RRC EFI won't start

Hi
I have a RRC 3.5 EFI of 1986 vintage.
Recently it has started to cut out and die for no apparent reason, but just
turn the ignition key and she fires up.
Lately while off roading it has become more frequent, most times when
climbing out of a ditch or hole just as you near the top, she dies, then you
roll back, fire her up and then climb out. Only last Sunday she would not
fire while in a pit up to our knees in mud!
Cranking her over sometimes there would be a hint of her trying to fire,
strangly, despite all the cranking no smell of fuel.
I am suspecting the fuel pump, but do not know how to check it is working.
We do not have a hole in the boot floor to check so must drop the tank.
When I put the ignition on I cannot hear any clicking or wurring from the
boot area, I would have thought I should have heard something.
Can anyone tell me if they can hear their pumps.
Any ideas on what to check?
The tank is quarter to half full, when I pulled out a spark plug it was dry,
which leades me to suspect fuel pump or delivery.

TIA

Martin Coombs
2004 TD5
1986 RRC EFI

> Recently it has started to cut out and die for no apparent reason, but just
> turn the ignition key and she fires up.
>
> Cranking her over sometimes there would be a hint of her trying to fire,
> strangly, despite all the cranking no smell of fuel.
> I am suspecting the fuel pump, but do not know how to check it is working.
> We do not have a hole in the boot floor to check so must drop the tank.
> When I put the ignition on I cannot hear any clicking or wurring from the
> boot area, I would have thought I should have heard something.
> Can anyone tell me if they can hear their pumps.
> Any ideas on what to check?
> The tank is quarter to half full, when I pulled out a spark plug it was dry,
> which leades me to suspect fuel pump or delivery.
>

You rightly do not wish to mess with the pump and tank unless and until
you have to. Eliminate other possibilities first.

There is rather a lot of the electrical system involved in supplying
fuel and it can go wrong easily. One of the most accessible potential
troublespots is the over-run fuel shut off relay which is mounted on the
air flow meter mounting bracket near the LH suspension tower. Check for
relay function and loose/missing/corroded connections.

The pump does not run unless the starter is operating or a switch
associated with the air flow meter is closed once the engine is running.

I can send some pages from the manual if you feel that would assist.

David

Another easy thing to check and that might give you stalling problems (at
least it did for my 87) is your alternator. I don't know where you are, but
in my neck of the woods there are places that will test it for free. Mine
was marginal, and I would often stall out if I was idling in park or stopped
at a red light, in gear (automatic) with foot on the brake. Then, as you
say, it would magically restart. I got it rebuilt for US$120. New ones are
very expensive.

Good luck,
Tor

"Martin Coombs" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Hi
> I have a RRC 3.5 EFI of 1986 vintage.
> Recently it has started to cut out and die for no apparent reason, but
just
> turn the ignition key and she fires up.
> Lately while off roading it has become more frequent, most times when
> climbing out of a ditch or hole just as you near the top, she dies, then
you
> roll back, fire her up and then climb out. Only last Sunday she would not
> fire while in a pit up to our knees in mud!
> Cranking her over sometimes there would be a hint of her trying to fire,
> strangly, despite all the cranking no smell of fuel.
> I am suspecting the fuel pump, but do not know how to check it is working.
> We do not have a hole in the boot floor to check so must drop the tank.
> When I put the ignition on I cannot hear any clicking or wurring from the
> boot area, I would have thought I should have heard something.
> Can anyone tell me if they can hear their pumps.
> Any ideas on what to check?
> The tank is quarter to half full, when I pulled out a spark plug it was
dry,
> which leades me to suspect fuel pump or delivery.
>
> TIA
>
> Martin Coombs
> 2004 TD5
> 1986 RRC EFI
>
>




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On or around Sat, 18 Sep 2004 12:58:11 GMT, "Martin Coombs"
<[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:

>I am suspecting the fuel pump, but do not know how to check it is working.
>We do not have a hole in the boot floor to check so must drop the tank.
>When I put the ignition on I cannot hear any clicking or wurring from the
>boot area, I would have thought I should have heard something.
>Can anyone tell me if they can hear their pumps.
>Any ideas on what to check?

fuel pump fuse, relay, wiring, pump itself in that order.

also, there's a connection somewhere from the ignition circuit/ECU to enable
the pump when you've got sparks, so...

check that you have in fact got sparks. Although you should get a "priming"
run from the pump (about 2 seconds, on mine) when you first turn the
ignition on.

and as for the access panel in the boot floor, that's what angle grinders
are made for. Or a nibbler, if you have one. Work out where it needs to
be, lift any carpets etc. and cut yerself one. far, far easier than
dropping the tank.

all you need then is a bit of steel and some short self-tappers to put a
cover back over it.


have someone stand by with a fire extinguisher just in case.

Hi David

Thanks for that.
If you could send me the relevant pages I would appreciate it.
Then I can have another go tomorrow having just pressure washed all the mud
off so I can see what I am doing.

Thanks

Martin
"Dougal" <DougalAThiskennel.free-online.co.uk> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
>> Recently it has started to cut out and die for no apparent reason, but
>> just turn the ignition key and she fires up.
>>
>> Cranking her over sometimes there would be a hint of her trying to fire,
>> strangly, despite all the cranking no smell of fuel.
>> I am suspecting the fuel pump, but do not know how to check it is
>> working. We do not have a hole in the boot floor to check so must drop
>> the tank.
>> When I put the ignition on I cannot hear any clicking or wurring from the
>> boot area, I would have thought I should have heard something.
>> Can anyone tell me if they can hear their pumps.
>> Any ideas on what to check?
>> The tank is quarter to half full, when I pulled out a spark plug it was
>> dry, which leades me to suspect fuel pump or delivery.
>>
>
> You rightly do not wish to mess with the pump and tank unless and until
> you have to. Eliminate other possibilities first.
>
> There is rather a lot of the electrical system involved in supplying fuel
> and it can go wrong easily. One of the most accessible potential
> troublespots is the over-run fuel shut off relay which is mounted on the
> air flow meter mounting bracket near the LH suspension tower. Check for
> relay function and loose/missing/corroded connections.
>
> The pump does not run unless the starter is operating or a switch
> associated with the air flow meter is closed once the engine is running.
>
> I can send some pages from the manual if you feel that would assist.
>
> David
>

Austin Shackles wrote:

>and as for the access panel in the boot floor, that's what angle grinders
>are made for. Or a nibbler, if you have one. Work out where it needs to
>be, lift any carpets etc. and cut yerself one. far, far easier than
>dropping the tank.
>
>all you need then is a bit of steel and some short self-tappers to put a
>cover back over it.
>

Isn't the floor corrugated aluminium?

>
>
>have someone stand by with a fire extinguisher just in case.
>
>
>


Another thought in the fuel pump fault finding line - when mine failed
(1988 3.5 Efi RRC) the pump was proved to be faulty by thumping the
underside of the tank when it refused to start. One big thump was all
that was needed to start it pumping again.

Richard