Any help please!

My landrover defender puma 2.4 2009 model recently started momentarily loosing power or surging, particularly on long up hill climbs at around 100km/hr. I have established that it is not the fuel pump (if it was then it would do it all the time and I would have not done about 5000kms with this surging). I have had the ECU scanned for faults on many occasions and it normally comes up with no errors. However it has once had an error saying there is a short in the ECU and when it was cleared it came back straight away, it has since gone away and there has never been any engine or warning lights on the dash. Sometimes the vehicle goes 20kms before surging again. I am at the conclusion that there is a problem with the ECU and am trying to get it replaced with a second hand ECU. Does anyone know if the ECU can be changed without changing the instrument cluster?

Thanks

 

What is the fault code number?

 

Hi Peter, unfortunately I did not record the fault code number and now every time it is scanned it comes up clear.

 

I won't assume the ECU is bad. Changing with second ECU is also not recommended. These are usually programmed to the vehicle for security reasons. Installing second hand ECU can cause many problems including flashing the wrong mileage to the instrument cluster.

Do yourself a favor and wait until the fault returns and move forward with fault code diagnosis.

 

Hi Peter, I unfortunately did not record the fault code. I have been taking it to British 4x4 in Pretoria, they do the fault code scanning. With their help I have concluded that it is the ECU that is causing the problem, and according to the mechanic there, the surging is too short in time to record a fault in the ECU memory. Does this make sense? They also tell me that I cannot replace the ECU without replacing the cluster as well.

 

Is this something you have seen in other puma defenders? It is frustrating as the problem seems to be difficult to find. It has this power cutting or surging only under high engine loads and only in 5th or 6th gear.

 

Puma defenders are not in the USA market legally, so I see very few. I personally would get a second option before going down this road suggested by your shop.

If a shop is doing diagnosis, they should have some fault code information. Most tools even provide options to print the screen. Even without a this option in a tool, a technician can use his phone to take a photo of a fault code before clearing.

 

In all honesty ECU's on diesels rarely go wrong. It sounds more like an intermittent ECU linked sensor fault. It should, under the right conditions (i.e. when the fault occurs) throw up some codes. It may be the MAF, the MAP or the crank or cam sensors. An experienced diesel shop or LR shop should be capable of analysing the fault as it's difficult remotely online without tests.

 

Just change ecu today on puma no problems just get alarmbox to with remotes