LR3 emergency "fixes"

[rcharrette]

Well, it's been a rough few weeks traveling in our 08' LR3. I won't bore you with the details but we've had 2 major problems.

1)Parking brake malfunctioned and was locked on.

2) Vehicle would not shift out of park.

What I've learned is there are work arounds in the system for these problems when your in the middle of nowhere.
When the parking brake locks on you can access a small wire loop through the passenger side of the center console, hook it with a "pole" in your jack kit and pull VERY hard. This will release the brake and let you continue on your way!

Also, when stuck in park, again you can access a small plastic tab through the same spot, push it up and you can shift out of park.
These problems are driving me nut's but at least LR has work arounds for failures.
This got me thinking, what other potential failures leaving us stuck are there and the work arounds for it? Just wondering because I had to find these fixes by searching the internet. Would be nice to have these handy!

 

[zelatore]

Just as an FYI, if the parking brake locks on sometimes simply disconnecting the battery will convince it to let go. Had to do this in AZ last year...I was about to go for the wire loop when a buddy suggested the battery trick. Worked fine and saved me a bit of effort.

 

[rcharrette]

Good to know!

 

[pugslyyy]

Glad you got it figured out. The Land Rovers have a lot of safety systems / interlocks that are useful on tarmac around town but can be a hindrance on long trips or in the middle of nowhere - it's good to know the workarounds.

I remember on my P38 the "bonnet open" was a crippling fault that caused me to rip the sensor out on a remote dirt track because the washboard kept setting it off.


Wish there was a switch that told it "to hell with the faults, do the best you can" If Captain Kirk could tell Scotty just to make it happen, I want the same for my LR.

 

[zelatore]

Wish there was a switch that told it "to hell with the faults, do the best you can" If Captain Kirk could tell Scotty just to make it happen, I want the same for my LR.

There is - it's call 'build mode' on the GAP tool :sombrero:

 

[nwoods]

Not necessarily a fix, but a couple useful tips:

1. Turn off DSC mode when off roading. This retards your throttle, often right when more gas will get you through an obstacle

2. If on a seriously off camber section, lower the suspension to parking hgt to reduce your center of gravity by a surprisingly helpful amount

3. If the rocks are bigger than your skid plates are tough, you can trick the LR3 into going into Super Extended hgt, which is another 45mm higher than Extended Mode, which in turn is 45mm higher than Off Road hgt, which is 55mm above Normal hgt. Added up, that's 145mm of available lift! (About 6"). The trick is to be in Offf Road mode, lower the truck into a block of wood or rock that is between Off road and Normal hgt, and let the system auto-engage Extended mode. Now once in Extended mode. Hold the brake (foot pedal), and push and hold the lift lever until Super Extended mode chimes in.

4. To turn off all interior cabin and dome lights (such as when camping), push and hold the dome light switch for 5 seconds or so. Do it again to reactivate all interior lights.

5. Sand Mode will give you a snappier throttle response when in motion and driving aggressively in traffic (but not from a standing start!). It makes sense. On sand spinning your wheels on start is a fast way to dig a hole and go nowhere. But once up on plane and moving, having abundant power to motor up a dune can be critical!

Repair tip:
Touching your battery cables together for 10 seconds or so will reset many errors and possibly get you out of Limp Home mode.

 

[Colin Hughes]

Number 4 is good to know, especially with how often my wife is in and out of the truck when camping.

 

[rokrawlr]

#3 is simply insane, I wonder if that works on the RRS as well.

 

[StreetsofCompton]

Pencil me into the "Learned 10 valuable things today" category... cheese n rice!

 

[A.J.M]

For 5.

Sand mode does give better speed from a standstill. You get instant response instead of the slow pick up you usually get.

I use it often if trying to get out of junctions onto main roads when they are busy, it's also great for the traffic light Grand Prix events where you want ahead.

 

[spikemd]

Great tips! Need to keep a printout in the LR3.

 

[unseenone]

Good stuff.... Any indicator as to how you got sideways with the two systems? Brake Light switch, or something else.. Just got into a similar situation with the e-brakes when putting on Frozen Rotors. I decided to get crafty and check the e-brake operation with the rear rotors off. Of course that resulted in an immediate fault. Sure enough, at that moment my perfectly working BBS box chose to no longer work. Luckily the shop's computer was able to retract them and clear the fault... Put it back together and breathed a sigh of relief.. Next up-- adjust the e-brake...

Thanks for the tips --

 

[rcharrette]

Here is what I did for the Transmission not shifting out of park.
First I saw the drivers side brake light was out and I replaced it. I was skeptical this would fix it and of course it did not.
I then moved on to the brake switch (plunger switch at the brake pedal). I got one from the dealer and put it in. I was confident this would fix it. It did not!
I then moved onto the center console. I pulled it up and there were about 5 wire harness plugs in there. Not knowing which one specifically controlled the park lock I unplugged them all one at a time and replugged them in. Put it all back together and all was well. It's been shifting out of park fine for 2 days now. Fingers crossed I did not see any visible corrosion in any of those plugs so I can not say for sure what was going on. Just reseated the plug I guess?

 

[unseenone]

Hmmm, I wonder if you got some moisture in the center console... Jeeze It would have been nice if LR did the wiring with the intended use in mind... LOL

 

[rcharrette]

I agree, putting electronics under the cup holders I think would warrant a plastic cover similar to what you have in door panels to protect the window motors, etc! Anyway's, I'm still rolling along here with no troubles since the "connector reseating".