Our 2001 Project DII
#31
03-14-2016, 03:30 PM
#33
03-14-2016, 05:17 PM
I got a little lost on this thread but I've had every kind of mishap and misfire a person can have, I HOPE, and the cases all fit into these categories:
Bad spark plug. Swap plugs from known good cylinders to known bad ones until you find the culprit--the misfire will follow the bad plug.
Bad wires or wires touching and arcing. You can actually see this sometimes, in the dark.
Head gasket failure with coolant loss or milkshake on the dipstick. Bad one.
Bad MAF (hard to diagnose but easy to check... Swap one in from a good running Rover or get a cheapie). This is hard to diagnose and doesn't always throw a helpful code. But if you exhaust everything else unplug the MAF and if the situation doesn't get any worse, it could be the culprit. I've just borrowed my buddy's.
Coils miswired. Codes will just be misfires.
Dying or dead coil. Just shows misfire codes. You can check spark by putting an old spark plug on the end of a spark plug wire and safely (with rubber on your hands) holding it near the block. You should see lightning. Do it with help. Helper can turn engine on and off if you can't convince them to hold the wires of death.
Something unplugged (idle air control valve or or purge valve, knock sensor, crank position sensor); almost always accompanied by a code pointing you to the right place.
Bad injector (waters down oil. You would smell gas in the oil strongly... It can do much worse and did on mine) just shows up as a misfire.
And my personal favorite and guess here: vacuum leaks at a hoses or the upper intake plenum gasket. This has been hard for me to find but if you look for smoke test or cigar test you MIGHT find a small vacuum leaks. Bigger ones are easy to spot... Spray brake cleaner on the hoses and under the upper intake. If the engine changes when you do that, the brake cleaner is being sucked in and you have a leak for sure. Use good common sense doing this though. No sparks or flames in the area. Also, it helps if you remove the fan and run for a short period of time because the fan will blow it all over, including your face. Ask me how I know.
I have also had another vehicle misfire, badly, when a catalytic converter was ruined by a bad spark plug dumping gas in it. My rover cats were ruined by a head gasket leak once and misfires badly... The cat was restricting the exhaust. Easy way to check is unbolt the exhaust before the cats and turn it on. It will be shockingly loud and you wouldn't want to run it that way for long, or drive it at all. But of the engine evens out then that's a good hint that the cats are obstructed.
Your SRS code may be as simple as a dirty connector on an airbag. But you need a good code reader to check and reset it. I use an icarsoft930--amazon cheapie.
I'm sure there are other possible causes for misfires like bad gas or low fuel pressure or a cracked block, but the ones listed above have always been the ones for me. If you think the gas is bad you can put some stabilizer in it (I ran 5 year old gas once in my rover with stabilizer in it...but that was before ethanol and I added about 5 gallons of new gas), but be sure it is safe for a fuel injected vehicle.
Bad spark plug. Swap plugs from known good cylinders to known bad ones until you find the culprit--the misfire will follow the bad plug.
Bad wires or wires touching and arcing. You can actually see this sometimes, in the dark.
Head gasket failure with coolant loss or milkshake on the dipstick. Bad one.
Bad MAF (hard to diagnose but easy to check... Swap one in from a good running Rover or get a cheapie). This is hard to diagnose and doesn't always throw a helpful code. But if you exhaust everything else unplug the MAF and if the situation doesn't get any worse, it could be the culprit. I've just borrowed my buddy's.
Coils miswired. Codes will just be misfires.
Dying or dead coil. Just shows misfire codes. You can check spark by putting an old spark plug on the end of a spark plug wire and safely (with rubber on your hands) holding it near the block. You should see lightning. Do it with help. Helper can turn engine on and off if you can't convince them to hold the wires of death.
Something unplugged (idle air control valve or or purge valve, knock sensor, crank position sensor); almost always accompanied by a code pointing you to the right place.
Bad injector (waters down oil. You would smell gas in the oil strongly... It can do much worse and did on mine) just shows up as a misfire.
And my personal favorite and guess here: vacuum leaks at a hoses or the upper intake plenum gasket. This has been hard for me to find but if you look for smoke test or cigar test you MIGHT find a small vacuum leaks. Bigger ones are easy to spot... Spray brake cleaner on the hoses and under the upper intake. If the engine changes when you do that, the brake cleaner is being sucked in and you have a leak for sure. Use good common sense doing this though. No sparks or flames in the area. Also, it helps if you remove the fan and run for a short period of time because the fan will blow it all over, including your face. Ask me how I know.
I have also had another vehicle misfire, badly, when a catalytic converter was ruined by a bad spark plug dumping gas in it. My rover cats were ruined by a head gasket leak once and misfires badly... The cat was restricting the exhaust. Easy way to check is unbolt the exhaust before the cats and turn it on. It will be shockingly loud and you wouldn't want to run it that way for long, or drive it at all. But of the engine evens out then that's a good hint that the cats are obstructed.
