3.9 v8 (very) poor starting

Sorry I didn't get back to you on this one. Sorry to say I am in hospital.

Anyway, the thing about timing, if it wanders about it can mean the timing chain is slack, swapping out the chain and gears is no great shakes so maybe something to put on your hit list for later.

Running 9 degrees advance should be alright. Out of interest have you checked vac advance is working correctly? Note vac advance doesn't do anything at idle.
Base idle - this is an important setting. Your idle speed of 650 is OK, perhaps a little on the low side but nothing to worry about.

How did you get on with cleaning and remaking the earth connections?

The rush of air when releasing the fuel cap does sometimes happen, not necessarily a problem but you may wish to check the vent pipes are clear.
HTH, let us know how you get on.

Advice from a hospital bed, I admire your spirit. Once a LR owner ...
Wish you a full recovery.

classic kev said:

Sorry I didn't get back to you on this one. Sorry to say I am in hospital.

Anyway, the thing about timing, if it wanders about it can mean the timing chain is slack, swapping out the chain and gears is no great shakes so maybe something to put on your hit list for later.

Running 9 degrees advance should be alright. Out of interest have you checked vac advance is working correctly? Note vac advance doesn't do anything at idle.
Base idle - this is an important setting. Your idle speed of 650 is OK, perhaps a little on the low side but nothing to worry about.

How did you get on with cleaning and remaking the earth connections?

The rush of air when releasing the fuel cap does sometimes happen, not necessarily a problem but you may wish to check the vent pipes are clear.
HTH, let us know how you get on.

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Sorry to hear you’re in hospital so I appreciate your reply and wish you a speedy recovery.

Ok thanks I shall put timing chain and gears on the ever increasing to do list!

Yes I checked vac advance when I fitted the new dizzy and all is ok with that. Am I right in thinking base idle is adjusted via the sealed cap near the throttle linkage?

I cleaned all earth connections.. I’d had an issue previously where periodically I’d turn the key and the starter wouldn’t even spin, and cleaning the earth connection at the rear of the battery seemed to rectify that and haven’t had that happen since.

Ah ok, I did wonder at one point if an increased vacuum in the tank was causing fuel in the lines to get drawn back to the tank which I though may be starving the injectors in start up. I’d looked at the tank vent pipes with a bit of confusion.. I seem to have a couple with what look like non return valves that come from the filler neck that look like they’ve been cut as they just hang free and not go to anything?

Get well soon!

Thank you for your get well wishes. It is going to be a bit of a haul, I expect to be in hospital for at least another 2 weeks.

Timing chain swap is easy enough, remember though you need to loosen the sump to deal with the timing cover gasket correctly, so you might want to thunk in terms of dropping the sump completely.

Anyway, yes, the base idle is adjusted by moving the screw under the tamper proof cap. Base idle from memory should be 525rpm +/- 25 rpm. I'm sure somebody will correct me if I am not quite right on that.

You might also want to think about removing the inlet plenum and ram housing and giving it all a good clean up, you can check for any loose trumpets and also check the throttle shaft for play and that the butterfly closes correctly. Make sure you thoroughly clean the whole of the inlet plenum and ram housing using carb cleaner.

With the starter motor, it is worth removing the main power leads and cleaning both the terminals on the starter and also the connector rings/spade connectors as well. If the main power lead is slightly loose or dirty it can stop the starter from working. I have had this happen a couple of times so I now make a point of periodically checking the connections at the starter motor. Please make sure you disconnect the battery before playing around down there for obvious reasons.

On the fuel tank vent pipes, what you describe doesn't sound quite right to me. Yes there should be some non-return valves but I can't recall ever seeing any loose/dangling vent pipes. I can't go and take a look or check my workshop manual but it might be worth checking out but I doubt it would account for the issue you are having.

I shall have a think on it and if I come up with any bright ideas I'll let you know.