Thread: Seeking advice on newly acquired '08 Puma

Originally Posted by TM86

Hi All,
I have just bought a '08 Puma Defender (2.4L), which is my return to Land Rover ownership after a 15-year hiatus (had a '93 200tdi Defender until 2009). The vehicle has something of a sketchy maintenance history, so I am looking for advice on things to look out for. Based on the receipts that were included in the vehicle, this is what has been documented to have occurred over its life:


2008 build - Purchased 23/1/09 at Southern 4WD Authority (Cannington, WA)

1. 6/7/09 – 10 283 km
- Service
- Oil = MAG PROFF C3 5W/40

2. 26/3/10 – 10 309 km
- Service
- Driver’s exterior door handle replaced
- Recall – Engine Q068 (unsure what this was for - maybe REC-003266 - Jaguar Land Rover Australia trading as Land Rover Australia - LAND ROVER Defender | Vehicle Recalls ?)
- Oil = MAG PROFF B4 5W/40

3. 28/1/11 – 21 520 km
- Service
- Vacuum pump and gasket replaced
- Replaced leaking pinion seal on rear diff
- Oil = MAG PROFF C3 5W/40

8.5 Year interval, no history – 154 807km added, including 4500km drive from WA to QLD

1st owner = 170 000km in 10 years (approx.) – unknown servicing and maintenance, though told Owner 2 that fuel additive (injector cleaner) was used with each re-fuel, and owner performed own servicing / maintenance

------------------------


Purchased in 2019 privately by Owner 2 who drove it from WA to Brisbane. He had it serviced regularly at a mechanic in Moorooka, as follows:

4. 16/8/19 – 176 327 km
- Service
- Oil = Penrite enviro plus 5W/30 C1 Synthetic ($18.61/L)

5. 29/9/20 – 183 332 km
- Replace vacuum pump

6. 3/3/21 – 187 066 km
- Service
- Replace vacuum pump (again? – appears on both invoices – perhaps first was faulty?)
- Oil = Penrite HPR5 5W/40 Full Synthetic ($15.06/L)

7. 14/7/22 – 197 971 km
- Service
- New front brakes
- Oil = Penrite HPR5 5W/40 Full Synthetic ($15.06/L)

8. 17/4/23 – 206 864 km
- Service
- New starter motor
- New ignition switch
- New heater tap
- A/C Service (basic service)
- Coolant added (Holden long life red coolant)
- New wiper inserts
- Oil = Penrite HPR5 5W/40 Full Synthetic ($15.06/L)

9. 8/7/24 – 217 724 km
- Service
- New rear brakes
- A-Frame ball joint
- New wiper inserts
- Oil = Penrite HPR5 5W/40 Full Synthetic ($17.34/L)

Owner 2 = 45 000 km in 5 years (approx.), with regular servicing and maintenance

----------------------

I am Owner 3 (purchased on 11/12/24 (218 018 km). In the last couple of weeks I have refuelled once and added the diesel injector cleaner sold at the Ampol service station. I have also given it a good wash and sprayed the underbody and chassis with 2 litres of Penetrol.

In these inspections there doesn't seem to be any major sign of wear or rust, though there is severe clear coat disintegration in the paint over the body (particularly bad on the bonnet and all curved parts of the body panels).

The major issue I have encountered is that the air-conditioning is blowing only hot air, so have booked in with an auto-electrician in the second week of January to have it looked at.

I have also booked it in for a service / maintenance look-over in May at David Lawrence Landy in Capalaba.

I've read quite a few threads on here to gain some understanding of the Puma Defenders, but still have a couple of questions, which are:

a) Is there anything I should keep a close eye on between now and May, considering I know nothing about the maintenance history between 20 k and 170 k?
b) Is there anything obviously wrong with the known maintenance history (ie. has the incorrect engine oil been used)?
c) Having read that injectors can be a common issue on Puma engines, I plan on continuing the use of fuel additives at each tank fill, but I'm not sure what would be best to use; I'm leaning towards a CEM product, but unsure of the CRD Fuel Enhancer or the FTC Decarbonizer, or both at the same time (or something else)?
d) Is the A/C problem something that could have an easy fix before the 8th Jan?

Thanks so much for anyone who takes the time to read and respond to such a lengthy post!

Travis

Hi Travis

We have a 2012 2.2 90 but some similar issues, the heater tap, ignition switch (now running a Perentie one) paintwork is crap (Santorini black) and we had corrosion around the sun roof and safari windows. Also had an output shaft failure (now Ashcroft unit) the transfer box **** itself around 150k.
The a/c hot air issue may be contributed to by the fresh air ducting into the heater having a gynormouse gap where the two parts )sort of) join and it is sucking in hot air from the engine bay. Gear knob delaminated replaced with billet aluminum one. Throwing P2263 code, replaced turbo, intercooler, MAF and sensors but code still shows up every now and then. On advice from the team (thanks Dazza) on here I use FTC decarbonizer fuel additive in all my defenders and it has made a noticeable difference in smooth running in all and eliminating smoke in our Td5 & 300Tdi.
Also we do oil/filter changes at 5k kms. There are two schools of thought on the injector failure issues. I hear the horror stories too but it was in for service last week and there is little more I can do from a preventative maintenance perspective.

