My Disco 2 is a 99 with the 4.0 Bosch engine; 175,000 miles.

I went to the post office the other day and after getting my mail the Disco didn't start. It would turn over but didn't start. Ended up calling AAA and towed it home. I checked spark, fuel, engine codes, inertia switch. All good. About 3-4 hours later I tried again and it was perfectly normal and ran fine for a few days.

A couple of days later my wife took the Disco and on her way to work she stopped for breakfast. The same thing happened: it would turn over but didn't start. I picked her up. We left the Disco at the breakfast place and I gave her a ride to work. About 8-9 hrs later, on the way back from work, I decided to go and check the Disco and give it another try. Again, it ran perfectly for a few miles, but it died for good at home.

One of my buddies told me to replace the crank position sensor; which I did. It was replaced with a Bosch sensor. It didn't work. Crank but no start. On my third attempt the muffler exploded. After the explosion, it was late and dark, so I didn't try to start it again until today.

Today I tried again and this time it fired up the 1st time. It was loud without the muffler, but finally the engine was running. After 10 minutes, I turned it off and now is dead again. Cranks but no start.

I've been thinking about an intermittent issue with the fuel pump or perhaps the coil packs? Any ideas or suggestions? What should I check next?

Thanks!

Tony

 

I would think that its the crank position sensor other than that do you have any fault codes? Something to start with diagnostics.

It is vital that the correct air gap is maintained, if the air gap becomes too wide the CKP signal becomes too weak,
causing possible engine misfires to occur.
The CKP sensor can fail the following ways or supply incorrect signal:
Sensor assembly loose.
Incorrect spacer fitted.
Sensor open circuit.
Sensor short circuit.
Incorrect fitting and integrity of the sensor.
Water ingress at sensor connector
ECM unable to detect the software reference point.
Ferrous contamination of crank sensor pin/reluctor

In the event of a CKP sensor signal failure any of the following symptoms may be observed:
Engine cranks but fails to start.
MIL remains on at all times.
Engine misfires (CKP sensor incorrectly fitted).
Engine runs roughly or even stalls (CKP sensor incorrectly fitted).
Tachometer fails to work.
Flywheel adaption reset – ferrous contamination
If the CKP sensor fails while the engine is running the engine will suddenly stall, this is because the CKP sensor has
no backup strategy. If this happens the ECM will produce a fault code that it can store in its memory. If the engine is
not running when the CKP sensor fails, the vehicle will crank but will be unlikely to start, and no fault co

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

The Bosch sensor that I bought is new and the part number is identical to the old and removed sensor.

I have the Rave manual. Followed the instructions. The process is not complicated. Once the cover is out; remove the nuts, spacers and the sensor. Then unplug it. The actual work is more complicated because the limited space in that area.

Thinking of the possibility of an incorrect installation, I removed the new sensor. Cleaned the area in general, cleaned the sensor, double checked that nothing was sticking to the magnetic end, installed, spacers and nuts. I only tried to crank it twice. It backfires, but not as load as when the muffler exploded.

Connected the scanner again. No trouble codes, no pending codes. My guess is that once is running, I will get codes and have a better idea of where is the issue; but as of this moment, it cranks but it doesn't start.

Also, tell me more about the air gap. I am not a mechanic, but an enthusiast that is not afraid to learn or get my hands dirty. Do you think that the coil packs could have anything to do with the issue?

Again, thanks!

 

Folow this thread https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...t-start-46612/

 

Ok, thanks for the link. I did search this forum and found a lot of info, but missed that one. I'll be working on it tonight.

 

I can't figure out how to check the gap.

Before I call a tow truck and take it to a mechanic, I decided to play a little bit with the fuel. My neighbor has a fuel pressure gauge.

I managed to connect the fuel pressure gauge today. I got 0 psi, but when I removed the gauge, the connector was wet (gasoline). Weird.

Removed the rear seats, carpet and fuel pump cover. I can't hear the pump running. I have the fuel pump with the extra black connector for the pressure sensor. My multimeter is not showing any voltage when I turn my ignition switch to the 2nd position.

I checked fuse #10 and it's good. Pulled the relay (R1), tested it and it's good as well.

Removed the inertia switch. Removed the rubber cover and inspected it. Don't know how to test it. It looks "normal". Is there any way to test this switch?

The other part that may cause the fuel pump to stop is the crank position sensor, which is new. I'm suspecting that the issue could be the air gap that LR03NJ mentioned. I am about to throw the towel on thi one...Thoughts?

 

For what its worth I purchased a Disco with the same intermittant starting problems about a year ago. The previous owner gave up trying to fix it.

Going through his records I saw that the ECU had been swapped out 2 years before at a dealership. Whoever replaced it did not put the plugs back in the correct order meaning #1, then #2 etc. They did the ends then worked in to the middle.

Anyway the middle plug would ocassionaly fault after hitting a bump then no start. Next day it would fire up and go for a week. It took me 3 weeks to figure this out. Pulled all 6 out then put them in per the manual. All is good now.

 

Go to autozone and get a visible spark tester for 5 bucks. Hook it to the nearest plug and crank it. If you got spark then you probably need a fuel pump.

Go with the easy stuff first.

BTW Get the Airtex fuel pump. Costs about 25 bucks on ebay or 60 bucks at autozone.
I think it is E8335

 

Never seen a muffler explode. Bravo my friend.

 

I have one of those visible spark testers. There is spark.

As I stated before, there is no current reaching the fuel pump. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if there is no power reaching the fuel pump, I don't think that a new fuel pump is going to solve the problem.

Every time I check something I try to start the engine. It continues to crank, no start and it backfires very, very loud.