Starting issue

Hi guys.

Owned about 4 td4 freelanders over the years. Not sure why but I have a soft spot for them.

Wonder if anyone could help. The symptoms I'm having are....
Hard to start in the morning and randomly during the day sometimes on a slope.
Smelling bad as in you can smell a strong smell in traffic it's not diesel more like a strong hot fume smell.
If I on/off the key a few times it does start as in on/off before turning it over.
Sometimes the rev needle bounces up and down a small amount.
I'm thinking blocked fuel filter but that wouldnt explain the smell.

I've had a fault simular to this and it was the injectors.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

Dave

Since posting this the td4 has completey refused to start now. If it does it just dies on me.
Also there is a small patch of fuel under the engine.

Another update haha.

When the car isn't running it shows half a tank of fuel.
I managed to get it running but asoon as it's running the fuel tank shows empty with light on.
The small patch under the car turns out to be water too.

Can you hear the low pressure fuel pump running? It's located just in front of the RHS rear wheel.

Sluggish starting is often down to the high pressure fuel regulator O rings, but can also be corrosion on the rail pressure sensor. Check the colour of the rail sensor plug, if it's black then corrosion is common, if it's a green plug, then less so but not impossible.