Your SRS code may be as simple as a dirty connector on an airbag. But you need a good code reader to check and reset it. I use an icarsoft930--amazon cheapie.
I'm sure there are other possible causes for misfires like bad gas or low fuel pressure or a cracked block, but the ones listed above have always been the ones for me. If you think the gas is bad you can put some stabilizer in it (I ran 5 year old gas once in my rover with stabilizer in it...but that was before ethanol and I added about 5 gallons of new gas), but be sure it is safe for a fuel injected vehicle.
Do you think the one they have (the pictures) could read the SRS code?
I read in a previous post something about swapping O2 sensors as well.
Bad gas : it was a full tank so I'm trying to run it all the way down and fill her back up with some fresh 93 Octane. Should I not wait that long?
The #7 plug that I replaced was wet and smelled like gas.
Could the wires or coils be connected wrong if it ran great for the first few hours after I replaced the plus?
#34
03-14-2016, 05:26 PM
If the coils/wires were improperly routed it would be immediately noticeable. Make sure that the 4 securing bolts in the coil packs are all tightened down good, if not to spec. If the bolts are loose and/or missing, it will cause misfires.
Last edited by chubbs878; 03-14-2016 at 09:15 PM.
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DiscoBuckeye (03-14-2016)
#35
03-14-2016, 06:01 PM
which I typed on my phone. 
I doubt Autozone will reset codes; they usually say you need to go to mechanic for fear that your truck will explode and the SES light wasn't on right before, or maybe you'll sell it and have no lights then the new, disgruntled buyer finds the code printout wadded up under the seat, or--gasp--you pass inspection with no codes (in a Land Rover, no less!). But if they do, you have found a renegade Autozone so squeeze them for all of the free advice and parts you can get.
As far as I know you need a rover specific code reader or something more expensive like a Testbook, a Nanocom, or a Hawkeye for specific SRS codes, and certainly to reset them. I have a few code readers and the only one that will tell me exactly what is wrong SRS-wise and reset the code is the cheapie icarsoft 930, and it is a specific land rover version. It is slow but it does the job. I got it instead of an ABS Amigo because it is good for the Three Amigos too.
You can also reset the codes by disconnecting the battery and zip tying the positive and negative terminals together overnight. That drains all of the juice from your electronic squealers. Be sure to leave your key in position 2 and your driver door open and your window down if you do that or your alarm might have an issue when you reconnect it. Also, say a little prayer.
My rover is like Herbie the Lovebug in a bad mood. I just look at it and parts fall off or it pees oil. Chubbs can verify that I work on it ALL OF THE TIME (and it is making me crazy!).
Last edited by Charlie_V; 03-14-2016 at 06:37 PM.
#37
03-14-2016, 08:55 PM
OK I have a leak. I hope its a valve cover gasket. It looks like it starts right at the base of the valve cover on the passenger side. I have never seen a leak that bad be a valve cover gasket before.
The pic is looking down front drive shaft shown with oil(?) on it
The pic is looking down front drive shaft shown with oil(?) on it
Wait is that taken from the engine compartment with the O2 sensor closest? I'm having trouble orienting myself to that picture.
Does the oil trace up to the valve covers or the bottom of the heads? Or is it coming from the front and blowing back? It can be hard to tell because the fan blows everything around.
Whoever it is, it is fixable.
Last edited by Charlie_V; 03-14-2016 at 09:04 PM.
#38
03-14-2016, 09:07 PM
That would be a pretty hefty leak. I can't tell whether your driveshaft is greasable. Is it? It could be flung grease, if so. But it does look like oil to me.
Wait is that taken from the engine compartment with the O2 sensor closest? I'm having trouble orienting myself to that picture.
Wait is that taken from the engine compartment with the O2 sensor closest? I'm having trouble orienting myself to that picture.
The picture is on the Passenger side by the fire wall pointing on an angle towards the center of the vehicle. To the left is the firewall and right is the front. Yes the wire you see goes to the O2 sensor partially in sight to the right.
Would it help to take a pic up a bit towards the valve cover?
#39
03-14-2016, 09:22 PM
Wipe it all down so you can TRY to see where the leak is originating from. I know that any oil/coolant leaking from the front of engine will absolutely end up all the way back on your tranny, like Charlie was saying. So you probably won't be able to tell without some black-ops, military-issued synchrohydromethyldioflourinezipam...minum.
Since that is both highly unattainable and unaffordable, do like most of us amateurs and throw parts/gaskets at it until it stops. And a new leak springs 20 deg north latitude from whatever it was you just fixed.
Since that is both highly unattainable and unaffordable, do like most of us amateurs and throw parts/gaskets at it until it stops. And a new leak springs 20 deg north latitude from whatever it was you just fixed.
Last edited by chubbs878; 03-14-2016 at 09:25 PM.
