We are trying to get home from a climbing trip in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. The car was running fine yesterday, we drove it around no problems. We parked in the campground parking lot last night, it rained heavily last night and this morning it will not start.

We have power, it starts to turn over when the key is turned (there is a slight delay when the key is turned), but the engine tries to start but does not actually fire. There are a few times when it sounded like it was close, but still didn't catch.

We had this issue the other day when it was slightly dewy outside in the morning. We tried to start it twice, no luck, tried the weird lock/unlock the dirver's side door three times trick with no luck. The car then made a venting sound, and started on the next attempt.

Nothing in the hood is visibly wet. I've been reading all morning about how sometimes water can get into the distributor cap and cause this issue (although I think we have a 4.0L engine, and not the 3.9 V8 with that blue cap that I keep seeing). But I'm really not sure if this is the case.

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. We have essentially no tools, although it we asked around we might be able to find something, there are a ton of climbers around that are pretty handy and might have something we could borrow.

Thank you so much!!!!!!

 

one thing to check would be if you hear the fuel pump run when you turn the key to the 2nd position....and check at the schrader valve (looks like a tire valve ) on the passenger side of the fuel rail to see if there's fuel there....

 

Have you tried to wiggle the wires on the starter?

 

pull off one of the spark plug wires from the spark plug and put it next to something Metallic. also turn key to second position and check for fuel out of the fuel rail using the pressure test valve.

for me it was crankshaft sensor wire shorting out (easy fix) hopefully yours is something similar

 

Also check the:
1. Mass Airflow Sensor for moisture
2. Reset Inertia Sensor
3. Make sure gas cap is secure

 

This is new... No start after / during heavy rain. Nothing, not even a click or a hum. But with the key in the run position and turn on the headlights.... Fires right up, tho kind of awkward with the flashers spontaneously flashing and the dash lights flashing merrily along in tempo. It may be far fetched, but I'm thinking, electrical problem.....

 

maybe has to do with the alarm or immobilizer??

 

Had the same sort of issue until I pulled the ECU out, cleaned it out and sealed it up. It is on the pass side fender well behind the washer tank. Not something you want to do out in the field but maybe once you get home..

 

Thank you for all of your responses! In the frenzy of the event I completely forgot the check back here... we did manage to get it started, eventually. Turning the key to second position for five seconds had it going.

Then the drama really started.... a few weeks after this trip we had a total failure after weeks of spotty starting. The last time it actually started it just chugged home. No amount of second position was working as had previously worked in the incident I started the thread over.

A friend of ours who is versed in Land Rovers came over and he and I did some checks, figured a good place to start given how it was behaving was the fuel filter. Changed that out, REALLY gross, but almost zero pressure in the fuel line when we cracked it. Still wouldn't start. We tried starter spray (please excuse any lingo errors, I'm new to cars entirely, but learning little by little) and it tried to start, so we figured the fuel pump might have gone, which would explain the slow decent into non-functioning and the increasingly long time it took to prime the engine to get it started.

Ordered a new fuel pump of the UK and got it switched out yesterday. We ended up having to bypass the inertia switch as it's shot too, will need to replace. And it runs like a dream now! Starts up fast and reliably.

We got the car with 56K miles on it, it was used as a campus maintenance vehicle then sold to a 17 year old who mucked it up a bit. So we don't have a record of repairs. So just trying to go through the checks one at a time. I love the car, and hopefully we can get it into solid shape here soon. Just the fact that it starts is awesome!

Again, thanks for all the help guys!

 

Keep asking questions and please participate often. You will benefit.

Generally speaking, the fuel pump can be found locally for pennies compared to an import from the UK. Often, parts from common U.S.-made vehicles are the same as those on our trucks, without the import price. For example, I just replaced my idle control valve with one specified for a Jeep and is, for all intents and purposes, exactly the same as the part specified for my truck. Cost was $50 vs $180.

This forum will save you hundreds of dollars and many many hours. Without it, my truck would have been gone years ago. Instead, it is going strong and is relatively cheap to operate.