Disco, just wont start

[Froggie]

Hi all

I was driving along, and pulled over for 5 mins, when i started again I had no power at all, now the disco wont start.

I am leaning towards a fuel problem, but any help/advice would be really appriciated.

I have changed the fuel filter, turned the engine a few times and when i remove the water sensor from the filter no fuel comes out, not sure if this is normal.

Steve

[BogMonster]

At the moment this is a bit of a "my rover is broken" question, for starters we need to know

1) What sort of Discovery, 1 2 or 3?

2) What sort of engine - 200 / 300 / 3.5 / 3.9 / 4.0 / 4.6 / TD5 / TDV6 / 4.0 V6 / 4.4 V8 ?

At a wild guess from the above info I am leaning towards a Td5 Discovery 2?

[Froggie]

At the moment this is a bit of a "my rover is broken" question, for starters we need to know

1) What sort of Discovery, 1 2 or 3?

2) What sort of engine - 200 / 300 / 3.5 / 3.9 / 4.0 / 4.6 / TD5 / TDV6 / 4.0 V6 / 4.4 V8 ?

At a wild guess from the above info I am leaning towards a Td5 Discovery 2?

Sorry was in such a panic to get the post on I forgot the important info

Discovery 2 (51 Plate) TD5.

[BogMonster]

Ah good my sixth sense is operating well then

If there is no fuel in the filter then that isn't good and I would lean towards the fuel pump. Stick your head under the tank and get somebody to switch the ignition on you should hear a wheowwww settling to a quiet whine which shuts off after about 30 sec. No whine = no pump = no fuel - check fuse first but 95% expect to have to replace the pump, if its still the original it is probably about time it blew up. If it makes a noise like a cat being fed through a mangle tail first it is also on the way out but probably needs a pressure gauge plumbed into it to be sure.

[Froggie]

Ah good my sixth sense is operating well then

If there is no fuel in the filter then that isn't good and I would lean towards the fuel pump. Stick your head under the tank and get somebody to switch the ignition on you should hear a wheowwww settling to a quiet whine which shuts off after about 30 sec. No whine = no pump = no fuel - check fuse first but 95% expect to have to replace the pump, if its still the original it is probably about time it blew up. If it makes a noise like a cat being fed through a mangle tail first it is also on the way out but probably needs a pressure gauge plumbed into it to be sure.

There was a deadly silence when the ignition was turned on.

Any idea what sort of fitting i would need on a pressure gauge, do you think the local halfords or car store will sell them

Thanks

[BogMonster]

At work what we use is a made up fitting, we remove the fuel temp sensor (near the back of the engine on RH side) and put it in there, its a screw in fitting but no idea what thread it is sorry. You should see 58psi while the pump is running, but if you can't hear anything at all I wouldn't bother messing around as the pump is almost certainly knackered.

You need to take the floor up in the boot (remove trim/carpet) and there is a hatch under the floor held in with self tapping screws, remove this for access to the pump. May be worth checking there is power to the pump but it is highly likely that it has just expired as they are prone to do after a few years. It isn't hard to change once you get to it, there is a special tool to get the big securing ring off but putting either a big flat blade screwdriver or a cold chisel onto the ridges around the edge of the ring and tapping it round gently with a small hammer works fine most of the time, once you get it loose it just unscrews. Probably the most difficult bit from then on is not tipping the contents of the swirl pot onto the carpet on the way out... and remember/note the order in which the four pipes go into the fittings as if you connect them up the wrong way round I don't think it will run very well

I think there is probably an article in the tech archive about doing it or try a search, pretty sure it has been covered before anyway. It shouldn't take you more than a couple of hours to change, taking the trim out is the worst bit.

[Froggie]

At work what we use is a made up fitting, we remove the fuel temp sensor (near the back of the engine on RH side) and put it in there, its a screw in fitting but no idea what thread it is sorry. You should see 58psi while the pump is running, but if you can't hear anything at all I wouldn't bother messing around as the pump is almost certainly knackered.

You need to take the floor up in the boot (remove trim/carpet) and there is a hatch under the floor held in with self tapping screws, remove this for access to the pump. May be worth checking there is power to the pump but it is highly likely that it has just expired as they are prone to do after a few years. It isn't hard to change once you get to it, there is a special tool to get the big securing ring off but putting either a big flat blade screwdriver or a cold chisel onto the ridges around the edge of the ring and tapping it round gently with a small hammer works fine most of the time, once you get it loose it just unscrews. Probably the most difficult bit from then on is not tipping the contents of the swirl pot onto the carpet on the way out... and remember/note the order in which the four pipes go into the fittings as if you connect them up the wrong way round I don't think it will run very well

I think there is probably an article in the tech archive about doing it or try a search, pretty sure it has been covered before anyway. It shouldn't take you more than a couple of hours to change, taking the trim out is the worst bit.

Tel me about it, I have had to take half the interior out to get to the pump, i will check the power before removing it, however all the fuses are OK, I did find one that was blown, well at least my headlight washers are working again, and while the trim is off I can replace my reversing light bulb. LOL

Any ideas of the cost/best place to get a pump from.

One further question, as I have been turning it over a few times (oh and once grey smoke came out when it tried to fire), would it be worth taking the fuel filter off and seeing if it is full. I presume if it is full the pump is probably working. maybe there is something I can take off in the engine to see if fuel is pumping through.

Thanks

Steve

[BogMonster]

The filter may be full (though the fact no fuel came out the bottom doesn't look promising) but there is a difference between fuel presence and fuel pressure

Sometimes on a Td5 when the pump goes the engine will actually continue to run albeit with much reduced power/revs.

I guess the easiest thing to take off would be the fuel filter element and while I have never tried it, one would assume that fuel should p*** out at a prodigious rate when you put the ignition on if the pump is working and I suspect it won't. Usually if the pump is silent (or very noisy) we just change it because 99% of the time that is the problem.

I'm not sure about aftermarket pumps, it would be worth giving somebody like Bearmach a call to see if there are any OEM aftermarket pumps at a lower price, there probably are but we've only ever had the genuine ones at work, which make a nasty hole in a couple of hundred quid IIRC

[Froggie]

The filter may be full (though the fact no fuel came out the bottom doesn't look promising) but there is a difference between fuel presence and fuel pressure

Sometimes on a Td5 when the pump goes the engine will actually continue to run albeit with much reduced power/revs.

I guess the easiest thing to take off would be the fuel filter element and while I have never tried it, one would assume that fuel should p*** out at a prodigious rate when you put the ignition on if the pump is working and I suspect it won't. Usually if the pump is silent (or very noisy) we just change it because 99% of the time that is the problem.

I'm not sure about aftermarket pumps, it would be worth giving somebody like Bearmach a call to see if there are any OEM aftermarket pumps at a lower price, there probably are but we've only ever had the genuine ones at work, which make a nasty hole in a couple of hundred quid IIRC

Just taken the fuel filter off, and it is bone dry so no fuel is getting into it, looks like its the pump!!!

Thanks for all your help

Steve