hello, i am new to the forum and to owning a land rover...its been great until it didn't wanna start one day...here is the breakdown of what happened:

i was at work on my lunch break sitting in it idling waiting for a buddy to call with lunch plans...i turned off the truck to not waste fuel...he called and then i tried to start the truck...and nothing...it cranked and cranked and cranked...and nothing...so i went to the cargo area to check out the fuel pump and found that the locking ring was totally loose and the fuel pump was floating around in the tank...so i seated the fuel pump module in its location and tightened the locking ring all the day way down...and tried starting it again....nothing...so i waited about 20 mins to discount the engine being flooded...cranked again and ALMOST wanted to start...then nothing...i checked every fuse on the truck...and nothing...then i began my search online of what it could be...the next day at work i disconnected the fuel pump feed line and cranked it while my friend watched to see if gasoline shot out of the fuel pump...no gasoline...he also said he didnt hear the fuel pump priming itself when i turned the key to the ON position...so, i went to the auto parts and bought a new fuel filter...didnt make a difference...had the battery and alternator tested...both tested in good condition...then i tried starting fluid...it started and then ran for about 15 seconds then shut off...so i bought a new fuel pump motor (not the whole module)...and made no difference...today, i sprayed contact cleaner on the pump contacts, connectors, and the harness connectors upstream of the fuel pump and no dice...i recently ordered a new fuel pump module and sealing ring from atlantic british...anyone have any idea of what might be the problem? any help is greatly appreciated...thank you...

 

Try resetting the inertia switch on the firewall, press it and hold for 5 sec's.
Its the rubber button on the passenger side.

 

So what was up with the locking ring? had you recently been in the fuel tank?

 

so today i replaced the fuel pump relay module with a new one...i also hooked up my wife's truck to it to provide extra juice to the battery...waited about 5mins and then tried to start the disco and it ALMOST wanted to start and then just kept cranking...so i waited about 5 more mins...same thing...waited another 5mins and then the same thing...i am totally stumped...could it be the crankshaft position sensor?? i dont hear the fuel pump priming or anything like that...i dont get how the truck would be running one moment and then not run the next when it wasn't moved [read my original posting]...i am totally stumped and very frustrated...any suggestions?

 

Fuel pump relay not sending power to the pump maybe?

 

Do you own a multimeter? If not go buy one so you can verify voltage is present before you waste money throwing parts at it.

And back to the original question, you said the locking ring was loose, was that after you had been in there or was it that way all along?

 

Did you check the fuel pump harness? Maybe a wire got damaged since you mentioned that the fuel pump was floating around with a loose ring?!

 

i smelled gasoline before all this happened...i smelled it after i fueled up on base...then a few days later, this **** happened...so i went to the cargo area and thats when i saw the locking ring was totally loose...maybe patrol is right in that a wire has been damaged since the pump module was dancing around in the tank...any ideas where i might be able to get one?

 

Did you check the inertia switch? Fuses?

 

Usually there is a lot of crud on top of the fuel pump assembly and locking ring. I know on mine there was and on all the pics posted on here from people who were having difficulty removing the ring. Mine took a lot of cleaning and patient use of a large flat bladed screwdriver and a hammer to get it to budge.

Also, putting it back together (I replaced my entire fuel pump assembly with a new ProLine unit), I had difficulty at first until I put the rubber seal on the tank first and then with a little Vaseline, finessed the assembly into place and the ring fit well.

The fact yours was loose and the pump assembly floating is indicative that someone was recently in there and did not assemble it correctly.

Since it is new to you and you to LR, you should download the RAVE and get familar with it. Then methodically work your way thru the components in the circuit verifying proper voltages and hopefully determine the full extent of your problem.

Also the ECU can shut off the signal to the fuel pump, especially in the case of an alarm issue. The inertia switch which has already been mentioned is your primary safety cutoff in case of rollover or such so verify it.

You should use a multimeter to help you find what is good and what is bad and not just randomly replace parts. Also a good visual inspection of the wioring and the entire system would be in order.

What base are you on and what do you do?

Good Luck.