Other than that it’s a great little vehicle and my wife’s daily drive!

Good luck
Cheers Simon

Thanks Simon, I really appreciate that! I am hopeful that jobs such as the transfer case (or any driveline issues for that matter) were seen to during the first owner's time with the vehicle! While I'm still perfecting the subtle art of nursing the gear changes, most of the driveline noise is user error, rather than red flags. In regards to the a/c issue you mentioned, can the huge gap be addressed? I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks if there is anything more sinister at play.

Does the error code you experience flash up on the dash? I'm hoping not to have to worry about it, but it's good to keep an eye out for.

Travis

Originally Posted by TM86

Thanks Simon, I really appreciate that! I am hopeful that jobs such as the transfer case (or any driveline issues for that matter) were seen to during the first owner's time with the vehicle! While I'm still perfecting the subtle art of nursing the gear changes, most of the driveline noise is user error, rather than red flags. In regards to the a/c issue you mentioned, can the huge gap be addressed? I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks if there is anything more sinister at play.

Does the error code you experience flash up on the dash? I'm hoping not to have to worry about it, but it's good to keep an eye out for.

Travis

No worries, pleased to contribute. Yes gear changing is a little different. I should have mentioned that we have replaced axles and hubs with HD ones and this has reduced the backlash considerably.
The A/c gap can be ‘fixed’ by installing an extra foam gasket in the gap.. apparently this impacts around 80% of Pumas. I have a couple of photos but am unable to insert them here.
The P code just throws up the orange check engine light, you need to have an ODB scanner. This will enable you to read and clear the faults. You can find cheap scanners on eBay for $25 which is probably all you need to start with.
If I can figure out how to load the photos which are archived I will do so.

Cheers Simon

Hi Travis.
My 2009 Defender also had an issue with the A/C. Mine had lost all the gas & the leak found to be in the evaporator. It's a dash out job ($$$). Hope yours isn't the same, but be prepared. Trying to find a silver lining, the repairer also found a leak in the heater matrix and replaced it at the same time.

All the best with your Defender ownership. Cheers, Jason

Originally Posted by TM86

Thanks Simon, I really appreciate that! I am hopeful that jobs such as the transfer case (or any driveline issues for that matter) were seen to during the first owner's time with the vehicle! While I'm still perfecting the subtle art of nursing the gear changes, most of the driveline noise is user error, rather than red flags. In regards to the a/c issue you mentioned, can the huge gap be addressed? I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks if there is anything more sinister at play.

Does the error code you experience flash up on the dash? I'm hoping not to have to worry about it, but it's good to keep an eye out for.

Travis

Ok here are some photos that may help with finding the gap in the heater cowling... you may need to orient them 90%. The first is the check engine warning and the second the cheap ODB scanner i carry in the vehicle to read and clear faults on the go. I use the ODB Facile Plus Edition app.

.Puma Check Engine.jpg ELM ODBII.jpg

In the photos below the first is the heater tap, if you look below this (photo 2) you will see where the two parts of the cowling join (supposed to join anyway). The third photo is a close up of the gap showing the foam gasket, this is the one you need to install two of (or this was the solution in my case). I did read on a ZA site that you can wrap duct tape around the gap but this is quite difficult to do from all accounts.

Have a look at this link Genuine Blower Assembly ((v)from7a000001) For Land Rover Defender 2007 - 2016 (l316) | Jaguar Land Rover Classic Parts
Puma - Heater Tap.jpgPuma Heater cowling gap 1.jpgPuma Heater cowling gap 2.jpg

Hope that helps!

Thanks Simon and Jason, that is really helpful! I'll have a look at the A/C a little more closely in a couple of days.

Happy New Year All!

I investigated the gap between the cowling, as suggested by Simon and it appears that this has already been addressed:

thumbnail_IMG20250101122130.jpg

While inspecting all of the usual fluid levels, I found that the coolant overflow reservoir was empty, and that the bottom hose linking the engine to the radiator looked to be heat-affected / melted onto various things that it was touching:

thumbnail_IMG20250101122747.jpg
thumbnail_IMG20250101122809.jpg

I have not experienced any over-heating, and the temperature gauge has stayed on middle when driving, so I'm hopeful that no damage has been done, or that the coolant level hasn't been low for long (although I haven't done too much driving in it). According to the service receipts, in April of 2023 the heater tap was replaced, coolant was topped up and the A/C was serviced.

To me, this suggests that there has been an issue with the cooling system (and potentially the A/C) that has been managed but not fixed. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Because I can't completely trust / know what coolant has been used, my plan is to drain the coolant and replace with a Penrite pre-mix (their website suggested this:
c76374a20cffedaf2339c32300d8d875.jpg

Although the Haynes manual doesn't suggest this, is there any need to flush the system, or replace the thermostat while I am doing this? Also, should I replace the above-mentioned hose? If so, what is the correct part?

As always, thank you for any guidance!

Travis

*The sticky hose is a intercooler hose and is leaking. Replace that hose and the one on the other side with a silicone set.
*If the coolant is red/pink then drain and refill with another red/pink.
*I would use Penrite PREMIX oem red

TF724 - terrafirma silicone hose set for intercooler
Tridon hose clamps (you will need good hose clamps for the silicone jobs)