Discussion
Well, since paying through the nose for a decent ignition amp, the car has got worse. Not the fault of the ignition amp, but the car has steadily regressed in total ignorance of the new amp.
Im angry (Im normally pretty laid back) enough that if someone gave me some petrol and a box of matches I might just...
Let me vent:
The car has NO hot idle, and when it stalls, it wont restart, it tries (a little) but kicks over on the starter until kingdom come. When it cools down a little, it will start (rough), and then idles until the idle goes rough and it dies as it aproaches warm.
Ive been through the tests in the article on WedgePages, and everything checks out. The only thing Ive not ben able to test is the function of the ECU. I guess the output transistors might be up the spout?!?
I do have an oscilloscope, and so I might test the injector pulses whilst it idles, and watch what happens when it gets rough.
As an alternative, does anyone have, or know of where I can beg/borrow/hire(!!!!!!)/steal a spare ECU to do a swap and check it out?!?
Its a 4CU flapper.
The bugger is that if I cant fix this, Im not going to Wedgefest. I've spent several thousand quid and most of my life for the last year getting the car ready for this...
Ho hum.
Ed.
Im angry (Im normally pretty laid back) enough that if someone gave me some petrol and a box of matches I might just...
Let me vent:
The car has NO hot idle, and when it stalls, it wont restart, it tries (a little) but kicks over on the starter until kingdom come. When it cools down a little, it will start (rough), and then idles until the idle goes rough and it dies as it aproaches warm.
Ive been through the tests in the article on WedgePages, and everything checks out. The only thing Ive not ben able to test is the function of the ECU. I guess the output transistors might be up the spout?!?
I do have an oscilloscope, and so I might test the injector pulses whilst it idles, and watch what happens when it gets rough.
As an alternative, does anyone have, or know of where I can beg/borrow/hire(!!!!!!)/steal a spare ECU to do a swap and check it out?!?
Its a 4CU flapper.
The bugger is that if I cant fix this, Im not going to Wedgefest. I've spent several thousand quid and most of my life for the last year getting the car ready for this...
Ho hum.
Ed.
Hi Ed, I have a spare 4cu ECU if you need a loaner, only problem is I am in Lancs, but happy to post it out to you in the morning if you are desperate.
Chedder.
P.s Is it by any chance an Intermotor amp you have fitted? As these are c**p even when new, I fitted one earlier this year and the car displayed similar problems to yours until I replaced it with a Lucas unit.
Chedder.
P.s Is it by any chance an Intermotor amp you have fitted? As these are c**p even when new, I fitted one earlier this year and the car displayed similar problems to yours until I replaced it with a Lucas unit.
Edited by chedder on Friday 13th July 20:13
Had similar symptoms: with me the root cause was a dreaded coolant temperature sensor. If you haven't checked this one, would advise to do. And simple test/trick: disconnect the leads to the sensor, short them (ECU thinks the engine is hot), and if it runs fine go and buy a new sensor at any landrover dealership...
Hopefully you get is sorted. Wedges are simple (from a technology perspective) and it is only, sometimes, difficult to find the cause...
If you can't find a replacement ECU, have someone to resolder it properly, as this is the main issue on flapper ECUs (been there done that, and it is fine now).
Rob
Hopefully you get is sorted. Wedges are simple (from a technology perspective) and it is only, sometimes, difficult to find the cause...
If you can't find a replacement ECU, have someone to resolder it properly, as this is the main issue on flapper ECUs (been there done that, and it is fine now).
Rob
Thanks fellas, I appreciate the support.
A bit more info is that it also misses like a b*stard over about half throttle. It misses so badly that it feels like I am braking gently when Im actually flat out. Throttle pot is bob-on in both range, voltage progression and idle offset.
I have just replaced the INTERMOTOR!!!!!! amp with a Lucas one from ACT. To be fair to Tim, he did me a decent deal (still a lot for what it is, but he probably has to pay over the odds for them too!), and got it delivered within 24 hours of me ordering, so fair play to him.
The Lucas one looks a lot like the intermotor one, but Lucas and Intermotor are tightly linked these days, so whatever...
It started on the way back from the Southern Wedge meet on Tuesday, and has got steadily worse, and will probably be undriveable come BBWF.
Chedder, lemme inspect the output Transistors on the ecu b4 you go to the trouble of posting me your spare. I am very grateful for this, but if I find dry-joints all over the power trannies...
Ta.
Ed.
A bit more info is that it also misses like a b*stard over about half throttle. It misses so badly that it feels like I am braking gently when Im actually flat out. Throttle pot is bob-on in both range, voltage progression and idle offset.
