pump ? sounds very much like it has air in the system as it was running ok before the filter change, I would bleed it again. 2013 FL2 XS.
Defender 90 300 TDi.
Defender 90 300 TDi CSW.
1964 MGB Roadster.
1944 Willys MB "Jeep" with bullet holes. (gone)
17 hand Irish Drought Thoroughbred (mostly lame)
Nagging Old Boiler.

Mahatma Gandhi said if there is an Idiot in power those who elected him are well represented. The Enemy is our own corrupt Government.

Hello, thank you for your reply. Yes used the hand bulb several times and the AA man also had a go. Pulling back the sleeve to expose the transparent pipes, clear of any bubbles. Going to be checking for foreign bodies in the system tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

Good luck keep us posted ! 2013 FL2 XS.
Defender 90 300 TDi.
Defender 90 300 TDi CSW.
1964 MGB Roadster.
1944 Willys MB "Jeep" with bullet holes. (gone)
17 hand Irish Drought Thoroughbred (mostly lame)
Nagging Old Boiler.

Mahatma Gandhi said if there is an Idiot in power those who elected him are well represented. The Enemy is our own corrupt Government.

After carrying out further checks, I am no further forward. I have now booked the car in at C W Feltham, Kilve for them to sort out this problem. I have arranged for a flat-bed vehicle to collect the Freelander on Tuesday and deliver it to Kilve about 20 miles away.

I will come back here once I have the vehicle home and report on their findings.

I am delighted to report the car is now home and running sweetly. The garage fitted another filter and it started straight away. My new filter which they removed was a Bosch unit, I forgot to ask what brand of filter they used, probably genuine LR. They charged me 1 hour labour plus the filter, so very happy with that as I was expecting a thousand pound bill for a new HP pump etc.

Glad to read all ok now……….

Can’t believe how many posts asking for help with problems starting /rough running can be traced back to fuel filter……………! Essential to use either a Genuine LR product or thé OE manufacturer Purflux….!
A lot to do with the fact that the fuel is not pressure-fed to the filter…….has to be sucked from the HP pump……perhaps the ‘cheapie’ filters don’t allow the fuel to flow correctly…&….return valves not fitted as with OE product…….
All’s well that ends well…… FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto MY 2012— current
D2 TD5 HSE Man MY 1999 470kmls….gone 2014 ….lovely engine..chassis rotten
D1 300TDI Man MY 1996 56kmls….gone 1999…D2 much better
Wife’s FL1 1.8P MY 2001 32kmls …gone 2007…has Mini since.

Bosch filters are rebranded Purflux, or at least genuine ones are! Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

Looking on Autodoc.fr……..Bosch filter is nothing like the Purflux……….! Have a look…………!

So many spurious makes available………….as I wrote earlier…..best use LR boxed or thé OE maker Purflux.

As I wrote earlier lots of problems with these spurious parts……… FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto MY 2012— current
D2 TD5 HSE Man MY 1999 470kmls….gone 2014 ….lovely engine..chassis rotten
D1 300TDI Man MY 1996 56kmls….gone 1999…D2 much better
Wife’s FL1 1.8P MY 2001 32kmls …gone 2007…has Mini since.

Previously had a Bosch filter fitted, when I replaced it I peeled off the Bosch sticker on the top to find Purflux name moulded underneath.
Coopers fuel filters are also Purflux. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

Interesting to look on Autodoc.co.uk site for FL2 fuel filters……..

They have lots of different makes in stock…..some are very similar…I noticed that the Coopers/Fram image

Says Sogevi……Purflux………….looking at the prices they are all around £30…..bizzare they stock so many. FL2 SD4 HSE Lux Auto MY 2012— current
D2 TD5 HSE Man MY 1999 470kmls….gone 2014 ….lovely engine..chassis rotten
D1 300TDI Man MY 1996 56kmls….gone 1999…D2 much better
Wife’s FL1 1.8P MY 2001 32kmls …gone 2007…has Mini since.

But not all the filters have the internal temperature regulating valve, the lack of which causes running issues, but the presence of which is impossible to tell from just looking at the fiilter.

IMO its not worth the hassle of risking installing a duff filter for the extra money you might save, on top of that already saved by DIYing it. Jules

Thank you to all of you who have left comments. I think the overall message is "always fit genuine LR"
As I only do about 500 miles between MOTs now, I dont reckon I'll be fitting a new fuel filter again.