1990 3.9 - one step forward and two steps back

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****ing ****ing thing has broken down agen. sat for about 4 days outside the motel we were staying at for work, and wouldnt start. turning over but wont fire.

called racv, the guy had a look but couldnt get it going, said it was sparking but pretty weak. he reckons the leads mite be knackered and its a pretty wet day here so might be crossing or something.

Anyway its at the garage next door and im in mcdonalds having breakfast whilst theyre having a look at it. Never had any problems with 2 defenders (inc. a V8 on carbs) and a disco back home. ****ing EFI what a load of ****.

Should have got a toyota :mad:
 
i wish i could have just shipped my 110 over here, its awsome. and never broken down on me. unfortunately you have to be an australian resident or citizen, or have permanant residency to import a vehicle (im on a temporary working holiday visa). you also need to have owned the vehicle in your name for at least a year, which rules out getting someone else to import it in their name.
 
chris_mack said:
****ing EFI what a load of ****.
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Only if it has not been properly looked after and maintained. Once you get it in shape it is actually not a bad system, it is pretty simple and delivers more power than carbs and I believe slightly better economy (if an RRC has anything that passes for economy).

So weak spark you say. Guess the usual suspects: Ignition Amp, Coil, Rotor Arm and/or leads. Use only GENUINE rotor arm and coil. Opinions vary on aftermarket pattern ignition amps, and for leads, just get the best you can afford. Also check and make sure the inside of your dizzy cap isn't damp from condensation - give it a wipe down followed by a spray of WD or similar.
 
the RACV centre they took it to had it in for about half a day, changed the leads and got it running (but very roughly, and kept cutting out). Anyway they thought perhaps the fuel regulator or something, but wernt keen to keep chasing the problem as its not a vehicle any of them are familiar with. So they recommended I take it to a Land Rover specialists in Romsey (about 80km away), and as I could get them to take it there for free under the breakdown cover I have, I went for it.

Spoke to the guy there briefly, and he wont be able to look at it until Monday but he seems like a quality bloke, and certainly knows his stuff. There were probably around 20-30 Defenders, Series, Rangies and Discos around the garage there, so he is the man to fix it!

Unfortunately Kev I dont have the knowledge, time or patience to chase a problem like this myself. Back in England I would just take it to my dads mates garage and muddle through, with him helping/guiding me. But over here I have no such privilige so have to pay someone else to do it :(.

Still, the guy who has it now really does seem like the business, so hopefully he will sort it fairly cheap!
 
chris_mack said:
the RACV centre they took it to had it in for about half a day, changed the leads and got it running (but very roughly, and kept cutting out). Anyway they thought perhaps the fuel regulator or something, but wernt keen to keep chasing the problem as its not a vehicle any of them are familiar with. So they recommended I take it to a Land Rover specialists in Romsey (about 80km away), and as I could get them to take it there for free under the breakdown cover I have, I went for it.

Spoke to the guy there briefly, and he wont be able to look at it until Monday but he seems like a quality bloke, and certainly knows his stuff. There were probably around 20-30 Defenders, Series, Rangies and Discos around the garage there, so he is the man to fix it!

Unfortunately Kev I dont have the knowledge, time or patience to chase a problem like this myself. Back in England I would just take it to my dads mates garage and muddle through, with him helping/guiding me. But over here I have no such privilige so have to pay someone else to do it :(.

Still, the guy who has it now really does seem like the business, so hopefully he will sort it fairly cheap!
Click to expand...

Fair enough! Hope you get it sorted. If it is an ignition problem it shouldbe pretty straight forward but if the rough running is an EFI gremlin be prepared for a test of patience:eek:.
 
Hi Kev.

Just spoke to the guy at the garage they took it too, and he said it started and ran fine last night.. so he thinks we probably just flooded it. So hes going to put a new set of plugs in it (the previous garage already changed the leads). And do the oils and filters whilst hes at it. The first RACV place they took it too wasnt all that, couldnt tell there arse from their elbow if you ask me so Im not surprised they couldnt get it goin!

One over thing, when they were cranking it over they flattened the battery, so put a booster pack on it and then the electric fans came on by themselves, why would they do that? Are those fans additional cooling for hot weather to help the viscous fan, or are they just to do with the aircon?
 
so to be fair both times its broken down have things that would go on any petrol engine, not really the cars fault! Lesson learnt, next time I buy a 2nd hand V8 that I don't know the history of, replace the coil, plugs and leads straight away!

Is it worth replacing the distributor cap now as well?
 
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