LDV T60 2019 Problems

This is very likely to be an electronic problem based on the fact that if the transmission works properly in manual mode, there’s nothing internally wrong with it. But when you shift it back to automatic mode, there’s a stray or incorrect signal being sent to the on-board computer. In turn, that’s possibly throwing the operation into limp-home mode which is why you suddenly have a loss of power.

Limp-home mode is, as the name suggests, designed to get you home without doing further damage to the vehicle. As such, it can limit power, limit top speed and even lock you out of certain gears to ensure this happens. Have the vehicle scanned to see if any error codes are being thrown up by the computer.

The first question is have you tried changing the setting on the throttle controller? The U4 setting on this unit is slightly towards the lazy side of throttle response. Maybe a switch to U8 or U9 will give the throttle response the perkiness you are looking for.

A poor quality snorkel can definitely impede airflow and, therefore, power production, but so can a poor tune, dirty fuel filter, worn injectors, worn fuel pump, a blocked DPF, gummed up intake manifold and about a thousand other things. Is the turbocharger working properly and all the associated plumbing tight and leak-free? This can also cause a loss of power due to lost turbo-boost.

You really need to have a fiddle with the throttle controller to determine whether the problem as you see it is a lack of throttle response or, indeed, a lack of performance in an outright sense. For the record, 11.1 litres per 100km is not, depending on how and where you drive, unusual for this vehicle.

Have the dealer let you drive a demo vehicle and see if that is the same as yours. If it isn’t than have him investigate why yours is different; if it’s not it could be that it’s the way the LDV brakes are. You could take it to a brake specialist and have them give you an opinion on it, and maybe suggest a fix.

Coolants are pretty specific these days, and straying from the exact one the car’s manufacturer specifies can be asking for trouble. But the fact that the temperature settles a little when you travel more slowly and shift to a lower gear suggests that the whole cooling system is getting towards the limit of its capacity when you’re towing a big load uphill.

Going slower and using a lower gear all takes stress off the engine and, therefore, its cooling system. By using a lower gear, you’re effectively making the engine turn over a little faster which means both the coolant pump and the cooling fan (if it’s a belt-driven one) will both turn a little faster. That’s good for cooling. A lower gear also means you can maintain your speed with a little less throttle which means less fuel going into the engine and therefore less heat generated.

In the meantime, you can check things like the tension of the fan-belt and make sure that the coolant system doesn’t have any air trapped in it which can lead to overheating. Check, too, the condition of the coolant hoses, that the electric fan is cutting in when it should, there’s no debris blocking the radiator and that the radiator cap is holding pressure.

There’s another old-school trick that might make a difference next time: When the temperature starts to rise on the gauge, turn the car’s heater on full blast. This will make things a little toasty in the cabin, but it also means the coolant is now also passing through the heater core which, fundamentally, is an extra radiator.

It sounds like a speed warning alarm, which should be able to be reset. Check your owner’s manual that should tell you how to do it.