Defender pulling/stuttering at high revs

Hello All,

I recently bought a 110 in Nairobi - I moved here from the UK for work and you need one on the main roads (don't complain about pot holes until you have visited).

I got a great price for it considering the crazy prices in Kenya due to import tax but knew when I bought the car that it needed some love.

After stripping the car of rank seats and removing all surface rust she has been driving fine for the last week - pottering round town with no high speeds.

Then I took her on a 'motorway' and got up to about 65/70 MPH and she was fine, until the return journey where she started to jolt a little and struggle at high speeds... loosing power. I thought this might be because I had not serviced her yet (long week at work).

So a changed all the oil, fuel filter, air filters. Now the car drives fine to about 80kph and then has no more power. I can hear the turbo working fine as I pull away in 1st/2nd. But the car will struggle and pull the loose power then pull in high revs in any of the gears. So I am wondering what needs to be done.

I am going to replace the fuel lift pump tomorrow as I think its a lack of fuel and if that does not work I will look at the injectors and then the compression.

I'm new to land rovers and just wanted any advice - or for someone to shout stop before I do anything stupid/miss obvious steps.

Thanks.

Sounds like fuel starvation, could be little pipe between turbo and pump or blocked filter in tank or turbo hoses collapsing internally or blocked intercooler or blocked air filter, so many things, just do em one at a time till it goes ok

Replaced the fuel filter and fitted a new fuel lift pump - seems so much better.

Next its time for a new prop. shaft - its got play and makes a nice bang when you let the clutch up too fast.

Huffi said:

Replaced the fuel filter and fitted a new fuel lift pump - seems so much better.

Next its time for a new prop. shaft - its got play and makes a nice bang when you let the clutch up too fast.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't leave the prop too long - if the UJ breaks up it will flail around and could join you in the cabin

Its been fitted on Sunday, my mechanic says that its not unsafe (although in kenya that means little).

After fitting the fuel lift pump everything has been fine, I can hear the turbo opening up no problem and yet yesterday after a meeting i was driving back and could not get any acceleration even to the point where the Turbo couldn't be heard, although i dont think thats the problem.

I got out and opened the hood and played with the accelerator (i though the cable might be stuck) but no it would not get any revs up - looking at the fuel just above the metal injector pipes I can see about two inches of air and when I accelerate the fuel does not move.

The car is low on fuel, but not nearly empty - What my next step? have the injectors looked at?

Does this thing have the filter assembly back by the tank (spacing on the name at present -- only 1 cup of coffee in) as well as the filter on the bulkhead? Were I you I'd be looking for it and giving it a stripdown and clean. I'd also wonder if you have something wandering around in the tank that's partially occluding the fuel intake when running.

Another dumb question - does it run better when you turn it off and back on again? Might make me wonder if the fuel stop solenoid isn;t opening fully/partially sticking..

ajr

So I followed the fuel pipes back - really wasnt getting through, took the sedimenter out - that was ok. Now what ever the last pipe is that has a float on it... that had half a beach in it. Needless to say the car is soo much better. The new Prop also means theres no loud clanging so its driving ok.

Now the noise levels are down alos I can hear something catching at low speeds - sounds like it through the gear box... I got under the car and I am pretty sure its the handbrake cable, although the noise is coming from gearbox/leftish side. So here we go again into explorative surgery!