LR 3/4 weak points

Blue

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Mar 26, 2004
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Yep, would love a diesel Range Rover except for the fact that it has Range Rover electronics. The new Disco is not even a remote option.
 

discostew

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Sep 14, 2010
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There was never a BMW 4.4 on an L319/L320 (AFAIK, mandatory disclaimer).

5-liter in an LR4 is awesome. With many caveats.
One rarely mentioned - but since I know of two instances of that, I should bring it up:
Like on several Ford vehicles of the same time frame, there's no return fuel line back to the tank. To avoid overpressurizing the fuel rail, JLR installed a pressure sensor and Ford-sourced PWM controller for the fuel pump.
It is a hundred-dollar part made in Czech Republic that once resulted in a thousand-dollar tow bill for me (+$700 at LR Scottsdale +multiple phone calls to assure the service manager that his mechanic was lying to him).
My understanding was that LR installed improved pieces that are the ones you install in the 5.0 to make it bullet proof

My understanding was that LR installed improved pieces that are the ones you install in the 5.0 to make it bullet proof
A 5.0 will never be bullet proof. Never, ever. Lots of power but glad it's almost gone.
As far as that fuel pump driver module that destroyed PM's vacation one time, I have worked for Rover for 21 years and have seen 2 fail. Worry about overheating or high pressure fuel pumps and injectors. Don't sweat the fuel pump driver module.
 

p m

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A 5.0 will never be bullet proof. Never, ever. Lots of power but glad it's almost gone.
As far as that fuel pump driver module that destroyed PM's vacation one time, I have worked for Rover for 21 years and have seen 2 fail. Worry about overheating or high pressure fuel pumps and injectors. Don't sweat the fuel pump driver module.
Ben Little had the same issue with his LR4.

To take some cred from you - you sounded just like a tech at Pioneer Centre in San Diego in 2000, who could not troubleshoot the issue with the alarm box on a 96 D1 and told me that, from his 20 years of experience with Land Rovers, I needed a new ECU.
The price of his advice was $311; it was worth nothing because, 19 years later, the same D1 runs happily with the same ECU and the same alarm box.
I asked for a discount based on the fact that, out of 20, 14 of his prior years of experience with Land Rovers mattered exactly zero.
Likewise, out of your 21 years with Rover, only 10 matter.
Just nitpicking.
 

jymmiejamz

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Dec 5, 2004
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Ben Little had the same issue with his LR4.

The FPDM wasn't the problem on his, he had a wiring problem.

I've only replaced one that I can recall and that was because JLR engineering told me to replace that and the low pressure fuel pump (intermittent fault). Any part can fail, but the FPDM is a very rare item to fail. I'd be more concerned about the actual fuel pumps (high pressure and low pressure).
 

p m

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To Stew's point... An LR4 is a great and very capable vehicle, but I don't think I could ever trust it on a long trip.
At least, I don't have anywhere close to the needed knowledge and tools to fix whatever bizarre shit it decides to break.
 

discostew

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Sep 14, 2010
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To Stew's point... An LR4 is a great and very capable vehicle, but I don't think I could ever trust it on a long trip.
At least, I don't have anywhere close to the needed knowledge and tools to fix whatever bizarre shit it decides to break.
How far have you driven it since that fuel pump driver failure? Probably around the world a couple times. Trust us, you had a very uncommon failure that really fucked up an otherwise great trip with your family. Go to a junkyard and get another fuel pump driver module and put it in your spare tire well. That should help you feel better. Maybe you could use it to tap on the water pump when your replacing that on the side of the road. Cause that's the kind of failure I would worry about.
 

ERover82

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Nov 26, 2011
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Darien Gap
To Stew's point... An LR4 is a great and very capable vehicle, but I don't think I could ever trust it on a long trip.
At least, I don't have anywhere close to the needed knowledge and tools to fix whatever bizarre shit it decides to break.

