Engine System Fault, Parking break, HDC etc

[xristis]

Hi, 2006 HSE here. I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden bells and whistles, together with the above mentioned warning messages started to pop up. The car lowered it self of course.

I had to get to the service road, stop and restart the truck...again the same story...but the car went up to standard height. I started driving but it went down again. I decided to go back home slowly...on my way the truck lifted itself up and all lights went away except the engine light remained on.

I went by my business with the wife's car and got back home. I started the truck again, no bells and whistles, only the engine light on. I have not attempted to drive it again and after going through the forum, I think I will have to change the battery tomorrow. All indications are that it is the battery after all.....Hopefully this would solve the problem.

My question is this. Do I need to soft-reset any codes? If yes how do I do this? I dont feel like going to the stealer and having to fork out $$$ for some code resetting.

Thanks in advance.

[bbyer]

The best suggestion I have is to start reading all the posts on the various forums.

This will give you an idea of what to expect. The link below is perhaps the answer to what you are experiencing. The symptoms described are common, however the actual solution is varied.

Reading all the posts will take months, but after digesting them, you will realize that the 3 is a very special vehicle but with proper maintenance and an understanding of the systems, it can take you to places no vehicle in the world will. It is the ride of choice of millionaires, kings, despots, and a select few, for a reason.

Re the comment, soft reset, I am not certain what that means, but a hard reset, while it will erase some of the codes, if it appear to resolve the concern, usually only delays the trouble shooting efforts - sometimes good if that means you can get back to civilization.

Lr3 se - many fault messages

[xristis]

Thanks bbyer. Today I went out and started the truck, no problems and the engine light was off. We have -3C here in Montreal and it started like a dream...I opened the hood and checked the battery. There is an Eliminator inside, meaning that the previous owner had it changed from OEM.

I have decided to take it in to the dealer, just in case. He can read all the codes and at least tell me what the problem is in case battery is not the issue.

Will report back with results.

[bbyer]

I wish your dealer luck. They at least have the advantage of seeing lots of problems as it seems there is always a wrinkle - something new no one has ever run across before and also hard to believe.

I am fortunate that here in Edmonton, the dealer is pretty good and that the service people work there because they enjoy Land Rovers - it is more than just a job.

The systems in the 3 are so interconnected that I sometimes wonder if it is just too smart for itself. The combination of a suspension system that can raise and lower the vehicle, plus hill decent and the anti skid adds so many variables that seem to depend upon each other. Just the fact the brake lights illuminate when the hill decent retards the vehicle ties the brake light bulbs to the throttle, transmission, and ABS control systems - that sort of thing.

In the past it was emissions systems and the ignition computer acting up - those days seem to be for the most part under control and it is instead, a brave new world of never before seen concerns.

[xristis]

UPDATE

Hey everyone, happy new year. It took me a while with the holidays and all to get back to you regarding my post. Well it turned out to be the right front ABS sensor going down which caused all the bells and whistles. Actually the sensor got busted because metal fragments from the wheel bearing scapped it somehow. Thats what the dealer told me anyways...when they actually read the codes and went in to check the sensor, they discovered the bearing gone.

All work was covered by my extended warranty (minus 1.5hrs diagnostic time) so all is good now.

By the way, just got back from a 6,000klm round trip to Miami from Montreal for our Xmas vacation. Not a single problem with the truck, very smooth on the highway and quite comfortable on the long drives. Pulled around 600klm to the tank (with the computer showing about 90klm left before I had to fill her up again)...not too bad for a 3 ton truck carrying 4 plus luggage.

[bbyer]

Yes, that is pretty good range at highway speeds. I think that for me, I can also get about 600 km per tank, but am not so certain about there being any kilometres after that. Prior to doing an oil and filter change in the ZF six speed transmission, I was lucky to get 500 km to a tank.

I drive from Edmonton to Fernie BC in the mountains a few times a year and it is exactly 600 km. I always gas up at the 400 km mark as the last 200 km is in the foothills and mountains so you can be kind of alone - well a few coyotes and the like, but no gas stations for the first 150 km of that last bit of road.

