Freelander Diesel Stalling: Air Intake & Black Smoke Issues

Hi there! I had a similar issue with my '04 Land Rover Discovery diesel about a year ago. I've got some experience working on cars, but mostly basic maintenance stuff. Those symptoms sound very familiar, my Disco had almost identical problems. Turned out to be a cracked intake manifold and some damaged seals that were causing air leaks. The black smoke was a dead giveaway for an air/fuel mixture problem. Got it fixed at my regular workshop, they had to replace the manifold and all the seals. Set me back about 425 Euro, but it's been running like a charm since then. The mechanic mentioned these issues are somewhat common on Land Rovers from this era. Could you share more details about your Freelander? Like the engine size and mileage? That would help determine if you're dealing with the same problem. Also, are you getting any specific error codes with that check engine light?

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Freelander just hit 189682 KM and had its last service two months ago. I'm actually getting a P0400 error code now that I checked with my basic scanner. The symptoms really match what you described with your Discovery, especially that black smoke issue. Did your mechanic mention how long the repair took? I'm trying to figure out if I can manage without the car for a few days. Also, did you notice any warning signs before it got really bad? I'm wondering if I should've caught this earlier. Thanks for the help, it's good to hear from someone who's dealt with this before!

Hey again! Yeah, I remember my Discovery situation really well. Actually, with my car, the whole repair job took about two days, one day for diagnosis and parts ordering, and another for the actual work. I managed to get a lift from my during that time. Looking at your P0400 code and symptoms, yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I dealt with. Funny enough, I did notice some minor signs about a month before it got bad. There was this slight hesitation when accelerating, especially in the morning, but I brushed it off like an idiot. Big mistake! Since you asked about warning signs, I definitely had a slight drop in fuel efficiency before all the other symptoms showed up. The engine also made this weird whistling sound under load, which I now know was the air leak from the cracked manifold. Your mileage is pretty close to what mine was when this happened (mine was around 195000 KM). These engines are generally solid, but these intake issues are like their kryptonite! Quick tip from my experience, make sure they check all the surrounding seals and gaskets while they're in there. My mechanic found a couple of deteriorating seals that weren't obvious at first, and replacing those prevented future problems. Keep us posted on what you find out! Always curious to hear how these repairs turn out for others.

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! That's super helpful, especially about the repair timeline. Two days isn't as bad as I was fearing, I can definitely arrange something for that short period. And wow, those warning signs you mentioned... now that you point it out, I definitely noticed that whistling sound and the morning hesitation, but like you, I just ignored them 🤦‍ I'm going to call my mechanic first thing tomorrow and mention checking all those seals and gaskets you talked about. Better to get everything sorted while they're working on it anyway. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it's made me feel a lot more confident about what I'm dealing with. Will drop a message here once I get it fixed to let you know how it went. Thanks again for taking the time to help out with all this info, it's exactly what I needed to know!