I have been reading on the forum for a few days now and have still come up with a few questions that I cannot find answers to. Seems this rig has the typical problems for its age couple of oil leaks, sluggish starting intermittently, and some small electrical issues nothing major at all.

I just earlier read about the corroded grounds on the body and starter so that will be addressed first thing in the morning. I have also already ordered a valley pan gasket set to stop the oil leaks up top. Also got rear brake pads and a fuel filter on the way with some parts for my wifes car from Rockauto.

My main concern is the starting issue it seems to have the grounds could clear it up from what I have read. Starter is new still has the stickers on it does seem to kind of crank slow though. Most times it starts up right off then every once in a while it hits and then acts as if it has no fire. I have read alot about the Ignition Amplifier and the fuel temp sensor which could also be at fault. Is there a way to make a resistor setup to eleminate the fuel temp sensor from these trucks? What signal does it actually send based on temp?

Last but not least I have a bulky plug under my drivers seat that doesn't go anywhere it is just hanging out. What is it?

 

Check the whole starting circuit. Grounds could be loose/corroded, but so also could be the battery to starter connections.

The plug under your seat might be for the CD changer.

 

Do like anti said for the starting problems. As for the plug it is possible someone swapped in a seat from a later model maybe. Is it a leather seat? If so and it is a swap from a later Rover it may be the wiring for the heater seat-up or power controls. Not sure.

 

So major grounds in the system is from battery to frame rail, and starter to the frame? As for the seats yes they are all leather but none power. I really have no idea what the plug could be it is fairly large in size if I can I will take a pic to illustrate.

 

I fixed my intermittent starter problem by relocating the ground slightly. I abraded the frame to bare metal with a dremel deburring bit in a drill and used a new terminal lug crimped on to the existing cable. I merely cut the original terminal off right at the existing ground point due to it's corroded condition. Stripped cable, crimped on new lug, mounted it to frame with a self drilling bolt into a pilot hole. Great new ground. Starter works fine every time now. No more mystery why won't it turn over intermittent behavior. Pic below.

My replacement starter is still sitting on my shelf in the garage.


I did the same for the battery ground when I put in a new battery (old one was several years old), bought a neew longer negative cable and attached it to the frame in the same manner. It works well.

I may seal them to prevent new corrosion this winter.

 

Well I hope that solves the sluggish cranking issue for me. Thanks for the picture by the way. I am still stumped a little by the hit and miss on the engine actually starting though. Wires, rotor, and dist cap are all new, but I need to pull the plugs and see what they look like. Almost acts like an older Chevy car that would heat soak the carb and bleed through almost flooding itself after you shut it off. I know its fuel injected but that is how it acts no smoke or strange smell really. No real knowledge on the deleting of the fuel temp sensor from anyone? I have a buddy that is a computer programming genius on Gm and Ford stuff I am planning on asking about it this weekend to see what his thoughts are but I am open for any input someone may have till then

 

I would be very leary of trying to delete the fuel temp sensor. I think you may be inviting problems. Just my personal feelings. These ECU's are pretty touchy. I would not even attempt anything like that without some detailed understanding of risk involved versus potential reward. I prefer to let some else experiment like that. That way if they screw up, it's on their dime.

 

I am just not sure what purpose it actually serves, I am studying on it as we speak though. Seems for all the problems that sensor causes it would be better off replaced with either some type of resistor mod, or a small pcm chip written type box to produce the signal instead since it is so unreliable. Once I get the mod bug it is hard for me to turn it off so I end up using a lot of my builds for guenna pigs but it usually works out. This is my first Rover been a Chevy, Mopar, Jeep man till now. Don't get me wrong I still have all those just a new toy in the stable as well. I must say it is a very odd mechanical wonder to say the least.

 

Did you see the yellow Disco the guy has for sale that has GM 4.3 vortex six in it?

 

Can't over emphasize the importance of good cable connections.
I make all my own cables and usually replace the stock cables with some a bit larger and with better quality lugs.





Good moisture seal heat shrink tubing is important too. You can't really see it in the last photo, but it's tight on the lug and cable, and a sealant inside melts and seals out moisture, so little to no corrosion over the years.
I also use one of the boots in some applications.

At the battery I always use mil-spec terminals.