Hi Guys,

Great to know theres a community!

I have just (perhaps regretably) purchased a 1998 Discovery.

When I went to inspect, he turned it on, turned on fine, we took it for a decent drive, drove fine.

When I got home, parked it for 30 to 40 mins before drove it again.

However this is what happened:

Drove it on a 5-10 minute drive, parked the car, left it parked for about 5 minutes and it wouldn't restart.

Would turn over but nothing more than that.

Tried a few times. No luck.

Waited 10 minutes.. bam she started going, but the idle starts going a little wild on the way home.

What could this be?

 

Borrow an OBDII code scanner from an auto parts store. Check the codes and let us know. Don't buy any parts yet.

Was the tachometer reading or the actual idle feel, wild?

 

You'll need more diagnostics before you can determine the problem. Crank but no-start is usually fuel, or ignition-related but root-cause could be a lot of things.

You should plan on changing the fuel filter since the car is new and you probably don't know when it was last changed. Changing the filter isn't likely to solve your problem but you can put it on your list for later. What is worthwhile is checking the fuel pressure at the Schrader valve on the rail, passenger-side just above the intake manifold. Just be careful not to spill fuel on a hot exhaust manifold. Check it cold, use a towel, and have a fire extinguisher nearby. But when I've done it I did not have any leakage. I used a dial-type tire gauge that I didn't mind filling with fuel. It dried out after a while.

If you check this pressure during the no-start condition and there's no pressure, then you can suspect the pump/sending unit or electrical that goes to it.

If you have pressure, then check for spark.

You can also check for voltage on the fuel injectors with a multi-meter.

Those are my first ideas.

 

When you say, "would turn over but nothing more" do you mean it would crank over and over again, or it just turned over once and then no crank?

If no crank, then it's a low battery. If your tachometer is going wild, you may have a bad alternator or a loose connector on the alternator both of which would result in a low battery. If you battery is old, it may need to be replaced. The alternator should be tested. But if you're getting a wild tach, that's a good indication of a problem. Personally I solved that problem by tightening the nut on the stud of the alternator wire, but other times the alternator itself can go bad.

 

From what I read above the engine starts cold not hot and if it does start hot runs like crap, bad crank sensor or drippy injectors IMO, do you smell gas?

When you crank it and it won't start pour water in the crank sensor see if cooling it off makes engine start if so sensor bad

 

Thanks for the replies.

I don't think it's battery related as it turns over continuously.

It may be heat related as cold mornings is the best time for it to go from how it fired up this morning.

Crank position sensor? But how is it heat related?

 

UPDATE:

I did forget to mention it is running on duel fuel. LPG and petrol.

Whilst running it on petrol this morning it cut out after letting the car roll without accelerating for a couple hundred metres.

Car wouldn't start.

Turned it over to LPG... Started.

But with high revs.

Idling is wild and random, sometimes idling normally and many times idling high. Idles very high when put it back into Park.

???

 

The crank position sensor tells the computer the engine is rotating to fire off the coils, starts to go bad won't run hot or runs bad hot, located drivers side think halfway down where engine meets trans should have heat shielding of some sort

Pour water on that area when it will not start to cool it off

Fuel pump you can hear back by tank have someone turn key to run (not crank) you should hear it for a few seconds just to see of it is running to rule it out

 

I don't know where to start on that, any idea who did the conversion? Think I would have stayed away from this truck

 

Bought it with it. Converted about 3 years ago.

Guy said being a 3.9L, he wanted to save on fuel costs.

Is there any manual/video that can show me how to change the CPS?