So I decided to follow up on my oil leaking thread today by going out to take a few photos. Couldn't seem to locate my camera and am feeling technologically challenged with my cell phone haha so I scrapped that idea until tomorrow. Decided to top up fluids, poke around under the hood and for whatever reason remove every single fuse just for the hell of it. I'm sure the neighbor lady thought I was losing it standing there with my tweezers, poking around like a nimwit.

Anyway... I checked both fuse boxes just for fun and found a blown fuse in the engine compartment fuse box (f5):



I was quite surprised to see a fuse blown as I didn't think anything was amiss in the way my Rover was running (aside from the smelly oil odor that I'm still 'investigating').

So I tried to reference my handy dandy RAVE manual but it appears, in a fit of rage last year, I threw it in the trash (printed version) and my bookmark is giving me an error when I try to access it.

Can anyone please tell me if this is the blower motor fuse and if this could be the reason my A/C isn't working properly - or aren't the two related... Also, I realize that I should be well aware of how to access the Rave manual on this website but I'm scared to download a copy of it and unknowingly subject my computer to a virus. Any suggestions for clean copies would be much appreciated.

PS.. the fuse in the f5 spot was a 30amp - not the recommended 40 (for whatever reason) so I'm assuming that is why it blew?

Many thanks,

Christina

 

I believe that is the fuse for the fan on the front of your radiator. I would replace it with the 40.

I don't think it has anything to do with your AC but, also check the fuse panel under the steering wheel

 

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. I'll swing by the store tomorrow and pick up a range of fuses. I had some spares in my glove box but the highest was 30. I replaced it with a 30, temporarily, to see if something would happen, drove across town and to me it felt like the fan was blowing more cold air. Who knows.. I could be talking kak again. I get accused of that often and Rovers have a way of bringing out that side of me

So I found the Rave, it's downloading now. Found it here if anyone else needs it... again:

land rover service factory manual RAVE download land rover resource, service manual, workshop factory manual, download, rave, vehicles including discovery, series, defender, range rover, freelander, LR3, Handbooks, Catalog, Catalogue, Land Rover Inte

I also found the fuse details in the electrical library:

https://discoii.files.wordpress.com/...al-library.pdf

and it appears that it is the 'cooling fan relay':



So, having read that, I just had to google it haha.. and I came up with this:



which ties into the radiator (as you stated) and also does something with A/C? I swear I had more cool air blowing into my face when I drove across town tonight.. seemed VERY powerful.

hmmmm back into the Rover rabbit hole I go.. related? not related? maybe related?

 

After reading a bit more, I think it may have been contributing to the air conditioning issue. If anyone wants to chime in I'm all ears.

 

"So I tried to reference my handy dandy RAVE manual but it appears, in a fit of rage last year, I threw it in the trash (printed version) and my bookmark is giving me an error when I try to access it."

KD, I thought that sort of pique was reserved for me only, I've regrettably had these sorts of fits of pique all my life. Oh, by the by, printed versions of RAVE are quite valuable ............ and rare.

Anyways, the fan fuse/relay is for the A/C fan in front of the A/C radiator behind the grille (at least mine is) and the A/C cooling fan initiates on a temperature rise in the A/C gas/fluid at 28C and rising (sorry centigrade not fahrenheit, 21st century eh ). The main cooling fan for the main engine coolant radiator is a viscous coupling fan and totally unrelated to the A/C system. So, it seems you may have solved your A/C mystery but it is not the same as the heater-A/C in-car blower. Sooo, but have you sorted the burnt oily smell yet?

Have a great Sunday eh

 

Most likely, your fan is froze up (not turning when energized) and blows the fuse. That's one, just one, of the small problems with living in Michigan, it's winter about five months out of the year and the fan never comes on during that time (exercising its motion). Throw in the amount of salt and road debris the front of your rover sees...then throw in the fact that these vehicles are sometimes winter daily drivers and sit all summer...and that is the final nail in the coffin for the fan.

Your A/C will work...better...when the fan is operating normal, but it should not eliminate it from working altogether. Most likely...your rover has lost its freon charge (especially, considering its age). This can also be related to living in a cold weather climate. Normally what happens, the charge gets somewhat low and the system doesn't seem to be working properly. So, owner or shop mechanic removes caps from A/C lines and throws a bit of freon charge into the system. Mean while, they put the caps somewhere...where they end up falling into the engine compartment...never to be seen again. Vehicle owners and most mechanics don't realize the importance of these caps. They need to be on the lines, to keep the system closed, especially, in our case...when the little valve inside the fill port opens up during extremely cold weather. R-12 and R-134a, the two most commonly used freons here, are about -15F in their natural state, this low temperature is how they absorb heat from the ambient temperature within the cab of the vehicle. This is where most folks get confused about A/C, it does not cool the air...it removes the heat from the air...making it seem cooler. Anyhow, without going into the whole theory and getting too technical...when those caps are left off and it gets below -15F...the freon in your system changes physical states and allows the A/C system to go into a vacuum...pulling the little fill port valve open, which allows air into the system (if caps are gone) and reduces the efficiency of the system greatly.

So anyway, long story short...you probably need to go into a A/C shop and have them evacuate the system, pull a vacuum and see what the condition of your system is. If it holds a vacuum, they will refill and check the operation of your A/C compressor, receiver dryer and expansion valve...and cooling fan. And if it is a good A/C shop...they will put the caps (with there little o-ring inside) back on the lines.

Good luck,

Brian.

 

Good bye, winter rover...



Hello, summer rides...



Oh, don't worry...the rover will get some love'n over the summer. Hopefully, some of us rover lovers can get together in Grayling or somewhere to put together a little trail ride. Bull gap area would be nice, too (Mio). I'm pretty familiar with that area and could put together a pretty interesting trail ride there...or surrounding area, Hale/South Branch).

Brian.

 

A very good explanation Brian

I have said on a few occasions with regards to the A/C on most vehicles, it needs to be used at least 15 minutes every week or the internal seals dry out and the gas escapes and even quicker if the mechanic or A/C guy loses the HP and LP caps. There is a common expression for A/C usage "use it or lose it".

 

Probably more INFO than you need
Fuse F5 powers the R4 Relay for the A/C Condenser Fan (#JRP100000) based on a call from the ECM/Coolant Temp Sensor(ECT). If F5 is Blown you could have a bad relay, bad ground, or condenser fan (common).
Good Luck!


Brian, How many times do you hear "Is that a new Porsche?". I get that all the time in my 928 and 944. You just got to love when 30 year old cars "look" new and drive even better.

 

Thanks guys for all the info - you've definitely given me food for thought. To be honest I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the info passed my way but appreciative.. thank you. All of your explanations were very thorough.

I'll throw the 40amp fuse in later today after I leave the shop and go to the hospital to visit my granny. As I stated I put a new 30amp fuse in yesterday and weirdly enough I no longer smell the oil odor in the vehicle. All I smell is fresh air

Getting out of the Rover and sniffing around though is another story. Offroad, I suspect the oil issue is the valve cover gasket leaking as that appears to be the source of the oil mess. I'll grab a photo of it today and add it to that thread - I have a spare camera here at the store. The paper Rave wasn't collectible.. it was just me printing it off the computer. Yes, I have a temper.. always have, probably always will.

Nice photos Brian - I bet you have a lot of fun in the summer.

Christina