You were pretty fortunate - a wheel bearing failure plus associated troubles before you start out, and then all well while you are travelling - a good sign I would say.

We appreciate the update as it is good to know how one fault leads to another, and as usual, the solution to the concern is rarely straight forward or obvious.

[ktm_525]

Great more unnoticed bearing failures. I need to get my other front replaced. Has me nervous.

[bbyer]

I have been reading too often lately of wheel bearing failures. When I asked my dealer about that, he said they were rare around here.

I can only hope that small town Ford dealers will take pity on me as the repair procedure is Ford like in any case.

There is the parts problem however as the nearest dealer north of me is in Iceland. A couple of hundred miles to the south, the only other dealer is too busy selling Evoque's.

Out on the Pacific coast, I have heard there is a dealer or two, but that may be just rumour and there is a mountain range in between.

There are clearly dealers in Eastern Canada as all our used Rovers seem to come from there but I must presume that they cannot do repairs, only sales.

[xristis]

bbyer, I noticed you changed your transmission oil and filter before you could get decent mileage. I now have 116,000klm on the clock. Should I be changing mine as well? I do not have the manual (third owner!) so I cant check against manufacturers recommendation.

[ktm_525]

Originally Posted by xristis

bbyer, I noticed you changed your transmission oil and filter before you could get decent mileage. I now have 116,000klm on the clock. Should I be changing mine as well? I do not have the manual (third owner!) so I cant check against manufacturers recommendation.

What bearing failed? ie. front right or left?

LR says "lifetime" transmission fluid. I will be looking into a fluid swap this spring as well (@ 148 k kms). The trick will be to find the correct fluid and a ZF transmission specialist.

BByer I will be in the Chuck a few times this year. Do you have a name for your transmission guy?

[bbyer]

DOT is not the kind of place that has, (or needs), a website. The link below is a Google map.

The good news however is that they can not only spell ZF, but can fix them as well. They are also good on Allison if you have a sick Chevy.

We can thank both the Mercedes and BMW owners for forcing Ron to learn how to fix the 6HP26 as everyone else in town, particularly the dealers, seems scared of ZF.

I would give Ron a weeks notice that you will be appearing however - he is not exactly sitting there waiting for customers to appear.

The other good news is that a couple of the guys in the back actually like working on Land Rovers - seems where they were born, the first wheels they ever saw were under a Series Rover.

Dot Transmissions

[bbyer]

Originally Posted by xristis

bbyer, I noticed you changed your transmission oil and filter before you could get decent mileage. I now have 116,000km on the clock. Should I be changing mine as well? I do not have the manual (third owner!) so I cant check against manufacturers recommendation.

In this instance, you are fortunate not to have the manual.

The official line is "sealed for life"; what the fine print does not say is that life is perhaps a max of 160,000 km, double the vehicle warranty mileage. That number is a very vague number but the oil manufacturers seem to suggest that as a max effective "life" of their tranny oils - no one will actually say. This sort of hesitation is driven by EU recycle laws that effectively say an owner can return used oil to the desk of the oil company CEO and he has to take it back. In the case of a new vehicle, you can also return the oil to the tranny manufacturer or the car maker. Apparently Big Guys do not like that - they prefer on their desk, bonus cheques, not used oil.

The short answer is yes, get the oil and filter changed - the problem here in North America is finding someone who is not scared of the tranny. I was fortunate in that both my dealer and one local shop know how to change the oil, and now the local independent knows how to change it on an LR3 as well. I provided the test vehicle and the money - about half what the dealer wanted.

The independent decided it was not as easy as he had first figured - that is getting off the existing plastic oil pan and fitting a new one. Refilling is more a question of knowing how. Full, over, and under are temperature dependent. It is not a question of just filling till the oil runs out the fill hole like the rear end of a Chev pickup - and that is where the art thing comes in. I presume GM and Ford still puts transmission dip sticks in - well ZF does not so you only get one chance to do the fill correctly.