That was a factor in ditching my LR3. In the reverse, my early D90 is so simple it installs a sense of overconfidence in repair ability. I may be able to fix most trail failures with adhesives, wire, and clamps, but how am I going to fix a busted IP or timing belt? It's still a net positive, I think.
 

p m

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How far have you driven it since that fuel pump driver failure? Probably around the world a couple times. Trust us, you had a very uncommon failure that really fucked up an otherwise great trip with your family. Go to a junkyard and get another fuel pump driver module and put it in your spare tire well. That should help you feel better. Maybe you could use it to tap on the water pump when your replacing that on the side of the road. Cause that's the kind of failure I would worry about.
That controller can be bought new from eBay for about $100, no need to go to a junkyard.
But what hit me in the face was not the failure itself, but how little I knew about the vehicle.
I've since downloaded all LR4-related info I could find, but... consider this, my truck is a lemon buyback because of failure to communicate with the keys. Having replaced two keyfob cases already, I know they are pretty fucking far from IP67 or whatever water resistance standard there is - so if you drop one in a puddle, you're one key poorer. Since you can't have more than 3, that puts a limit to how many you can lose on a trip.
Stupid, I know - but it contributes to the picture.
The front fuel level sender is dying, too - so I get an occasional fuel level low light on, with 0 miles left to no gas on the dashboard. Last time it happened to me on that infamous stretch of US 6 between Tonopah and Ely; it contributes to the picture.

I would still take the LR4 on a 2500-mile CONUS trip, if I am not traveling alone and I don't need a rental Suburban.
But alone - that's the choice between a 286-kmi D1 and 355-kmi Classic.

Edit: just remembered this - before the Christmas week trip to Jackson in the LR4, I dropped it off for a check-up and oil change. Came to pick it up with my wife, told the shop owner I was going to drive it to Wyoming.
He chuckled and said I'd be better off with the Classic. Of course, he built it and serviced it all of its life, so he's biased.
 

Jagfixer

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Feb 25, 2008
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Hitting 100K, no problems all major services as scheduled (by me), oil and filter @ 5500-6000 miles regularly with 5-20W Royal Purple. I tow a 7000lb car trailer and a 3000lb bass boat without problems and no noise from engine. and I will still beat a kid off the line at a red light.
 

jwest

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May 28, 2006
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My understanding was that LR installed improved pieces that are the ones you install in the 5.0 to make it bullet proof

You need to stop using "bullet proof" and Land Rover in the same thought. No matter what you think you've done for the motor, these things will do some other random nonsense like force you to slow down and pull off the road if any oddity occurs in its computer brain regarding the suspension or other system. I have enjoyed all 3 of the rovers I currently own, starting in 2001, but bullet proof is not really appropriate unfortunately.
 
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jwest

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May 28, 2006
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I would still take the LR4 on a 2500-mile CONUS trip, if I am not traveling alone and I don't need a rental Suburban.
But alone - that's the choice between a 286-kmi D1 and 355-kmi Classic.

Edit: just remembered this - before the Christmas week trip to Jackson in the LR4, I dropped it off for a check-up and oil change. Came to pick it up with my wife, told the shop owner I was going to drive it to Wyoming.
He chuckled and said I'd be better off with the Classic. Of course, he built it and serviced it all of its life, so he's biased.

I need to post converse thoughts on this though now seeing as last year this time I packed my 07 lr3 and headed to NC from WA. In May I left NC, went to MN via Ontario and northern route through Thunder Bay, then into US WAY over in BC crossing all the Canadian provinces. I was on a tight schedule so there were only 2 sleep stops between Thunder Bay and Seattle WA....

Since 2007 I have made at least an average of 1 round trip every other year but 1 trip was in an 08 Audi S4 avant 6 spd and another in my BMW 535xi wagon 6 spd so probably 5-6 in the LR3 and one of those was towing a tandem 7x12 110% loaded so near 8000 lbs.

Aside from truly nonsensical computer type BS "issues" I've never really had a thing happen on the lr3. Nothing requiring a tow truck anyway, so there's that. Probably the most debilitating thing can be the damn air system. I had strut start a leak on that WA-NC trip but also have an iidtool and LLAMS so I was able to set the height to a level tolerable to drive 80mph but loose less air per hour so that the compressor wouldn't over work itself and cause a system shut down.

I also drove my 96 disco on so many road trips, winter and summer. -40's in MN one big trip and up to 240,000 miles before electrical gremlins got too annoying so it;s going for sale very soon :(
 
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p m

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My comments were aimed primarily at the LR4 with a 5.0.
LR3 can be very reliable, but my brother's is in the shop for 13 weeks already - they are still trying to figure out why does it lean on one side.
I'd have thrown the towel already, and routed the airbag hoses to the rear bumper with Schrader valves.
 

Howski

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Oct 19, 2009
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Alabama
Surely they would’ve looked at the height sensors and recalibrated them. Sounds like it’s more serious but mine had about a 1” lean toward the passenger side. Hooked up my diagnostic tool and recalibrated the height in about 10 minutes