Just to give some slight background:

I have a 2003 Disco SE, 66K miles, that had the oil pump failure which resulted in the engine being replaced about 2 months ago. Shortly thereafter I had an engine light come on that my mechanic said was a result of air in the tank. Something about the seal on the gas cap not being great. He erased the code and I haven't had it since. THis was approximately 2 weeks ago.

Now I have yet another problem:

I was in a parking lot after dropping some kids off at an activity. The car sat (turned off) for maybe 30 minutes. It was hot, so I decided to head to the local McDonald's for a drink. When I went to start the Rover it turned over and over but wouldn't start. It had 1/2 tank of gas, so that wasn't an issue. I got out to look for something in the back and shut the back door tightly. I then got in to start the car and voila, it started!

So, thinking that was a fluke I proceeded to McDonald's to get my drink. While sitting in the drive-thru, the engine died. I tried over and over once again to get it to start but it wouldn't. I pumped the pedal and tried to start it, nothing. (I didn't expect pumping the gas pedal would do anything anyway, just something we tend to do!) I finally put it in Neutral and pushed it into a parking spot.

I continued to try and start it with no luck. I popped the hood and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Even though the engine was hot and I knew it wouldn't give an accurate reading, I checked the oil. The level seemed fine. Also note that I had the oil changed to Mobil 1 about 1,000 miles ago.

After another 30-45 minutes I decided to add the rest of an oil bottle that in the back; maybe 1/2 a quart. I tried starting the Rover again and it started right up like there was no problem. I drove back to the previous parking lot to get the kids and it died after a minute of idle. I tried starting again....nothing.....again.

A friend of mine that was nearby came over to take a look after hearing me continue to try to start the beast. He had more mechanical knowledge than I (doesn't take much) and we looked at a bunch of things. Again, after about 30-45 minutes of trying, he lifted the throttle up top and the truck started.

We headed home and I was careful to not let it coast on idle. However, after about 10 minutes, it died again. I tried everything that we had done before to get it to start. No luck. My father came out with another truck and we towed it home in neutral. We had to stop briefly in a city close to home. I tried starting the Rover again (once again this is like 30-45 minutes later) and it started up. We disconnected the chain and I drove home. Now at home (it was dark by then), I left the car on idle while I got my stuff out to see when it would quit. It never did (5 minutes). I finally turned it off. When I tried again to start it, it would, again, only turnover without starting.

Each time I tried to start it I pumped the gas a few times, lifted the throttle, tried to start in neutral and park and even while the truck was rolling.

My suspicion is that the fuel pump may be going bad. I never had any indicator lights go off and the temperature was normal the whole time. Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

I would tend to agree with you that it is the fuel pump. When it gets hot it shuts down, then when it cools off it works fine again. If you can get it to a gas station top it off and see if it still happens, I am betting not.
I would have it checked out at a shop, the fuel pump is very easy to replace and it has a non-servicable fuel filter built in.

 

My vote is a bad crank sensor. The next time it cranks over but will not start, see if you are getting any spark (pull a spark plug wire, ground it out to the engine and look for a spark when trying to start - or spray starting fluid in the air intake when cranking).

 

This afternoon I went to start the Rover and it started just fine. I let it idle for 30 minutes. Not a single problem. I haven't driven it yet but when I do I'll provide some feedback.

I spoke with LR and they told me either a bad crank sensor or a fuel pump that is going! Go figure!

 

Well the crank sensor is the cheaper of the two.

 

Check with your mechanic, see if the new engine had a new crank sensor installed. Also check and see if the drivers side v/c gasket is leaking oil.
Get back to us ASAP.

 

Please excuse me Gentlemen; but this is directed to Disco Mike:"...who "posts ANYTHING" at 5:39AM!" Its Friday, one should sleep-in on Fridays, (or at least get up late on Fridays) ! ! !

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm still "alive-and-kickin" here in Southern California!

Donald

 

Don-The forum post local time, so when I post here in the Eastern time zone at 12noon it will post 9am for you. But, I just realized that youand Mikeare on the same time zone and that I should just stop typing and delete this post, but I wont because I am trying to stay ahead of Landzu, is that wrong?

 

I tried to call my Mechanic and wouldn't you know, he is off today. Figures.... The receptionist however look at the parts that he used when installing my new Engine and the Crank Sensor was NOT on the list. Should he have replaced it with the new installation?

BTW- I have an appointment next Wednesday at the LR dealer. I figure I should take it to someone who would obviously know what they're doing.

 

Man, I even took a 2 month vacation to let you try to catch up.....