starting problem - Out of ideas :(

[kizz81]

hello,
i have a e reg 200tdi 90 that has not got origional engine, before and during the Landy Rally it started in the mornings what ever the temperature instantly but recently when the engine is cold it catches and cuts out straight away then turns over for a long while before eventually firing up.
we have had alot of people look at it and say they cant find a problem even the local garage man who can fix all doesnt know what the problem is. we suspect that is is a problem with the fuel draining back down to the tank when left for a while but the only consistant thing about it is that in the mornings it struggles to start but is fine if ive left it for an hour or 3 after first start up.

unconnected i think, the starter motor rattles strangely when the engine starts up do i have to take it off to sort this??

cheers kieran

[extreme90]

right, the starter rattle is the bush that holds the pinion shaft at the end worn

starting wise, have you checked the fuel tank breather ?
try fitting a one way valve into the main fuel pick up line to see if that cures it
dan

[Range Rover Blues]

Try taking the filler cap off before you start it, if like he says it's the tank breather.....

[extreme90]

just to add on, if theres a hiss of air, that means theres a vacume in the tank
which means blocked breather
dan

[L90OOK]

If there isn't a tank breather problem try this...

Does your lift pump still work?  
Try using the lift pump one morning to see if that cures the starting problem.
Could be the lift pump is allowing fuel to drain back to the tank.

[kizz81]

cheers for the advice i iwll be looking into the problem again at  the weekend ill let you know of the outcome :D

cheers kieran

[Evilgoat]

Had the same on a Paj

As already said, give the lift pump a good few pumps and see if that helps, if so you may have a faulty pump OR an air leak between pump and tank.

Check Breather, lift pump, hoses & fuel lines, fuel filter seal and unions.

try putting the end of the hose from the lift pump in a jar and cranking it over, anything happen?

[kizz81]

i seem to have solved the problem but i havent done any of the suggested things, i drover roughly 6 miles to my brothers girlfriends house got there and diesel was pouring from the engine, it was coming out from number twos banjo bolt so natuarlly owning a land rover i got all oiley on sombody elses driveway and changed the bolt whilst also cleaning most of the other places up to see if that was the cause of the leak had had been occuring because the bolt was still very tight before i cahnged it, but know all is fine starts without a slight problem  :?  im hopeful this has solved it

[Range Rover Blues]

That's worth knowing, as I'm doing injectors this week.

[kizz81]

problem is now solved and is back to a reliable first time starter  :lol: