1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

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ChrisMJ
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 4:16 pm

1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#1 Post by ChrisMJ » Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:33 pm

It's been a very long while since I posted about my RRC. A lot of things got in the way but know I am back in the thick of the oily bits and hoping (so so hope) that an MOT will be soon.

But... Here's what has been going on.

Two years ago I posted about a great auto electrician who helped me. At the time all was well but had a few niggles. He helped get the engine going but it flooded, a bit like the later opening to wheeler dealers, flames out of the top of the carb! The otherwise standard engine has a Weber/edelbrock carb.
Anyway on his advice, (this is my first ever engine/car tinkering experience) I took carb off and adjusted floats.

I put in for MOT. They were to do a pre check and try and tune the engine. They said there were a few bits to sort (engine mounts, exhaust mounts, water pump) and they couldn't get engine to run smoothly. So back it came.

Jump forward to this year.

After getting my confidence back to try again. I started from scratch. I took off the carb, inlet manifold, and heads. Took the timing chain cover off, removed the cam shaft, drained the oil and removed the sump.

I cleaned, serviced the oil pump, fuel pump, cleaned the oil strainer. Replaced the water pump.

I had the heads skimmed. I found the cause of the bad running, one of the spark plugs wasn't fully in, a crossed thread made it feel fully tightened up but it was a good few mm off.

Then I rebuilt. I carefully set timing chain so that cylinder 1 was at TDC with timing chains marks aligned.

I cleaned and rebuilt heads. I cleaned and rebuilt rocker shafts.

I was very careful to torque each and every nut and bolt according to manual.

Finally a week ago, a friend came round for support as much as anything and we tried starting.

The crank turns nicely.

There is a good spark.

There is fuel.

The float bowls fill and the needles are clean and free moving.

But it turns but never fires.


Any thoughts?

As said I am a novice and have relied on the manuals but they don't help when things don't work and I just don't have the experience to know where to start.

Any help would be more than greatly appreciated.

suffolkpete
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:54 am

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#2 Post by suffolkpete » Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:07 pm

Have you put the distributor back 180 degrees out?
1974 Rover 2200 SC
1982 Matra Murena 1.6

ChrisMJ
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 4:16 pm

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#3 Post by ChrisMJ » Mon Jul 31, 2017 6:53 pm

I wondered same and have tried moving it 180' but nothing changed. Now that heads are back on, how can i check when TDC?

suffolkpete
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:54 am

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#4 Post by suffolkpete » Mon Jul 31, 2017 7:53 pm

You should have timing markings, but what you need to do is put your thumb over a plug hole to check that the cylinder is on the compression stroke when the engine is turned over then make sure that the rotor arm is pointing to the lead for that cylinder. Then static time the engine with a 12 volt bulb connected between the contact breaker lead and earth. The bulb lights when the points open and the spark occurs. That should get the timing close enough to start the engine.
1974 Rover 2200 SC
1982 Matra Murena 1.6

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TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#5 Post by TerryG » Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:26 pm

From experience, the timing marks on the crank pulley have very little to do with the actual crank position. To find TDC take the pulg out of cylinder one, pop something long and plastic in to the hole so it touches the top of the piston and get a friend to slowly turn the engine over until you see the plastic thing reach its topmost extent and stops briefly. then mark the pulely at that position. When I put the dizzy in i line up cylinder 1 on the cap with cylinder 1 on the engine to make life easy when i remove all the leads and forget which one was "1" at service time.
Are you using new petrol rather than what has been in the tank for a couple of years?
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

ChrisMJ
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 4:16 pm

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#6 Post by ChrisMJ » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:40 pm

Hi,
New petrol (that was another job-had to change the fuel tank). I added a clear fuel filter between the existing one and the carb to check fuel was coming through.

Thanks for advice re TDC. Will have a go at that later.

Will post results of that, hopefully results include some brm brm noises.

Chris

ChrisMJ
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 4:16 pm

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#7 Post by ChrisMJ » Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:50 pm

Thanks to you, I now know that I have definitely TDC and the distributor rotor pointing to no.1.

Tried ignition but no fire.

I have one of those spark plug testing bulbs, so tried it. And no spark!
Friend had previously said it lit up but he thinks maybe he could have been wrong.
The coil had produced a strong spark (arc across to one of the coil terminals as the main lead had been removed to check things turned over ok)

What is th safe way to check a)the coil is producing a spark and b) that the distributor is working?
The distributor is a Lucas electronic one with a separate ballast under the coil.

I can't thank you enough for the help you are giving me,

Chris

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TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: 1985 Range Rover HELP!!!

#8 Post by TerryG » Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:24 am

If you put a spark plug in the end of the king lead and rest it on the block do you get random sparks when you turn the engine over?
My experience is with the later EFi cars but the distributors are interchangeable. Assuming it has a later type distributor like the one in this link www.rimmerbros.co.uk/ItemImages/HighRes/ERC9122P.JPG and that it is a genuine one rather than a chinese copy that hasn't been apart and "adjusted", my money would be on a failed ignition amplifier (black plastic thing attached to the side of the dizzy body, just visible at the bottom of the pic in the link above). The ones you can buy new are REALLY poor quality to the point i have bought and fitted a remote unit after killing 3 "origional" ones in 1000 miles.
Assuming you are getting a spark from the king lead, for the sake of a few £ i would buy a new ignition amp and swap it over.
It is also possible the pickup in the distributor is dead but i have only ever seen that on a cheap chinese distributor, never in an origional unit.
REALLY silly thing to check, turn the engine over with the dizzy cap off and make sure the rotor arm is rotating smothly. the drive gear on the end of the cam may be worn / broken or the dizzy itself may have enough wear not to produce a spark on the correct pot at the correct time.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

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