Urgent Help Needed 3.9 EFI 2003

Ok thanks

Sooooo..... went over to see Rod today, very interesting.

He's got a really great car, a genuine Westfield V8, it has a bit of a back story but essentially it is as new, about 5 miles on the clock and to date has not been through its IVA.

As he originally posted, there were idle issues and so far a solution had not been found. Well, it is now sorted pending a couple of new parts.

The main issue was rich running and stalling once it reached running temperature. It was great when cold.

Anyway to cut a long story short after some initial checking nothing obvious then after a bit of poking about with the DVM we found no power to the O2 sensors so the ECU was thinking it was super lean and so just started dumping fuel in the engine to make it rich so the fuel trim was maxed out. We substituted teh O2 sensors for a couple I had kicking around but no change. A study of the ECU wiring diagram for a Range Rover showed the lambda sensors are powered from the fuel pump relay. Having tested continuity of the wiring back to the ECU we were left with the question why there was no power to the lambda sensors. What we found was somebody had, in the past put the wrong relay in both the Main EFI relay and the Fuel Pump relay so the O2 sensors had no power. I pulled the relay and said "that should have 5 pins on it not 4!"

Swapped the relays for the right type and lambda probes started switching, it ran up to temperature and was absolutely fine with no stalling and a nice steady idle. The lambda sensors on the car were subsequently found to be failing, believed to be because for however long, the engine has been allowed to run very rich which has damaged the sensors. SO........ a couple of new sensors and it should be good to go!

Hopefully Rod will pop back and let us know if this has been a permanent fix and if he gets it through emissions on the IVA test, Good Luck.

The real story.... had issues with idle on my sweetheart westfield. Spoke with many many people over months saying try this and that. I was literally sick of hearing about V8 wizards.

I joined this site with a please stop telling me to try stuff, can anybody pop over.
Got a message from a guy called '" classic Kev ", his profile photo looks like he thinks dipping his headlights is to drive into a lake lol.

Anyway, hey Kev, feel free to pop over, in fact I will make you a bacon butty and tea.

8.30 am, a roar awakens the house, a Range Rover that looks like it's done 3 tours of Afghanistan but powered by a Vulcan Bomber rocks up. Lol

What a pleasant surprise, I finally got to meet a methodical, enthusiast that understands V8s and explains things at my basic level

I learned more about engines today than I have in several years.

This guy is a bloody wizard.

Amazing thanks, I'm smiling and I cannot thank you enough.

What was strange... at 3pm precisely Harry Kev Potter dissapeared like magic. You make your own mind up.

Thanks ever so much Kev.

Hahahahahahahahaha, thanks Rod, glad I could help you out.

Good luck with the IVA.

Ok. I'm getting the LR V8 bug. I'm tempted to sell my current 4x4 and buy a Defender with a auto 3.9 EFI fitted. I just want less air bags and gizmos. Something I can learn to fix. Am I mad ?

Rod Bromiley said:

Ok. I'm getting the LR V8 bug. I'm tempted to sell my current 4x4 and buy a Defender with a auto 3.9 EFI fitted. I just want less air bags and gizmos. Something I can learn to fix. Am I mad ?

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Yes. It's a massively outdated engine. Heavy on fuel, low on power, and not made anymore.

But if you spot an original 110v8 and don't want it cos it's not auto, link it on here

cooltide said:

Yes. It's a massively outdated engine. Heavy on fuel, low on power, and not made anymore.

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All true! BUT........ they are enormous fun, simple to fix and keep you entertained for ages if your idea of fun is poking around for hours with a multimeter to find some obscure electrical glitch.

If you were buying a Defender sWB what engine would you choose. Has to be a auto box for me I think

Rod Bromiley said:

If you were buying a Defender sWB what engine would you choose. Has to be a auto box for me I think

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If I was only going to waste it by using it only on road then probably a V8. Personally I don't care if manual or auto. If I went for a Defender to play in the mud then I would think 300 TDi and probably manual.