Raceyjas

Member
After being recovered from the cotswolds by the RAC I have fitted a new diesel pump to my 12J powered Series 3 but I can't get it to even try and fire (except after a 15 second squirt of easy start into the air pipe, but then anything will fire on neat ether!).

I have followed the good old Haynes manual in fitting the new pump but I didn't have the pump or flywheel locking tools so when I go it all back together and it didn't even try to fire I concluded that I must have the timing out so I ordered a timing tool set.

I have just spent the day stripping it right down again and then refitting it using the timing kit. It did look like I'd got the pump and camshaft one timing belt notch out so I was sure it would start once reassembled...

...it didn't.

When I give it a 15 second squirt of ether into the airintake pipe before warming the plugs and cranking it over, it fires momentarily but then cranks over without even flicking and sound like it's either got knocking big ends or it's hitting valves against pistons. After pausing it will then crank over without these noises but stillno effort to fire.

Please can anyone give me some poiters?
 
Sounds like my 300Tdi when I got the cam 180 degrees out when changing the timing belt.
 
I was also going to ask if you got the right flywheel slot... Something like no.1 cylinder should be 10 degrees past tdc and I think the cylinder 1 inlet valve should be open so you'll know looking at the rockers.
 
Thanks Paul & Huddy,
The reason I started again by stripping it right down was because I thought I might have got one of the shafts out by 180 but it was exactly as Huddy describes.

Any other ideas?
 
Why were you recovered to start with, if it was because the engine wouldn't start then the same issue may still be present (blocked fuel pipe etc?)) Secondly why was the pump changed (I assume because of whatever caused the recovery)?
 
After being recovered from the cotswolds by the RAC I have fitted a new diesel pump to my 12J powered Series 3 but I can't get it to even try and fire (except after a 15 second squirt of easy start into the air pipe, but then anything will fire on neat ether!).

I have followed the good old Haynes manual in fitting the new pump but I didn't have the pump or flywheel locking tools so when I go it all back together and it didn't even try to fire I concluded that I must have the timing out so I ordered a timing tool set.

I have just spent the day stripping it right down again and then refitting it using the timing kit. It did look like I'd got the pump and camshaft one timing belt notch out so I was sure it would start once reassembled...

...it didn't.

When I give it a 15 second squirt of ether into the airintake pipe before warming the plugs and cranking it over, it fires momentarily but then cranks over without even flicking and sound like it's either got knocking big ends or it's hitting valves against pistons. After pausing it will then crank over without these noises but stillno effort to fire.

Please can anyone give me some poiters?

First thing to check is are you getting diesel to the injectors... Did you bleed the injection lines?

Crack off the unions and have someone spin it over for you, or spin it over yourself then go and look for pools of diesel.
 
That sound you're hearing is ether. Reminds me of my 2.25 a couple of decades ago. An overdose of easy start will make it sound like piston slap.
 
Whenever we've had this problem with taxis, we've just towed them around until they started. Always worked.
 
Thank you all.

Bled every blooming pipe I can find and got lashings of diesel everywhere. Double and tripple checked pump, cam and crank timing (by repeatedly stipping down and rebuilding). I've even tried the pump 180 degrees out (just in case it's rotor was put on wrongly) but not a flicker of a firing.

I can't tow it around to try getting the pump working faster as all I've got by the way of other vehicles nowadays is a Kia Picanto (not big enought to tow a push bike) and a 1500 Goldwing (has a towbar but I can't ride that and drive the Landy, the wife won't use either).

Any other thought...please?
 
Check compression if you're sure it's timed right and has fuel, that's the only thing that will stop it going bang.

And if you can't tow it, double up the batteries.
 
I used to have a 1500 Goldwing and it wouldn't pull a landy.
Pulled my Doris with it though:D
IMG_20160912_165422127.jpg
 

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