Are there provisions(a harness connector) of any sort in the rear of my 2008 LR2 that I can take advantage of when wiring for the trailer hitch? I’m a novice with the arrangement of the electrical system of the vehicle. If not, does anyone have a preferred tutorial that might be willing to point me to for wiring my hitch harness? Thanks very much in advance.

 

Depends on what you're towing.

If it's unbraked, you can use the factory tow harness and 4-pin connector. You should be able to install that yourself, but will need SDD software to activate it (or take it to a dealer or shop with SDD).

If your tow has brakes and you need a 7-pin and brake controller, there's no OEM for that so you may want to take it to a specialist... I tried several shops and none of them would touch it. Finally found one who had a guy who knew how to do that. Trailer brakes are not something I want to screw up. You'll need the 4-pin harness installed and activated before you add a 7-pin.

 

The LR2 comes with features for towing. To get the full functionality you need to purchase the tow module that comes with all the necessary wiring. It installs in the rear under the left hand side fender cover, if I remember correctly. The harness goes out through one of the holes that has a rubber plug and is long enough for any application (I had to use nylon tie straps to secure the excess length). The US version of the controller and wiring is apparently not available anymore, but what I did was order the European version and an adapter from 13 pin to 7 or 4 pin. Works great, and I can tow both US and EU trailers. You can find it by searching the web for "land rover lr2 tow module". Also, mine required NO dealer programming. Just plug and go.

I have attached the instructions for the module, but I am not sure if they show up correctly.

 

So, I got a 7 pin from here:
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/towbar-wir...ring-kits.html

and a reasonably priced mounting bracket that I believe flybd5 had posted a link to on this very forum?

^^^Basically plug and play, with all wiring attached under driver (IN)side trunk trim. flybd5 posted the pdf above.

And the 7 UK to 4 pin US adapter similar to this one:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Wir...dy/118710.html

The trailer harness will work, once a trailer is connected, without JLR SDD activation but in reverse (with trailer attached) your rear reverse sensors will activate. JLR SDD trailer package activation will disable the reverse sensors when the trailer is hitched up.

 

The reverse sensor beeping is a minor irritation, which I experience when I move around a utility trailer which has no wiring. Probably not worth paying for activation for that. If you have the SDD, might as well.

But when you tow with a live trailer, a tow light illuminates on the dash. I'm not sure if there are any tranny or traction adjustments which the vehicle makes while towing. Since my camper is the max rated tow weight for the LR2 (3500#), I got it activated just in case it matters. It tows flawlessly, especially for a six-banger in the western mountains in the summer. That's the main reason I've put the money into the car to extend to 200K+.

 

That's weird, I didn't have to do anything. Everything worked correctly out of the box and the truck had never had the module installed before so there was no programming ever done.

I don't think the drive system makes any changes if you are towing a trailer. I do think that anyone planning to tow something heavy should upgrade to the dual-fan radiator fan assembly. It takes some work but your engine and transmission will thank you for it.

 

Probably good advice. I didn't know that was an option for many years and did some max gross weight towing in severe conditions. Cooling system started spring leaks around 150K, replaced all the big stuff preemptively. But the tranny has been rock solid, with two fluid changes after 100K.

 

Apparently the dual fan radiator assembly is standard in middle eastern/hot climate LR2's and in diesel models. I found out by accident when I was trolling through the service manual looking for something else and had a "Wait, what?" moment. But if you look at your radiator fan control module, you'll see it has two outputs for fans. They all do. A clue, Sherlock! I had totally missed the implication of that.