[CurvyRover]

First off, let me say that if this vehicle where an old horse I would have to put it down . . . but I refuse to let it die!

I got it back from the mechanic on Friday afternoon all nice and running well. Friday night I go to start it and it makes a wierd arking noice and won't start -the wire off the cap to the coil had come off. Got that put back on and off I go and then it starts acting like it's not getting spark again, or something similar. I took it back to the mechanic yesterday and this is what he told me. Either the Air Mass Meter or that other little black thing that says "Lucas" on it is bad and needs to be replaced. Since I still do not have the book I'm a little unclear about what the exact names for these parts are and what they do. So, can someone please take an engine photo and tell me what the two little things are (they both are black and say Lucas on them - coming off the fuel injection, inline with the airhose from the air filter) And now to the next dilema. My mechanic does not have the connection to hook his machine to the brain to diagnose which one of these parts are bad. The nearest mechanic who does is down in Austin and I can't afford a $200+ tow right now. At this point I just want to replace both of the parts and just get it done and over with.

It doesn't start acting up until it's warm and then it cuts out a little when accelerating, and it's getting crappy gas mileage too. Oh, and after it's warm it doesn't want to start, but does with a hard nudge on the excelerator. Sound familiar anyone?

 

[OkieRover]

Mass Air Flow Sensor
Cruise Control Actuator

I'm lost by the Lucas part. But this is the stuff in that area.

If you indeed have this failure you should have a code. You have a code reader display under your passenger side seat. It faces the door and will have a two digit code on it. You need to remove a single piece of plastic to see it. But it will have the code (if there is one) right there.

I have a hole cut in my plastic fascia cause I got tired of removing this every other day when I was having lots of troubles.

If my pic doesn't have the thing you said in it try to tell me where it is again. I don't quite get where you're talking about.

I just listed the Atlantic British site because they have good pics. You can probably get one cheaper at either British Pacific or Motorcars Ltd. Or perhaps other places.

Could he be talking about this?

Air idler valve

or this?

throttle position sensor

The Air idler valve is the same ones they use on Chevy trucks like the S-10. So basically you don't have to pay 65$ for one. If you take it down to the parts store, NAPA, Oreilly's, whatever, and tell them for a Chevy truck they'll get you another one.

 

[CurvyRover]

What would I do without you?

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I'll go out there tomorrow and look for it (the code)

The other thing that he said may be bad is up the hose more toward the fuel injection (it isn't in the photo you took - just to the left a little more) It's about the size of a quater and is black and says "Lucas" on it. That air mass meter thing is so expensive - GGGRRRRRRRR!!!

Your engine is so clean!!! I have a power steering leak and there's fluid goo all over the place.

I've decided that I'm getting my Samurai up and running too. The transmission has to be cleaned up and the fly wheel has to be resurfaced. With as tempermental as my Rover is I can't depend on it as much as I had hoped I could - yet. I'm starting to think that the previous owner wasn't as kind to it as I am. But I will get it in good running condition . . . it's worth it, you know?

 

[CurvyRover]

The other photo's didn't come up . . .

but I'll go look up those parts too - thanks

 

[scuffdog]

Seems like you have the classic symtoms of an ignition problem. The ignition amplifier is the most likely candidate, given your description. The ignition timing may also be out as well. Check the functionality of the Vacuum advance can, and the mecheanical advance mechanism.

 

[philippe]

Hi, my 87 Range Rover is suffering the same conditions. My excellent LR garage in the Alsace part of France has diagnosed a malfunctioning Air flow meter and kindly let me order one directly fromthe UK...ie 50% cheaper...I am waiting to hear if it cured the problem. I will post any successes!

 

[scuffdog]

The MAF is a $600 plus part...I wouldn't just blindly replace something as expensive as this. A dead MAF will throw up an error code, wheras a dirty MAF will make your rig run like crap but not necissarily generate an error code. The easy way to test MAF functionality is disconnect pull the connector plug off it while the the engine is running: no change in engine state= the MAF is probably not doing much of anything. The official way to test these things is by supplying power and ground to the appropiate terminals, and reading the voltage from the signal terminal while blowing air through the sensor. The platnum hot wire in these things tend to get dirty over time,thus giving a flase reading. It's easy enough to clean these things out. Take the sensor off the car and remove the snap ring and screen in the inflow side. Take ether (starting fluid works) and spray the inside of the sensor out. The goal is to clean the inside of the air chamber that actually houses the wire (you'll see it one side of body).

 

[CurvyRover]

Work in progress

Okay, well, I don't seem to have that code readout screen. I looked underneath the seat (twice even) and it's not there. Should I for sure have one and maybe it's missing? Or could it be somewhere else? The one thing my husband knows inside out now is the electrical layout of this vehicle from maping it out so many times to find whatever has been wrong.

