After 6 weeks of ownership, I decided it was eventually time to delve into the depths of the spare wheel well. By means of a system of levers and rollers that the ancient Egyptians would have been proud of, I managed to remove the spare wheel without slipping a disc or giving myself a hernia. Three mysteries of the unexplained presented themselves:

1) What is that electrical device towards the front on the right (to the right of the jack)? Having a nautical background, my first thought was a high level sensor for when the wheel well floods (but maybe not!). See photo.

2) On the left vertical face there are three holes that look as though they have had self-tappers in. Woulda tracker have had such a fixing in this location? See photo.

3) Small amount of water at the lowest point - around a tablespoonful only. Dried this out and copiously hosed down the rear end but no signs of water ingress. Could this be either condensation, or possible leakage up through one of the rubber drain bungs in yesterday's torrential rain?

Thanks in advance for any insights.





 2011MY 4.4TDV8 Autobiography Baltic Blue
TVR Griffith
Alfa Romeo Mito QV

1, TPMS sensor for spare wheel...

2. Doubt it's a tracker, it would be huge, they tend to be smaller...

3. Check all the units inside the passenger side rear cubby box... any sign of water ingress, it usually comes in near here... Pete

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It’s one of three acceleration sensors for the adaptive dynamic suspension

Click image to enlarge

System info

Click image to enlarge

Thanks Mike for the interesting info. 2011MY 4.4TDV8 Autobiography Baltic Blue
TVR Griffith
Alfa Romeo Mito QV

Cheers Mike, lying JLR tech told me it was the TPMS pickup, no wonder they have so much trouble fixing them...!!! Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

As for the reason for the three holes, I have no idea, but would think it best to plug them with some silicone sealant or similar.

RR2B - Know what you mean about removing the spare, I will be buying the kit that uses the lower tailgate as a lever to pull the wheel up. Link below shows this bit of kit. This was missing from mine, I did not know about this until I saw it on this site somewhere.



Otherwise pulling the spare out is like going for a rupture, hernia and nosebleed in one go.

Have a word with Rob Hall at Duckworths (Site sponsors so a discount is available, too) about the spare wheel lift kit.

He sourced mine in a very reasonable time and cost.

Dunc. The life you have is the only one you'll get; make the most of it.
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Thanks for that link. I am going to check PowerfullUK for that kit. I pulled out my spare to check for that water that so many find and it was a back breaker of a job. The good part was the total absence of water.

Haylands wrote:

Cheers Mike, lying JLR tech told me it was the TPMS pickup, no wonder they have so much trouble fixing them...!!!

TPMS pick-up is inside your black wheel arch liners Pete... There will be 2 small holes with male firtree ends visible from the outside... That's where the TPMS ariel fits inside sir...

Keep an eye on your water ingress....first place to check for any dampness is in the sides of the boot where all the electronics are. Remove all covers and get the torch in.
I've thrown 5 of the microwaveable drying pillows around there for, guess what? Preventative maintenance
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https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic44115-75.html 2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE Buckingham Blue with Ivory and clear glass = "Rory"
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Many thanks to all for the helpful advice.

Merchy - yes, I'll definitely have to invest in that ingenious wheel lifter.

Dr Rob - I thoroughly checked the electronics bays both sides and no signs of dampness whatsoever even after a good hosing of the tailgate seals. I noticed slight corrosion around one of the bottom drain bungs, which made me think water was possibly being forced up when on the move in bad weather. I removed the bung, cleaned up the corrosion and resealed. Will be checking regularly. 2011MY 4.4TDV8 Autobiography Baltic Blue
TVR Griffith
Alfa Romeo Mito QV