Just got my 03 Disco 2. My dream car, still waiting for my plates to come in the mail. 2 days after I bought it my check engine light came on. Said it was the CPS. Just changed it out this morning and was driving it around and it was running perfect. Drove it for about 10 minutes, no more lurching, no more wanting to die at idle. Two blocks from my house and the car just dies. Coast it to the side of the road.

Walked home, grabbed the old CPS and put it in on the side of the road. Car still won’t start. It’s been about an hour and a half waiting for this tow truck and the car has cooled down.. car still not starting.

Sitting on the side of the road contemplating life and wondering where it all went wrong. Also wondering if any of y’all had any idea what could be the problem. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

First, welcome to the forum. You've found the right place for DII owners.

You wrote, "Said it was the CPS." Who said that? Do you have a code reader? What was/are the specific codes?

I ask because knowing the specific codes is important, and because there is no diagnostic trouble code I know of that indicates a failed CPS (or CKPS, crankshaft position sensor). A failed CKPS does not trigger the SES light.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the welcome.

I swung by O'Reilly's once the SES light came on to get the codes read. The codes I got were P0336, P1884, and P0335. Once I saw "Crank Position Sensor" I figured that was the culprit. I was getting the lurching at lights and the car dying at idle once warmed up. From what I've read, that seems very CKPS'ish. After I replaced the CKPS I took it for a big loop around town. Problems that would normally pop up after warming up the car seemed to have gone away. Until it just all together died, haha.

The hood latch cable broke right before I replaced the CKPS, had to do everything from underneath (wasn't as hard as everyone made it out to be, haha). I'm going to cut away the plastic cover tomorrow and check the inertia switch and the fuel pump.

 

very likely not the Inertia switch. Fuel pump is a good place to look. check all your fuses first. tedious, but easy to do.


what brand CKPS did you purchase? small chance you have a faulty one.

 

Ordered this one from Atlantic British:

Crankshaft Position Sensor ERR7354, BOSCH Engine, For Land Rover Discovery Series II And Range Rover P38

(https://www.roverparts.com/engine/sensors/ERR7354/)


it was “AB recommended”. I hear high praises from the community about them and they hold an impressive amount of inventory. Figured I’d go with that one. After reading what others are saying here it seems like Bosch might of been the way to go. Is that a pretty good rule of thumb to go by when it comes to Bosch parts? If there’s one available, get Bosch?

 

Welcome to the forum, this is the best place for help. You can forget about Facebook, much less knowledge there.

Your description does sound like CPS, but first let's talk about hood release. Where did it break? Pull the cable from inside the cab and see how much you have. With any luck it broke right at the release lever and you can grab it with vice grips and get the hood open. Reach out to one of the forum/facebook breaks (Will Tillerey) for a replacement hood cable.

Your running situation does sound like a CPS, but worth checking other things first. The fuel pump is energized for 20 seconds when turning the truck to the run position. You should be able to hear it run from under the fuel tank or if it is very quiet inside the truck. If it does not run your problem is not CPS - check fuses, relays, security lockout, etc.

If it does run, next thing to check is spark. It is likely there, but easy to check.

Final thing is fuel injector operation. When the CPS fails the ECU turns off the injectors so the engine is not flooded with fuel and hydrolocked. The engine will turn, sparkplugs will fire, but injectors will not. You can remove the injector manifold and crank it and see if you get squirt. Or just throw another CPS at it.

To run, it has to have three things - fire, fuel, and compression, all at the right times.

One last thing, was the factory CPS cover on the truck? That helps protect it from heat soak from the exhaust. Paint it silver or wrap it in aluminum foil as by now the original silver paint is likely gone.

Good luck

 

Tried grabbing the cable (metal, not sleeve) from the inside with vice grips and felt like a magician pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. Not sure exactly where it's broken yet but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get it from the inside. I actually have a replacement in hand from AB. I just need to find time before work to wrench on the car. Probably wait until my weekend.

Just moved back home to WA and most of my tools are still packed up. I'll need to find my multimeter to check those fuses and relays. After that I'll check the fuel pump and move my way up and check spark.

The old CKPS was still working when I pulled it out of the truck and replaced it. I had my wife bring the old CKPS to me when I broke down and replaced it on the side of the road. I figured it would at least get me home. After putting in the old CKPS the car still wasn't starting at all. Makes me think that it might be something else but I'm going to order another CKPS (Bosch) and see how that goes.

My CKPS mudguard was destroyed! Had a bunch of holes in it and missing chunks from the edge. I JB Welded the big hole on the front of it. I posted on the forum WTB section about trying to find a new one. I appreciate the tip about protecting it. I'll definitely do that. Seeing how close it is to the manifold it has to get real hot.

Appreciate all the tips. Hopefully I get this figured out soon. My wife is getting annoyed that I bought a new truck but have to keep borrowing her car, hahaha.

 

that plug for the CPS sucks... land rover should have made a better access to it... when replacing mine I had to use a pair of 12" bent pliars like a surgeon just to get it off and on! easy solution, difficult procedure lol

 

I have a parts truck with a good CKPS cover. Send me a PM.

And just to say it, the terms CPS and CKPS are being used interchangeably here but the OP is clearly talking about the CranK Pos Sensor, not the Cam Pos Sensor in the last post. There is no cover for the CPS, and as mentioned the CKPS isn't really that bad to change. I have no experience with a failure of either one in these trucks (frantically looks for a piece of wood to knock on) but a die on road/no start is on the list. And I've read about multiple "crib deaths" of brand new units on this forum. I personally trust Bosch in most instances but I guess I've been lucky that the sensors I've preemptively changed haven't given me any trouble, Bosch or aftermarket..

 

Just a little update before I get going to work.

I was doing some research last night about the P0336 code. Got me wondering if it could be something as little as a loose wire or a shoddy connector. I woke up early so I could get some time before work and finally got the hood popped. I wanted to see what the wiring looked like above the connection. This is the first thing I saw.


It looks like the owner before me had replaced the CKPS and in the process wanted to extend the wiring so that It was easier for him to get too. The problem is he ran the harness along the intermediate shaft of the steering column, right against the universal joint which I think was pulling on the connections as I turned. I was making a turn when the car died so it seems plausible. Also, it looks like he thinks twisting the connections and covering the connections in a wad of electrical tape is adequate. Pretty sure this is where my problem lies, hahaha. I'll be soldering and heat shrinking the wires on my weekend which starts Tuesday. Fingers crossed.