[1992rangeroverclssic]

Hi I just bought a 1992 range rover classic that has some problems.. I am trying to diagnose the reason that the truck wont start this is what ive done..

checked the relays both the fuel pump and the main relay for the efi both work fine and when the key is turned on cna hear clicking
replaced the fuel pump
pulled the fuel pump out and tested it on the bench.. works fine
tested the plug that plugs into the fuel pump and am getting 12 volts..
checked the inertia switch and that is fine..
so im not sure what else to check..

when I check the fuses under the passengers seat the 20Amp main efi fuse is blown and is blowing as soon as i turn the key on...
also i was told that with a range rover if there is an electrical issue on a range rover the parking lights stay on.. cause they are on..

on wednesday i am going to pull down the headliner in the rear of the truck and check the fuel pump ground as i saw thats where its located on allsat.. any other ideas what it could be??

Thanks all
A1C Hutchins

 

[HUMMER H1]

hi. did you check to see if you have spark? if no then your problem should me the electronic module . i had that starting problem with my rovers and the problem always was that module. it $45.

have someone crank it 4 you and check 4 spark . if no spark don't look elsewhere 95% that's the problem

 

[bandit86]

no start, meaning it cranks? like previouis said, have spark? fuel pupm is not always on, primes for 2 seconds with key on, then on when cranking and running. all my rovers seem to take forever to start yet run great.

if youre blowing your efi fuse, you'll need to isolate circuits and figure out which harness is the problem, then carry on going down the cct untill you find the problem.

 

[1992rangeroverclssic]

it cranks awesome.. if i put either down the intake it fires up and runs awesome.. im not getting any power to the fuel pump.. could the ground under the headliner in the rear that controls the fuel pump could that blow the EFI fuse also think that could be why the lights stay on?

 

[bandit86]

put a new fuse in and pull the fuel pump relay or fuse. if your 20A fuse blows, problem is elsewhere. if not, disconnect at the fuel pump and try again.
you said you changed the fuel pump, did the fuse start blowing afterwards? I'd checj the fuel pump witring

 

[p76rangie]

it cranks awesome.. if i put either down the intake it fires up and runs awesome.. im not getting any power to the fuel pump.. could the ground under the headliner in the rear that controls the fuel pump could that blow the EFI fuse also think that could be why the lights stay on?

As indicated by others, the fuel pump will only run for a few seconds with the motor not running. You can check that fuel is getting to the fuel rail by either disconnecting the return hose and seeing fuel run out when you first switch the ignition on or by pushing in the thing that looks like a tyre valve on the rail.

To get fuel into the engine the injectors have to be working. These are controlled by the EFI ECU. If your fuse is blown it is unlikely that the ECU is operating and therefore the engine is not getting any fuel even though the fuel pump may be working fine.

You need to fix the fuse problem to your ECU. Check your wiring to make sure that a wire is not shorting out somewhere.

 

[Razorbeam]

I am having this same issue, relay clicks like crazy when I turn the key, here's what I've got so far:
-12.3 volts at battery at starter and at battery earth point
-issue seems more apparent when it's cold (20 reg and below)
-10 and 20 amp fuses under passenger seat are fine
- fuel pump earth looks clean and is tight

Any ideas? It sounds like a weak connection esp because the battery has full juice. I did consult RAVE but honestly it's not very good.

 

[RRLondon]

I've had mine about three years now and also chased round this sort of problem to get it reliable.

The original relay for fuel pump (metal boxed) and wasn't switching some times, took cover off it and you could switch it manually ok by squeezing contacts in but it seems the coil was not able to do this at every request. It had the characteristic of working most times but then you'd get a series of drop outs consecutively so it just wouldn't run, then you try it again after couple of days and it'd go straight away.

While I was figuring out what was happening I ran it with a short jumper cable in the dashboard fusebox going from supply side of cigarette lighter to supply side of fuel pump fuse C4 so it had a switched supply and avoided all the supply mechanics and ecu logic switching to keep it going.

In addition, mine had a problem with the pump supply from the last plug going into the fuel tank. The insulated block that passes through the metal disk that holds the pump and pickups act as an insulator with the cables running through there reliant on this for circuit integrity. Mine had possibly been submerged (that area inside the closure ring is possible to waterlog) as it had corroded the copper wires inside that insulated block. If looks as though the PO had had a go at some sort of rectification with various lumps of silicone sealant stuck around there. I stripped all of this off, cut back the wire and re-soldered the wires to the connecting terminals coming out of the tank then remade the encapsulation block with two pack epoxy resin to make it impervious to further effects.

Run about 5000miles since with not one issue since.

I did chase my tail on it at first as I sorted out what the problems really were. Also replaced the fuel pump relay (bought two and left a spare under the seat. So mine is all back to factory design and switching correctly.

 

[Razorbeam]

Thanks for the info. Finally got a chance to clean all the contacts on the relays and test it again. The battery read 12.2 sitting, 9.5 with the key in the acc position, and 4.5 while cranking. Going to get a new battery tomorrow and hopefully that will do it. Any recommendations for a cold climate battery?

 

[CG89Classic]

Ah, the dreaded batt question...just get a good higher end one. Wet or gel cell is up to you. I'm bout 2.5 hrs south of you and I work 2nd shift, so my old Rover sees some cold temps. Have had a red top optima for 4 yrs now with no issues.

 

[RRLondon]

It does look like the battery is unable to sustain any real load in the state of charge it's currently in.
Mine was only dropping to 9.63 while cranking with the fuel pump fuse pulled to prevent starting and you are way below that (my battery is nothing special and certainly not new so I'd expect better numbers from a brand new one).
CG89Classic recommendation is probably most relevant to you being in the same market and conditions as you are.
From my experience over here we're getting good results and service life from AGM (absorbed glass matt) batteries seeing some Varta brand of this capacity lasting over ten years on diesel vehicles which have quite high starting demand.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Razorbeam]

Brand new Optima yellow top came today. $200 after the core charge and free shipping with the sale they're having right now at O'Reilly right now.

The battery not only solved the starting problem, but made my driver's seat motors work again! The power mirrors now work as well. Now just the passenger seat and 3rd brake light to figure out and all the electronics will be sorted. *knock on wood*

 

[RRLondon]

That's good news and hopefully it'll keep giving you more reliable starts.

I've run an old carburettored RR and many other of these V8s and the basic engine just never has problems starting, I could easily start the old RR with the starting handle. They seem to go with just a wiff of petrol and any old voltage but when you get onto the EFI fuelled engines they're far less tolerant of poor voltage.
It appears that if you get low battery voltage during cranking, then mine seems to give very weak spark so if you've got any compromise mixture wise then it'll just keep cranking with no life. If you jump onto another vehicle (or run a really good battery) my coil lead will produce a spark to ground of something like 30mm gap, it's like a vandergraf generator!

Also if you load it up with fuel while cranking it won't seem to get out of it, you have to pull the C4 pump fuse and crank with throttle open to clear it out, bit like you'd do with an old carburettored engine.

 

[james]

Glad the new battery fixed it. I've seen what appears to be a battery problem (dropping voltage on starting) being caused by a dying starter motor. If the problem persists, look at replacing the starter.