The other part that the mechanic said could be broken is that throttle position sensor. I don't know what the mass air thingy does or does not do, but I'm going to have a hands on look at it this week-end. Isn't the throttle sensor supposed to adjust with weather changes and cold engine/warm engine starting and running?

How and what does that code readout screen attach to? Can one be purchased and installed?

 

[CurvyRover]

Throttle Position Sensor

Is there another name for this? I'm not finding it on any of my marked Rover parts store sites.

 

[Paul Grant]

Once you find out the parts you need, contact me at [email protected]. I am currently parting out a couple of Range Rovers and will probably have what you need for a fraction of what most places will charge. For example, I have several good MAF's for $50 or TPS for $20 plus $7.70 USPS Priority. You could have the part in two days.
Cheers,
Paul

 

[scuffdog]

If your Rover is pre '90 it won't have the digital readout display that OkieRover mentioned. Is the check engine light on?...you never mentioned that it was.

 

[OkieRover]

What year is your rover Curvy?
I thought it was a 1993 LWB like mine.

Anyway here's some pics for a definate location find of the OBD display.

And then take that stuff off and...

Any word when your husband will be back from his deployment?

 

[CurvyRover]

My rover's an '89

In my search yesterday I read something that gave me concern . . . is there a diagnostic tool that hooks up somewhere or is this just a case of figure it out the old fashion way - test this, that and everything else? The old fashion way wouldn't bother me if my husband was here to do that - he actually likes puttering around with vehicles, but I don't think my mechanic does.

And the EFI light doesn't come on or any other light that shouldn't come of for that matter. My temperature light blinks constantly, but it's done that for months because the sensor needs to be replaced and I just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[CurvyRover]

ugh!

This whole rover thing is just getting on my nerves . . .

My DH won't be home until this time next year so I'm either going to have to do repairs myself (whatever I can do with two little kids) or hope that the mechanic here in town can do it, or have it towed down to Austin for repairs. I thought I had it fixed when I replaced the cap and rotor, who knew you could put a cap on backward - can you? I also read on a site yesterday that if the connection to the coil gets damaged it can cause these problems and the night after I got my rover back from the mechanic the connection had come loose and it was arking. The mechanic says that didn't do any damage, but could it have?

I just want my rover up and running . . . I need to get out of this stupid little town! (ignore me, I'm having a girly pitty party) :bawling:

I'll get my butt out there tomorrow and check on the Mass Air Flow sensor.

Paul - I'll purchase those from you after the first of the year if you still have them. It doesn't hurt to have extra parts on hand just in case anyway.

 

[CurvyRover]

Photo of underneath the passenger seat

 

[Paul Grant]

I'm curious, you said that the EFI light is not on. When you were looking under the passenger seat did you notice a brown plastic relay on the floor? It should be located on the floor along the back of the seat frame. It says Emissions Maintainance Reminder. If you don't see it, it was probably pulled out some time in the past. If I'm not mistaken, without that relay the light won't come on in the dash.

I couldn't view your photo of under the seat.

 

[CurvyRover]

the EFI relay is there . . .

but I think my husband messed with it a while back because the light was blinking when the odometer hit 100K (or something like that). That is the one that you mess with to reset the reminder to take your rover in for maintenance right? And all of my pretty lights come on when I first put the key in. The EFI light bulb was burnt out and we didn't realize it for the longest time - this was back when the starter coil went bad. But we replaced the starter coil about 5 months ago. My rover wasn't having this problem before it conked out on me 2 weeks ago and then went to the mechanic. The mechanic also said that the wires were loose on the cap so he crimped them and then crimped the wire on the coil when I took it back in after it came off.

 

[OkieRover]

Ack. Recrimping coil wires?
I've never had any luck with that. But it might just be me.
You didn't say what year you had.

 

[scuffdog]

I wouldn't worry much about your MAF of TPS sensor if there is no EFI light. I'd seriously concentrate your troubleshooting efforts to the ignition system. Any chance the distributors mechanical advance was ruined by/from the improperly placed rotor? (You should be able to twist the rotor Appx. 5-10 degrees clockwise, it should also spring back to it original postistion immediatley after you release it. If you feel no resitance while going clockwise, or it hangs on springback - or doesn't springback at all, the advance may be messed up).

 

[Paul Grant]

What I was trying to learn was whether the EFI light actually worked. I still don't know even after her replies. Her husband played with it and the bulb was blown out. But I still don't know if the relay is now in place or if the blown EFI bulb was replaced. She has had a mechanic, who has had the benefit of having the vehicle in front of him (something all of us have not had the fortune to have) determine that the problem lies with either the MAF or, apparently, the TPS. If we could ascertain whether the EFI light is truly working it would at least send us down a particular path towards resolving this problem. In an ideal world she would be next door to a dealer or competent mechanic who could simply read the codes and affect the proprer repair. Unfortunately, that isn't the case so I think eliminating the original diagnosis of the mechanic makes the most sense.