1987 starts for a second then dies

[boarders123]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum and have just recently aquired a 1987 range rover classic and need a little advice. Heres my situation; the engine is a 3.5 liter V8 that ran when I first picked it up after trading it for my jet ski, and now all it wants to do is turn over for a second and then shut off. when I say turn over, it literally fires up and then shuts down all within a few seconds. Since getting the Rover I have put octane booster/fuel injection/carb cleaner in the gas tank to help the fuel system out b/c the Rover had been sittin for a while and thats about it. I havn't really gotten into it yet and would gladly welcome any advice as to where to start my diagnosis of the vehicle.

I know that the the alternator is shot yet the engine would run off of the battery until the battery drained and then it would shut off. I was able to drive the Rover around for about an hour before the battery would die when I first got it. Low and behold the battery died also and I put a brand new battery in it that I had just bought for my 1950 chevy truck with a 283 v8 and now the rover will only fire up and then shut off. Is it possible that I fouled out the plugs with the octane booster, or is the new battery causing an issue, maybe not enough cranking amps yet it starts my bigger chevy V8 although the original battery that died was able to keep the Rover running even though it barely held a charge. I am confused.

This rover needs some TLC for sure but I just need to get it running so that the shop I have it at can look it over and let me know if keeping it is worthwhile.. Its going to be a trail rig.

Thanks everyone in advance for your help!!!

[Disco]

Your problem is either fuel or ignition related. Spray some Carburettor cleaner into the intake while someone tries to start the vehicle. If it runs, you have a fuel problem, most likely the fuel pump is cactus. If it doesn't fire, take an old spark plug and plug it into one of the spark plug leads and rest it on a metal part of your engine. Once again crank the engine. If you have no spark you have an ignition problem, perhaps a faulty coil. Lets know how you get on. BTW, I doubt you have fouled your plugs.

[p76rangie]

Could be your resistor wire to your coil. That is, when you are turning over the engine the coil gets its power from the starter motor. Once you release the key from starting, it gets its power through a resistor. Switch the ignition on and see whether you have any power going to the coil. It should be between 9 and 10 volts.

[nfrey2]

make sure the fuel pump is actually primes the system and stays on.

[boarders123]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I got it started and so far it seems to be an ignition issue. I have to hold the key in the start postion for a few seconds before it turns over. Now I have to address the issue of the pinging noise when it is running. It undoubtedly needs a lot of TLC, I just hope that the engine doesn't need to be rebuilt. I know its premature to guess but a pinging engine is a concern.

[Disco]

The pinging is due to the engine running lean. This could be caused by a number of things, but two worth checking is your fuel pressure and injectors. Low fuel pressure or dirty injectors will cause the engine to run lean.