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blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17361

2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey

Why can't LR make decent wiring harnesses?

I had an unusual fault this afternoon, and I thought I'd post details in case anyone wants to do a preventive check.

I was leaving the car park at the local shops when all of a sudden my RAI became much, much, louder than normal. I have a Nakatanenga full bore RAI with a Nugget Stuff free flow air filter and it is always noticeable, but this sounded more like a really badly blowing exhaust than an air intake. It was load enough for people to look round for the COrsa!

The engine continued to run OK but felt "different" in a way that I couldn't quite put my finger on, it just wasn't quite right.

When I pulled over and stopped the engine and looked under the bonnet, everything looked OK. Then I noticed that the turbo actuator was parked in its lowest extremity which is the full boost position (it should "park" in the mid position). With the ignition on, when I jiggled the harness adjacent to the actuator connector the actuator would move back and forth between the park and full boost position, proving conclusively that the was a loose connection.

When I looked closer I could see the fault. There are five wires to the actuator, two power wires to the stepper motor which run through a ferrite choke, and three signal wires (to tell the ECU what position the actuator is in) which bypass the choke. Landrover, in their wisdom, leave the choke free to rattle about on the harness, and 240,000 miles of rattling about had worn through one of the signal wires (and has also very nearly worn through the insulation of one of the power wires). An easy enough problem to fix, but one which should never have happened in the first place since the choke should never have been left loose.

So if you have a high mileage 2.4 (I imagine the 2.2 is similar but I don't know) you might want to check the condition of the wires through and beside the choke, and secure the choke so it cannot move and do more damage.

Also, if you are driving and suddenly your induction system gets very, very loud, check that the actuator isn't stuck in the full boost position!

You can just see the damage in the photos below, taken after I had unwrapped the harness. The notch in the signal wire is just to the right of my thumb in the second picture.

Click image to enlarge

10th Aug 2019 5:39pm

90 Dreamer

Member Since: 13 Jul 2019
Location: Oop North
Posts: 2144

2016 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 HT Corris Grey

Sorry whats RAI ??

10th Aug 2019 5:42pm

Sulisuli

Member Since: 30 Oct 2016
Location: South west
Posts: 4795

2015 Defender 90 Puma 2.2 HT Corris Grey

Good info and well spotted

2015 HT XS 90
2008 SVX 90
2000 XS TD5 90

10th Aug 2019 5:42pm

Rashers

Member Since: 21 Jun 2015
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3486

2014 Defender 110 Puma 2.2 USW Corris Grey

That's good to know, black wolf

In answer to your question, who knows? Makes you wonder what kind of a truck JLR could have produced if they had put a bit more effort in to it

10th Aug 2019 5:43pm

Rashers

Member Since: 21 Jun 2015
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3486

90 Dreamer wrote:
Sorry whats RAI ??

Raised Air Intake

10th Aug 2019 5:43pm

LandRoverAnorak

Member Since: 17 Jul 2011
Location: Surrey
Posts: 11324

90 Dreamer wrote:
Sorry whats RAI ??

Raised Air Intake. Commonly known as a snorkel although those two terms can mean subtly different things. Darren

110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak

"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia

10th Aug 2019 5:45pm

90 Dreamer

Member Since: 13 Jul 2019
Location: Oop North
Posts: 2144

A Snorkel i guess ??

On that note where does the std intake draw from?? What sort of depth of water is 'safe' ??

10th Aug 2019 5:45pm

Sulisuli

Member Since: 30 Oct 2016
Location: South west
Posts: 4795

Have a look via the search button either for RAI or Snorkel and that should be your Saturday night taken care of

510 posts

2015 HT XS 90
2008 SVX 90
2000 XS TD5 90

Last edited by Sulisuli on 10th Aug 2019 5:52pm. Edited 1 time in total

10th Aug 2019 5:47pm

Rashers

Member Since: 21 Jun 2015
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3486

When the engine stops, your too deep

10th Aug 2019 5:47pm

dorsetsmith

Member Since: 30 Oct 2011
Location: South West
Posts: 4554

LR020663 - WIRE REPAIR KIT FOR TURBO ACTUATOR HARNESS 2.4L TDCI DEFENDER 2007 ON

Click image to enlarge

https://public.bellautoservices.co.uk/down...020663.pdf

Last edited by dorsetsmith on 11th Aug 2019 9:03am. Edited 2 times in total

10th Aug 2019 6:01pm

Sulisuli

Member Since: 30 Oct 2016
Location: South west
Posts: 4795

Dorsetsmith your knowledge and information never ceases to amaze me

your like a walking parts department and some

2015 HT XS 90
2008 SVX 90
2000 XS TD5 90

10th Aug 2019 6:03pm

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17361

90 Dreamer wrote:
A Snorkel i guess ??

On that note where does the std intake draw from?? What sort of depth of water is 'safe' ??

The intake (on a standard TDCi) is through the plastic grill in the side of the offside wing, just ahead and below the mirror. However the standard plastic pipework from there to the air filter housing is in several badly-fitting pieces and leaks like a sieve, and the induction side of the air filter housing itself in not sealed either.

If you know what you are doing you can drive through water up to about the top of the headlights but it would be very risky, you are wholly dependent upon a good bow wave to lower the level past this intake. To be safe I would suggest not going deeper that the centre of the wheels if you are inexperienced.

With a fully-sealed system such as mine you could in theory keep the engine running with water most of the way up the windscreen but it is likely that you will have many electrical problems. A member of this forum inadvertently did this to his Puma (he actually drowned it and it was immersed for several hours) and has had a catalogue of electrical and fuel system problems ever since.

10th Aug 2019 6:04pm

90 Dreamer

Member Since: 13 Jul 2019
Location: Oop North
Posts: 2144

Thanks for the info - will be potentially looking at improving the pipework in that case albeit i dont have any plans to go down the snorkel route.......

10th Aug 2019 6:06pm

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17361

dorsetsmith wrote:
LR020663 - WIRE REPAIR KIT FOR TURBO ACTUATOR HARNESS 2.4L TDCI DEFENDER 2007 ON

That's the repair kit designed for the problem with the A/C compressor, but will work well for my problem. What is particularly interesting is that the ferrite choke is properly secured in the pictures of the repair kit.

My 2007 2.4 is an early one, so it may well be that a token attempt to address the problem was made on later vehicles.

10th Aug 2019 6:07pm

Rashers

Member Since: 21 Jun 2015
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 3486

Sulisuli wrote:
Dorsetsmith your knowledge and information never ceases to amaze me your like a walking parts department and some

I'll second that

10th Aug 2019 6:08pm

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