The link below is to my ZF album on disco3. There are some good files in there that you can download and review. One file shows how to refill the tranny from the bottom of the pan via the "drain" hole beside the drain hole - yes, ZF is different. I figure from the success of that technique, Land Rover then felt confident to delete the drain plug from the bottom of the oil pan of the LR4 V8; you now drain it from the oil fill opening on top. The good news is that you do not yet have to remove the body to do an engine oil change. For the tranny, I gather in the UK, that is considered a viable alternative however. They get good at it.

DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - ZF 6HP26 Automatic Transmission in LR3

[xristis]

Originally Posted by ktm_525

What bearing failed? ie. front right or left?

LR says "lifetime" transmission fluid. I will be looking into a fluid swap this spring as well (@ 148 k kms). The trick will be to find the correct fluid and a ZF transmission specialist.

BByer I will be in the Chuck a few times this year. Do you have a name for your transmission guy?

The front right one.

bbyer...Thanks for the oil change advise. I will check what the dealer charges and then try to find any shop in the Montreal area that can maybe do the work.

[tlt]

Originally Posted by bbyer

In this instance, you are fortunate not to have the manual.

The independent decided it was not as easy as he had first figured - that is getting off the existing plastic oil pan and fitting a new one. Refilling is more a question of knowing how. Full, over, and under are temperature dependent. It is not a question of just filling till the oil runs out the fill hole like the rear end of a Chev pickup - and that is where the art thing comes in. I presume GM and Ford still puts transmission dip sticks in - well ZF does not so you only get one chance to do the fill correctly.DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - ZF 6HP26 Automatic Transmission in LR3

The ZF pan is the one I had fitted. It had to be special ordered from Germany here in the US.

It has been fine so far, and additionally, the minor judder when starting from a stop is gone.

One trick, for removing the old pan without lifting the engine/mounts at least on a Petrol is to break the neck off the filter, or cut it. The new pan can then be fitted without any need to lift after removing the old pan/filter/neck.

Interesting information in that link...

ITEM INFORMATION:
Fits ZF 6 Speed ZF6HP26 Automatic Transmissions.
Kit Includes: 1 x Steel Sump 1 x Removable Filter, 1 x Sump Gasket, 21 x Sump Bolts.
Recommended Oil is ZF LifeGuard 6 Fluid (we sell this in 1 litre bottles).
We have included the Mechatronic Plug with this service kit as its always leaks even if its not leaking at time of service its recommended to change it. While sump is off its a simple unlock outer wiring loom then remove the plug by pulling the release clip on Mechatronic unit.
Please Note: This sump is to replace the plastic one piece sump fitted to the range rovers. The Plastic sump cant be replaced due to a beam running under the sump. To remove the plastic sump the filter spout needs to be cut off to allow the sump to slide out. This kit then allows you to fit the filter then slide the sump into position.
We also have the filter and gasket available to suit steel sumps already fitted.

OUR OPINION ON THIS ITEM:
We recommend servicing this Automatic Transmissions every 36 months or 60,000kms. This transmission may be classed as a sealed transmission with fill for life oil but the LifeGuard 6 oil is only rated to 100,000kms by ZF Friedrichshafen AG.

Cheers

[bbyer]

Originally Posted by tlt

OUR OPINION ON THIS ITEM:
We recommend servicing this Automatic Transmissions every 36 months or 60,000 kms. This transmission may be classed as a sealed transmission with fill for life oil but the LifeGuard6 oil is only rated to 100,000 kms by ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Cheers

I would say that your quote above makes more sense than 160,000 km; actually that number is when it all turns to tar and you buy a new tranny. I have seen oil life numbers between 80,000 and 120,000 km as well, but the 60,000 km is a number that if followed, would most likely keep the tranny working well for at least a quarter million km before having to go inside.

Re the next oil and filter change, you made life easy for everyone involved by installing the metal pan. Now a filter change is more Chev pickup like than exotic foreign job. It seems that all the guys who really use their 3's in Australia are doing the metal pan changeover as well.