She Lives (eventually)

[Al Milton]

Hi All,

 

After the tribulations with the power steering pump connection, cobbled together this morning some 20mm O/D hose and stepped this down to 10mm I/D hose with a bodged fitting (for those unaware, the 2litre T series Rover lump has an integral power steering / water pump driven from the same pulley).

 

Had the battery on charge all last night, 3 hours this morning connecting, rechecking, checking again - went for the big start - NOTHING Engine was turning, no spark

 

So, plugs out etc etc, no spark Checked earths again, all ok, then twigged about the fuel pump relay being driven via an output from the ECU, (only after an search through TonySuperSpecs extensive wiring instructions - brilliant, thanks Tony for the data ). Linked up the relavant relays correctly.

 

Went for the big one again, nowt - battery dead (slowly turning over - not enough oomph to crank and spark) . Linked two batteries together with some help from the charger - cranking and sparking

 

After half a dozen attempts, a hesitant cough! Next set of cranking, off she fired then died . Fuel pressure good, no leaks, and circulating back to the tank. Thought this was the ubiquitous immobiliser fault (not being turned off in the ECU). A dozen or so attempts each with the same result confirmed this I thought. Bugger, OK, found a diagnostic company locally in Sandwich that could turn off the immobiliser for £100, and i'd have the ECU back by tomorrow evening. Just before heading out with the immobiliser, we rechecked the connections. The wire from pin 24 (I think), that you cut, somehow had been linked back to earth. (This is the inhibitor feed if the ECU is connected to an auto box probably ). Anyway, disconnected this and went for one last try........

 

Yeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! A bit lumpy at first, but the engine is God knows how old. After a minute or so, she settled down to a fast tick over. Not bad considering there is no lambda or vacuum feed connected to the ECU. One very happy bunny here in sunny Ramsgate

 

Just got to fix the minor leak from the remote oil filter housing feed, figure out why the cooling system isn't filling, tidy up the loom, finish the wiring, make the power steering pump bodge more secure. Harvs, you're right mate, the first start is a great feeling.

 

Thanks for all your help everyone, there'll be more daft questions etc in the future, but I can see the tunnel end now, far off in the distance though, but it is there.

 

Cheers

Al

[miikae]

Nice one Al , i bet thats cheered you up no end , you deserve a big drink now eh

 

 

Mike

[harvs]

Fantastic result . Well done Al!

 

The end is in sight - it's downhill all the way now (well, nearly!)

 

When my engine first started, tick over seemed to settle at 1,000 revs which felt a bit high. The MEMS control unit apparently takes a while to sort things out (it averages out the last 200 miles of driving). Anyway, at the IVA test (after c35 miles) it was measured at around 800 revs or so.

 

I guess once it's on the road you won't be idleing that much anyway :)

[Guest robinj66]

Well done You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now all you need is a nice V6

[Guest Jomeo69]

Wahay. nice one AL

That makes two of us making lots of noise in that 100 meter radius lol.

Good job matey.

[will]

Nice one Al!

[Al Milton]

Thanks for the comments all, but I must confess I had a little help with getting the engine running, it wasn't all my own work, i'd have hit it with a big hammer and swore a lot

 

Forgot to add, got to get a new battery as the original isn't holding it's charge either. Ah well, out with the credit card.

 

Cheers

Al

[Guest robinj66]

If you can get down to the boot fair at Tilmanstone (off the main road to Dover) on Sunday you might get a bargain - there's been a chap selling car batteries cheap for the last couple of weeks

[Al Milton]

Robin, thanks for the heads-up, but I could end up in the same situation, they may be 'old' batteries that may not hold a charge.

 

With the restriction on space under the bonnet, i'll be looking for a battery with dimensions smaller than or equal to 200 x 170 x 170mm

 

Cheers

Al

[TonySuperSpec]

Robin, thanks for the heads-up, but I could end up in the same situation, they may be 'old' batteries that may not hold a charge.

 

With the restriction on space under the bonnet, i'll be looking for a battery with dimensions smaller than or equal to 200 x 170 x 170mm

 

Cheers

Al

 

 

The battery you need is a TAB version (if you used the bolt on cables supplied) is one originally supplied for FORD Contina / Capri etc.

 

54317 Alphaline 44 360 210 175 175 4F supplied by Battery Supply

[Guest Jomeo69]

Or you could get one the same size as mine AL.

You know how small that one is. and its got no problem running the car.

Joe

[Al Milton]

Thanks for the pointers on the batteries, I think i'll get one similar to yours Joe, that way i'll get more space in the engine bay for positioning things like the washer bottle, fuse box and relay mountings.

 

I've been tinkering and tidying up the engine bay wiring and noticed an oily 'substance' pooling in the air inlet just prior to the throttle flap (Rover 2litre T series where the RH supplied air filter mounts), the air filter was not fitted.

A quick look and this appeared to be engine oil, but it was clear(ish). Is this normal or has anyone experienced this? I don't know if this could have been caused by any back-pressure during the initial start up last Tuesday.

I think i've sorted the leak from the remote oil filter, the engine oil is a distinct difference in colour (darker) than that 'oil' seen at the air inlet.

 

I've checked the plugs and the ones from cylinders 1&4 had a sooty black covering, (over rich mixture?), while cylinder 2&3 plugs had a glazed appearence, (lean mixture?). No oily deposits indicating oil in the cylinders on any of the plugs.

The Lambda probe was not connected, this may explain the difference in the spark plugs with the ECU 'compensating' for no exhaust gas feedback via the Lambda.

 

As usual, any thoughts appreciated.

 

Cheers

Al