Thread: D4 Fuel Range Problem

Originally Posted by CraigA

My understanding was that the tank holds 90L+ meaning ....

Fuel tank is closer to ~82l in size I thought. So I don't think you will be driving 200km after it shows empty.

Sheesh thats crazy I'm always filling up to early and dont seem to put as much in as i thought should be left, odd keen to know?

How many kms DTE when just filled? It should be around 700.

Its a "feature". My D3 was and the D4 is exactly the same. I play a game at the pumps called "guess the litres". When the carputer says 30k remaining and can usually squeeze 72 litres into the D4. I have never put more than 80 in.

I have on several occasions whilst touring put in between 72 and 74l with read out showing 20 to 40kms to go. I had read somewhere you need 12l in the tank for car to work this may be more prevalent in something like a 4wd due to steep climbs and side slopes. I think you are also more likely to pick up crud if sucking it dry.

In the owners manual it says the following about running out of fuel. Think I'll just avoid getting in that situation:

Vehicles with diesel engines are equipped with
a system to prevent the fuel tank from
emptying completely. When the fuel reaches a
minimum level, the system will activate a
reduced power mode (i.e. the engine will not
run properly). This will be followed by the
engine stopping in approximately 1.6 km
(1 mile).
This feature prevents the fuel system from
running dry, which could cause damage to the
vehicle. If the gauge indicates low fuel or the
warning indicator illuminates, the fuel tank
should be refuelled as soon as possible at the
next filling station, with at least 4 litres (0.9
gallons) of fuel.
If the system protection function has activated,
the vehicle must firstly be refuelled, then
restarted using the following procedure:
1. With the brake pedal pressed, press and
hold the engine START/STOP button and
crank the engine for five seconds.
2. Release the START/STOP button.
3. With the brake pedal pressed, press and
release the START/STOP button to crank
the engine. The engine should start within
approximately five seconds.
Note: If the engine does not start, pause
for ten seconds with the ignition in
convenience mode, before repeating the
procedure from the beginning.
Do not crank the engine for longer than
30 seconds continuously.

Hi, I have just been through the exercise and it was a learning experience for me as well as MLR. Essentially as there are a lot of drivers now enjoying the benifits of a Diesel engine without the understanding of the ramifications of running it dry.....combined with the "landrover care" if you screw up, LR have engineered a fuel system for dummies.
It's set so you can run it "out", re start and drive to use a further 5l, run it out again and do it once more before it's dry. This is how MLR explained it to me.
Essentially we now all run around with an extra 10l we will never use because there are so many people with limited mehanical buying this style of vehicle.

My D3 has a faulty fuel gauge (not uncommon) and I have run it dry three times over two years after miscalculating the mileage driven.

Anyway my point is this low fueling protection system as explained from the D4 manual doesn't quite work the same in the D3. When its out its out and its a pain to get fuel through to restart it and the first couple of times I ended up with a flat battery trying to get the fuel through, even after using the bleed fitting.

There is a trick to it though and it basically means repeatedly turning the key on and off for about ten seconds at a time without cranking it over so the fuel pump keeps pressurising the system until it pumps most the air via the return line back into the tank.

When I get a chance I will check the manual to see if they have the same procedure in it as the D4, because if they do then I wouldn't 100% rely upon it. If not then maybe they changed it after drama's for D3 owners.