Disco 1 V8i 3.9 wont start

OK its a Disco 1 3.9 V8i ES auto registered in 1999 but its a late registered 1998 model.

It has done 76k and has been running like a dream for the past 2 years.

Used it yesterday and covered about 90miles and everything was fine. The only recent jobs I have done have been to fit a tow bar (inc elecs) and adjust/unblock the windscreen washers.

Parked up yesterday evening with no sign of trouble.

Got up this morning wanting to start a bit of a service as we are off on holiday in a few days and didnt want problems.

Changed the distributor cap and rotor arm. Lucas cap and genuine arm in LR wrapping. Put a couple of drops of oil on the rotor arm shaft like what the Haynes manual says to do.

Tried to start, engine turns over on starter nicely but does not fire.

Bugger, cocked up the HT leads, I think, so got the book out and checked them. All OK.

Still no change when starting. Turning over but nothing firing up.

Pulled a plug and had a spark.

OK, lets give the nice RAC men a call as I get home start.

They turned up but I had to leave for a meeting. Explained the situation.

Got a when call from RAC after a couple of hours. Nothing wrong with cap, leads or rotor arm and had changed everything back to old parts but still engine wont fire up. He got a colleague around and both of them could not figure out what was wrong. Plenty of petrol, lots of spark. no engine firing up.

Battery now flat. They called it a day.

I got back and popped off to halfords for a new battery. Took all the plugs out - they were all pretty wet with fuel - and replaced them with new NGK plugs.

Hit the starter. Still no change. All ignition lights go out as normal, starter turns engine but engine does not fire.

Double checked spark - nice big fat one from new battery.

Took out fuses for fuel pump & injectors and turned it over a few times more, just to see if she would catch , but nothing.

So, I am now a bit stumped.

Got spark, got fuel, engine turning, but not firing.

Help !

When you changed the rotor arm did you just pull it off? I understand if you do the bits & bobs in the dizzy come lose if you cut it off the spindle that's ok, the reason i've never touched mine.

yes, I pulled it off and it was quite tight.

Just used my fingers though, no levers

There are warnings on pulling the arm off and as you now have a problem then I would look there lot of info on the web and forums.
I did a quick search. Difflock.com Discussion Forum: ROTOR ARM REMOVAL FROM 3.9 DISTRIBUTOR

Had a look and a read.

The spindle in my distributor seems fine though. The Rotor arm fits
nicely and it is certainly rotating as it is in a different position each time
I have lifted the cap off.

Discool,

You are smack on the money.

I spent most of yesterday evening searching the internet for this problem and found a good tip. The roter arm should spring back if you twist it.

Mine is solid. No side to side play but a few mm's up and down.

There would appear to be a kit - RTC5971 - that could provide a fix, so that's this mornings job.

Wish me luck

and a big thank you for your help.

We wish you luck but i'm sure you will be ok.

So, got the rebuild kit from Gotts on the way home and after mucking around setting the engine to TDC on No 1 cylinder pulled the dizzie apart.

This is what I found:




Everything else what in good nick including the white plastic joining piece with 4 little lugs that locks things together.

When I put the rotor arm on the springs/mechanism opened and closed, so I put a little grease on the pivots and put it back together.

I really don't think that This is the problem.....

What other things could be causing this?

There is now list of things that could be wrong but as you have sparks and fuel who knows if the trained RAC guy can't help you... starting with the idle control valve (stepper motor) that may have jamed open if that's the case the engine won't start or an intermittant break in wire to the coil or faulty ignition amplifer.

OK, I will put the dizzie back together this evening and check the stepper motor/give it a clean.

The thing that puzzles me the most is that the engine seems as dead as a doornail with not even a hint of firing so far. Yet there was a nice big spark at no1 cylinder spark plug yesterday.

Will keep you posted

Change ignition module which is little black box on side of distributor or attached to inner wing on aluminum plate connected to distributor by link lead.
Tis only a twenty quid part usually and they do just stop working for no reason, no warning signs...

110Hardtop said:

OK, I will put the dizzie back together this evening and check the stepper motor/give it a clean.

The thing that puzzles me the most is that the engine seems as dead as a doornail with not even a hint of firing so far. Yet there was a nice big spark at no1 cylinder spark plug yesterday.

Will keep you posted

Click to expand...

Thought that as well, a cough and a splutter maybe.

I have just come across this post:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f42/firing-order-128990.html

and it shows that the diagram in the official LR workshop manual which clearly shows No 1 plug lead being first to the right of the clip on the dizzie cap is not always correct.

After getting TDC last night and finding the rotor arm pointing to approx 5 oclock I am starting to think that I could have screwed up the HT lead positions in the cap.

Discool - I saw a lovely photo of your engine in a post earlier today (buggered if I can find it again now though) and it seems to show the HT lead for No 8 cylinder going to where the manual shows No 1 .

Would this cause my current situation maybe

So, left work early and got home. Put the dizzie back together and put the leads back in the cap.

This time, I started No1 cylinder from where I had found TDC last night (which was the 2nd position to the right from where the retaining clip flips over and worked my way to the left through the firing order.

Guess what.......fired up first time.



Going to get some proper little plastic tabs and number all the leads up now.

Thanks for your help Discool

Regards Dave

Mine died yesterday, cough splutter then nothing...AA man said plugs are fouled so I but a new set in, still nothing just turns over..it's a 3.9L V8 Disco 1 as well

110Hardtop said:

So, left work early and got home. Put the dizzie back together and put the leads back in the cap.

This time, I started No1 cylinder from where I had found TDC last night (which was the 2nd position to the right from where the retaining clip flips over and worked my way to the left through the firing order.

Guess what.......fired up first time.



Going to get some proper little plastic tabs and number all the leads up now.

Thanks for your help Discool


Regards Dave

Click to expand...

Well done :5bparty:
May be the LR drawings are for the 3.5 with a clip in a different position but for my 3.9 at the bottom of the cap 5 o'clock is no.1 lead dnd then no.8 .the clip then so on as per the drawing