1990 county SE Wont start!!

[Lucasfree]

Just picked up a 1990 range rover with 3.9 and it sat for about 2.5 years, it was just fitted with a new distibutor (bosch) i think, and i belive it got a new ignition amplifier,tps, stock coil remains(bosch), now back to the problem.. engine cranks has spark,fuel pressure, ect ect, keep in mind that the rover did run before it was parked but had sluggish performance. now i dont know if it has sufficiant fuel pressure but.. i sprayed starter fluid directly into intake and not through the mass air meter.. any thoughts? almost ready to convert to a mallory distributor and ignition engine has 188k miles....thanks for any help.

[Landy-Andy]

One thing to check if its been sitting for a while is the fuel cut off switch.
If you remove the under drivers seat rear panel & peer underneath, you will see a reset button. Make sure it is pushed in (down). This is the fuel supply cut off.
One quick & easy way to see if fuel is getting through is crank the engine for a while then pull a spark plug & have a good sniff. It should be wet & stinky with fuel.
Good luck,
Andy

[Lucasfree]

one thing i forgot to add was i did pull a plug and it was wet with fuel..

[Landy-Andy]

Hi again,
You said you have been working on the distributor, it says in this piece that it is possible to install 180degs incorrectly....read on..

If you have been working on the distributor, it is easy to reinstal it 180 degrees out of sync, in which case you will get fuel pressure and spark but no starting. (When checking the timing, a piece of masking tape on the pulley at 6 degrees BTDC makes the mark more visible with a timing light). Another trick for when everything seems normal but the engine won't start was discovered by James Howard; he disconnected the ECU for an hour and reconnected it -- then everything was fine!

Naturally you should make sure the engine is getting fuel -- the fuel pump relay is the silver one with a brown stripe behind the right hand front seat. Fuel pump failure is not uncommon -- see the fuel pump section.



The following list of additional things to check was mostly supplied by Ali Ashfaq based on experience with his 91 model. .
-Run two #4 gauge copper wire from the alternator to the battery - pos and neg. Negative wire lands on the alternator housing.
-Occasionally buy a STP gas drying agent and dump it in the tank to get rid of excess moisture
-Check your spark plugs and wires. They need renewing frequently. Ali's plug gaps opened up quite a bit in two years.
-New cap and rotor
-Renew the coil.
-Clean all earth grounds. They're hard to find but worth it. Don't forget the one under the coil!
-Replace the wire between the battery and the stud on your firewall (pass side).
-Clean or renew the Idle Air Bypass Control/stepper motor.
-Check the timing. Running around 9deg helps.
-Check the fuel pressure.
-Make sure your wife has AAA plus!

Andy

[Lucasfree]

thanks landy!! ill give em a try and ill let you know what becomes of it, thanks again!!

[troverman]

My 92 won't start because there is moisture in the lines; I let the fuel get too low, no other probs. Throw in some dry gas. Also, these cars have a fuel pressure regulator, small device non-electric can be very troublesome. I think its at the back of the engine, no real way to tell. It will also make the car very sluggish. Many cars use the same exact one--I had one on a Volvo 760 Turbo and the car wouldn't run, and when it did run it stalled, etc.

[Lucasfree]

where is the ECU located on the range rover?

[ronrover]

a thought...sitting for 2 years, a cat may be clogged w/rust. I know of a jeep cherokee that was bought-same thing-sat for years, ran before parked but now wouldn't start, cut the cat and muffler off, it started-it was being choked. critters can crawl in the muffler and nest too...

[Lucasfree]

Ok i checked again i have lots of spark and fuel but no pops or cough's even with a blast of starting fluid, so even if there wasnt enough fuel pressure the starting fluid alone should at least make it cough, which leads me to think iam having compression issues?? it does have 188k. and remember it did run before it sat for so long iam going to get a scan tool to see if there are any codes being thrown,SO any other ideas?

[lonestarrover]

Originally Posted by Lucasfree

Ok i checked again i have lots of spark and fuel but no pops or cough's even with a blast of starting fluid, so even if there wasnt enough fuel pressure the starting fluid alone should at least make it cough, which leads me to think iam having compression issues?? it does have 188k. and remember it did run before it sat for so long iam going to get a scan tool to see if there are any codes being thrown,SO any other ideas?

Is your spark blue or yellow? If it's yellow it's weak and won't fire up.

[Lucasfree]

it does have a nice strong blue spark