RRC 3.9 v8 wont start

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dubnut71

dubnut71

New Member
Posts
57
Location
Cawdor, Scotland
Well not strictly true!

I moved the classic today to do a couple of jobs on her and she ran a bit rough when starting (like she was running on 7 cyls or less) but she always does this until she gets a bit of warmth in her then she is fine. Except today she died and just wont restart. I am sure I have fuel (by the unburnt smell!!) but she refuses to run, catches slightly like it might run but then nothing!!)

I am mildly mechanical but for the life of me cannot find my plug socket to pull the plugs out so a trip to halfords is in order in the morn (is it 19mm?)

I know the advice will be check your getting fuel, check your getting spark but beyond that I am at a loss (see told you only mildly mechanical)

Would appreciate a steer in the right direction guys!!!!
 
I had the same problem, in the fact that it would crank and crank, cough slightly every now and again but never 'catch'. Turns out my rear fuel lines were shot so i'll see how it goes after they've been replaced.

If you turn the ignition on, off again then on and crank and see if it works then. This should prime the pump twice, mine started first time using this method. I'm new to the RRC, so it's all I've got to suggest i'm afraid. Good luck :)

James.
 
I have something similar with mine. Starts and runs fine (not rough) but will then stop after 4 or 5 minutes and won't restart again until it's stone cold the next morning. Pulling the plugs always reveals no fuel (plugs bone dry). If I get it started again the next day and then pull the plug from the MAF, it will continue to run (lumpy this time) for the next half hour until I stop it. It then won't restart again (with or without the MAF connected) until the next morning. I'll be getting another MAF when I get home in a couple of weeks to try. Maybe this is something you could test on yours.
 
Thanks Jim and Derek, following my plug spanner buying trip I will try both looking at the plugs and also pulling the MAF plug to see if there is any difference. I imagine I could have insufficient fuel pressure too but have no means of measurement on that, have never taken an injector out in my life!!

Thanks for the help so far!
 
I don't think there's an easy way of measuring the fuel pressure. You can't take an injector out without taking the whole fuel rail off first. The official way is to measure it at the inlet to the 9th (cold start) injector which comes off the back of the pressure regulator. I never managed it on mine as I don't have a suitable gauge. Good luck.
 
I wouldnt mess with the injectors just yet,basics first ans we can go from there- see if the plugs are wet when you get them out, maybe crank it again first and see if if starts after a stand over night.

if you have fuel on them then check for a spark. if you dont have fuel check the pump is working and its is getting fuel to the engine by taking off the line somewhere before the injectors, just find the easiest place to do it for you.

I remove the fuel temp sensor for this bit normally as its easy to get to and on the fuel rail.
 
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Seems like you have a few wee jobs to be getting on with to see if anything solves your woes.
Another thing down the line to maybe have a look at would be your dizzy. Mines had the bob weights loose inside which was causing the rotor arm to slip and therefore miss timed firing.
Don't need to be a genius to fix it just patients and a steady hand.

If you've worked on the dizzy recently you may have "bumped" the arm or similar.

Hope it gets sorted soon
 
Guys above, thanks for your obviously mechanically talented responses. My less talented response (ok stolen from FETT above) was to leave it overnight and it started with a bang of unburnt fuel in my very short exhaust this morning!!

She's always been a poor starter (starting on 6 or 7 ) until it warms up a bit and yesterday I got impatient and started to me the vehicle before she was properly warm, gave it a heap of throttle and she died, numpty diagnosis was I reckon I had flooded it.

The poor starting on 7 cyls is a whole other ball game, I reckon thats down to a fuel pressure, dirty injector, ****ty lines type thing and frankly I am toying with living with it as its an area I have no skill in whatsoever!!

So the good news was it starts and runs as before, the bad news was because I was in a sulk last night I didn't bother bidding on a set of reasonably local (well guilford direction) RRC alloys which I am after as mine has freestyle on it. Really fancy getting back to the standard look and as my car is beluga black, the colour coded 3-spokes would just set it off a treat!!!!

Thanks for all your help guys!
 
DC_ said:
Get that dizzy checked !! And yer timing. It's really not as hard as you think. Trust me I'm no mechanic. Far far from it but with a lil help from yer forum friends, you'll get there:)
Click to expand...

fett said:
glad she is running mate ;)
Click to expand...

Cheers guys! I will break out the haynes manual and have a look under the cap! It seems to have had a new cap and lead set sometime but will have a good look at the timing, I think a mate of mine has a strobe.
 
The dizzy cap and especially the rotor arm seem to be the weak areas on the Classics.
To check the rotor arm, remove the cap and pull the HT lead from the coil out of the cap centre receptacle leaving it still plugged into the coil. Place the cap out of the way and holding the HT lead on the insulation with a pair of WELL INSULATED pliers and perhaps wearing rubber gloves or dry cloth, hold it approx. 4-5mm away from the brass wiper on top of the rotor and get an assistant to crank the engine over, just a brief spin will do. If a spark jumps across the rotor is faulty as it is shorting to ground. Aftermarket rotors tend to be the main culprits and only genuine Lucas rotors should be fitted.
Another check with the leads and cap fitted is to start the car when it's dark and have a look at the distributor cap and leads, any tracking through faulty external insulation, damp etc. will highlight itself more clearly than in daylight. Check that the spark plug lead routing is exactly as shown in RAVE or Haynes especially with regard to no.3 & 5 plug leads.

Finally, as mentioned, you could have a faulty ECU Coolant temperature sensor (Not the temp. gauge sensor)...these are inexpensive and easy to replace.
:behindsofa:
 
dubnut71 said:
She's always been a poor starter (starting on 6 or 7 ) until it warms up a bit
Click to expand...

I had the same thing on my 1988 3.5 EFi, and the coughing and spluttering stage got longer and longer to clear until it wouldn't run smoothly at all. It was the same couple of spark plugs which were wet each time, and just replacing those with new sorted it.

It surprised me that it was such an easy fix as the old plugs looked pretty new and apart from being wet with fuel were clean and properly gapped, but i wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth! :)


Pete
 
I found all the morning lumpiness (the car ok :p ) went away after a set on genuine landrover leads cap and rotor.

well for a year anyway, now if I come off the gas after starting driving properly in the first .5 of a mile she gets a little lumpy, I am thinking I should fit that set of magnecor leads I bought :D
 
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