Hello-

I am new to this site but have lurked for awhile getting some answers to my questions and there seem to be a lot of folks out there who really know their stuff! I'm hoping someone can help me!

My husband and I recently bought a 2005 Freelander from a private owner. The vehicle has 107k on it and has all receipts from maintenance and preventative maintenance.

About a month after we purchased it the check engine light would come on. And then go off. And then come on... and then go off again. When the check engine light is on the vehicle has a hard time starting and idles hard. It also is having a hard time accelerating and the rpm's will go very high before it actually shifts. When the check engine light isn't on the vehicle runs splendidly!

The check engine light hadn't come on in weeks and we were waiting on it to come on again and it finally did today. The codes were these: 303, 1300 and 1477. I went to AutoZone to get the diagnostic done and they were only able to access one of the codes which is saying a possible misfire on cylinder 3. They said because of the kind of vehicle it is the other two won't come up in their system.

I am not very mechanically savvy- but am hoping you folks can give me some valuable information to relay to our mechanic- a personal friend, before he looks at the vehicle as he lives about an hour away.

I'm not going to drive the vehicle until it gets fixed as I'm afraid of being stranded somewhere. I went to Target today with my 6 month old son and it took about 20 seconds to finally start. Please help! Thank you!

 

1477 - VIS power/ butterfly valves motor Open circuit or short circuit to earth

0303 - cylinder 3 misfire

1300 - did not find - on many other models it is related to multiple misfires

The Freelander uses a Siemens ECU, where older Rovers and Discos use Bosch or GEMS - so same code may mean something different on different Rovers.

You can download the RAVE set of shop manuals at link below for your mechanic friend. Has Freelander in it, plus other models.

 

its either a coil gone bad or coolant leaking into the cylinder. pull the spark plug, if its orange or green from coolant the engine is junk, basically the heads are pitted and leaking.

 

Sorry I have not replied- I have been busy all week!

So... is there at least a possiblity it's just spark plugs and wiring? We had the vehicle checked out before we bought it- so would that be something that the person checking it should have seen if it's the engine? You'll have to forgive me I'm totally clueless when it comes to mechanical things.

Are we thinking a cheap/moderately priced fix... or we may as well get a new vehicle?

 

Are there other symptoms if it's the engine?

 

Coil is moderate price. Anything making coolant leak into cyclinder is not.

 

@savannah buzz- thank you for the link to the manual, by the way. meant to say that before...

 

By the way- it is the amber check engine light and not the red one- is that telling at all?

 

See attached - I thought both were Amber, and one says "Service Engine Soon" (equal to MIL [maulfunction indicator light] or check engine light]) which is related to emission controls.

And the other a "Service Engine" service reminder light that comes on at certain miles to remind you to visit the dealer for a scheduled wallet draining.

Of course, you could expect a leaky gasket that is putting coolant into the cylinder to cause misfres, emission codes, etc. But it is a serious problem which could require extensive repair.

 

My manual didn't detail the two different amber lights it only mentioned if it were amber then the problem needs looked at, but not necessarily urgently. If it's red then it said the same exact thing- seek assistance immediately. Perhaps I have a more generalized manual. If I recall, it says that it may not be the same for all models.

We have a diagnostic appointment set up at the dealership next week- we'll probably have to push it back as now the water heater at our house isn't working and we had to take my son to the emergency room yesterday. When it rains it pours! Our diagnostic will be $107- but at least they will be able to tell us exactly what is wrong and how much it will cost to fix.

If the engine is bad- how much could we sell the vehicle for or how much would the engine be? Would it be worth it to fix it or should we just chalk it as a loss? We paid $4k for the vehicle as the owners were well-to-do and decided they didn't want to keep it in the driveway for their son to use once he got his permit next year.

Thanks for your help and input!