John S said:
And that's what put me right off stinking smelly old landy diesels that are cantankerous, polluting and slow. I think mine is either scrapped or serving as a good mooring. Made for a world where smelly old engines didn't matter.
Click to expand...
Its what I live for....................... :D
 
moorlander said:
hi folks tried various things, fuel filter, checked everywhere for fuel leaks, had a piece of paper underneath to check for fuel leakage, nothing. the head was reskimmed 3 years ago and obviously i put on a new gasket. Always starts on the third tun of the key, provided i give it plenty of crank, then when she does start she is slow and lumpy until i blip the throttle a couple of times and then she's sweet. if it was a petrol its as if shes screaming out for a bit of choke.
the only other thing to add is shes breathing quite heavily though the oil filler cap.
any further pearls before this swine would be gratefully received!
Click to expand...


Henry blows like a good en through the filler cap and has a healthy leak at the breather cap even with a new O ring. Its not affected starting and bobs along very nicely indeed between 30, 40.
It sounds like heater plugs. None direct injection needs a good plug.
Dont rely on the fact that they warm up when individually tested. That just means they work. It doesn't mean they are getting the correct current if indeed any currant.
There is a lot of confusion about the wiring and correct plugs for that wiring. You cant use the old style plugs with a modern circuit and visa versa.
Get some pics up of the type of plug your using and where they wire into the ballast.
 
Have you done a compression test? Besides heater plugs the 2 things I've found prevent diesels starting are slow cranking and poor compression cold.
 
New heater plugs, resetting the valve clearances and retarding the pump worked wonders for my 2.5 which has been a real pig recently.

Billy
 
Hmmm, interesting stuff. I've done the valve settings a fortnight ago. It cranks well battery was fully charged a week ago but I have a fully charged spare, I'll attach that with jump leads see if it makes any difference, if not it aint the battery. The glow plugs are modern plugs, about 2 years old,good make I forget the name, not wired in series, so if one fails they don't all fail, and are wired direct without the ballast resistor. I'll double check they are all getting 12v though. Perhaps, I'll try cranking it a couple of times with no heat, and then use the glowplugs on the third go, if it starts I guess its not the glow plugs.

Btw, I did try priming the fuel system last night on the lift pump (ignition on), and after 10 boring minutes of priming still no diesel from the top of the fuel filter. Odd, but could that influence the starting problem? Any views on retarding the timing? Or for that matter doing anything else with the injector pump, eg idle speed? any suggestions very gratefully received.

Thanks folks.
 
That fuel priming sounds important. I had a simialr issue and could not get mine started. Turned out to be a faulty fuel pump, you should be able to bleed at the filter, then at the injector pump inlet, then the injector pump body. Then crank with two unions cracked until you see fuel. sounds like it could be an airleak plus worn pump.
 
Make sure the lift pump is not sitting on high point of cam , best put landrover in gear and move it forward a little to turn the engine.
If you flick the starter it could still stop at high point.
 
Jump started her earlier with a fully charged second battery as well, span over like a good un, but first two attempts were failures, she ran lumpy for a couple of seconds and then cut out. third go she ran lumpy and then settled down.

The good news in all of this is at least I spotted where an oil incontinence problems was ( banjo union on the back left side of the block) so sorted that out at least.:)

Is there any way of uploading a short video to demonstrate what the problem is folks?

Cheers
 
(So long as the glow plugs work and you've got new clean diesel in there)

I'd check the camshaft timing first and then check the pump timing
 
The plot thickens.

I checked the banjo on top of the fuel filter after I'd primed it on the hand pump, and diesel was present, I let it stand over night and next morning couldn't see any diesel on the ground or in the top of the the fuel filter. So I thought well perhaps the problem is being caused by fuel flowing back through the lift pump and back to the tank, hence the fuel starvation. So I replaced the lift pump with a Bearmach lift pump and still the same problem! I am wondering whether to fit a none return valve between the tank and the lift pump? However i wonder if this would cause a problem with excess fuel being returned from the injection pump?
Any help with the conundrum before I bust the starter motor would be gratefully received.
Thanks for reading again folks. When I do get to the bottom of this I'll make sure I post so it will hopefully help someone else!!:)
 
I had advanced the pump on my 2.5 nas as far as I could, so after trying everything else I retarded it by a good amount. I had nothing to lose as it was so hard to start and smoking like a battleship. Anyway it worked, it started with little smoke. Took it for a 20 mile run. Next day refused to start and the next and the next. After checking everything I swapped the heater plugs and now it is firing up well. It started this morning second turn of the key at -10. The plugs weren't old but I don't know that the quality is there in modern parts. I think my engine is worn but I took the cylinder head off and there was not much obviously wrong and I hope to get it through the winter and then rebuild, if funds allow.
Billy
 
The fuel pump has and NRV and that should stop the fuel draining back, if it is draining then I'd be looking for a pinhole in the fuel line near the pump inlet.
 
It’s going to be a bit of a git if it is a fuel line leak. For a tenners worth of braided pvc hose I’d have been tempted just to replace the lot. At least if you use the clear stuff you can see air bubbles.
 
Well folks finally sorted the problem. Advanced the pump timing and now she starts and keeps running. Hope this helps someone else.;)
 
Well I thought the cold start problem was sorted......but no, I think the good start after advancing the timing was a fluke. I've found myself back at square one. Smoking but not starting until the 3rd or 4th attempt, though the exhaust is smoking. Tonight I decided to test thr the heater plug with a multi meter, having previously just used a test lamp. I'm only getting about 9.5 volts at each plug though the battery is pushing out about 12.9 volts.This seems like a heck of a voltage drop. Any tips to verify the problem would be much appreciated.

Thanks as ever.
 
Pull the feed wire off the heater plugs and see if it is full voltage.
Then pull the plugs and test on the battery to see if they glow.
Not 100% on what is fitted to the old td engine.
£10 for a full set.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Custom wiring: Why does my land rover not start?
Replies
5
Views
575
Tony Monsantoe
Tony Monsantoe
D
Series 3 Series 3 headlining
Replies
0
Views
574
Demelza
D
Cr4zyChris
Freelander 1 Td4 failing to start, part missing?
Replies
2
Views
613
Cr4zyChris
Cr4zyChris
T
New to the world of old landys and would be very grateful for some advice
Replies
8
Views
802
Tommyk28
T
Louis2.5DSE
P38A P38 DSE fires but won't start
2 3
Replies
58
Views
5K
BDC
B