I have just replaced the INTERMOTOR!!!!!! amp with a Lucas one from ACT. To be fair to Tim, he did me a decent deal (still a lot for what it is, but he probably has to pay over the odds for them too!), and got it delivered within 24 hours of me ordering, so fair play to him.
The Lucas one looks a lot like the intermotor one, but Lucas and Intermotor are tightly linked these days, so whatever...
It started on the way back from the Southern Wedge meet on Tuesday, and has got steadily worse, and will probably be undriveable come BBWF.
Chedder, lemme inspect the output Transistors on the ecu b4 you go to the trouble of posting me your spare. I am very grateful for this, but if I find dry-joints all over the power trannies...
Ta.
Ed.
ed_crouch said:
Well, since paying through the nose for a decent ignition amp, the car has got worse. Not the fault of the ignition amp, but the car has steadily regressed in total ignorance of the new amp.
Im angry (Im normally pretty laid back) enough that if someone gave me some petrol and a box of matches I might just...
Let me vent:
The car has NO hot idle, and when it stalls, it wont restart, it tries (a little) but kicks over on the starter until kingdom come. When it cools down a little, it will start (rough), and then idles until the idle goes rough and it dies as it aproaches warm.
Ive been through the tests in the article on WedgePages, and everything checks out. The only thing Ive not ben able to test is the function of the ECU. I guess the output transistors might be up the spout?!?
Save yourself the stress - do what I and some others have done - dump the EFi, install an Edelbrock carb, manifold and a Mallory Unilite Dizzy and reap the benefits of more power and reliability not to mention the simple maintenance of it all...
I do have an oscilloscope, and so I might test the injector pulses whilst it idles, and watch what happens when it gets rough.
As an alternative, does anyone have, or know of where I can beg/borrow/hire(!!!!!!)/steal a spare ECU to do a swap and check it out?!?
Its a 4CU flapper.
The bugger is that if I cant fix this, Im not going to Wedgefest. I've spent several thousand quid and most of my life for the last year getting the car ready for this...
Ho hum.
Ed.
Im angry (Im normally pretty laid back) enough that if someone gave me some petrol and a box of matches I might just...
Let me vent:
The car has NO hot idle, and when it stalls, it wont restart, it tries (a little) but kicks over on the starter until kingdom come. When it cools down a little, it will start (rough), and then idles until the idle goes rough and it dies as it aproaches warm.
Ive been through the tests in the article on WedgePages, and everything checks out. The only thing Ive not ben able to test is the function of the ECU. I guess the output transistors might be up the spout?!?
Save yourself the stress - do what I and some others have done - dump the EFi, install an Edelbrock carb, manifold and a Mallory Unilite Dizzy and reap the benefits of more power and reliability not to mention the simple maintenance of it all...
I do have an oscilloscope, and so I might test the injector pulses whilst it idles, and watch what happens when it gets rough.
As an alternative, does anyone have, or know of where I can beg/borrow/hire(!!!!!!)/steal a spare ECU to do a swap and check it out?!?
Its a 4CU flapper.
The bugger is that if I cant fix this, Im not going to Wedgefest. I've spent several thousand quid and most of my life for the last year getting the car ready for this...
Ho hum.
Ed.
Chedder,
Not to worry about the ECU. Yellow Wedge is on his way over. Something about going for a blast in the Griff on a Friday night...
Thanks for all of your support: I *will* be at BBWF one way or another!
Ed.
P.S. I put a new coil on it last autumn too. OK, OK, OK so it was also Intermotor... If the ECU dont make a difference, I'll go there! (Dunno Y I bought Intermotor coil the Lucas ones are just as cheap...)
Not to worry about the ECU. Yellow Wedge is on his way over. Something about going for a blast in the Griff on a Friday night...
Thanks for all of your support: I *will* be at BBWF one way or another!
Ed.
P.S. I put a new coil on it last autumn too. OK, OK, OK so it was also Intermotor... If the ECU dont make a difference, I'll go there! (Dunno Y I bought Intermotor coil the Lucas ones are just as cheap...)
Edited by ed_crouch on Friday 13th July 22:15
Ed
Sorry to hear of the probs, I live in Reading (purple 450 there on Tuesday night) I do have a few spares if your's is a flapper type system,(coil ecu and other electrical bits) but could always bring the Wedge over Sunday (as need to pick Michelle up from Tadley then) and swap a few bits over to try and eliminate your problem ?
Sorry to hear of the probs, I live in Reading (purple 450 there on Tuesday night) I do have a few spares if your's is a flapper type system,(coil ecu and other electrical bits) but could always bring the Wedge over Sunday (as need to pick Michelle up from Tadley then) and swap a few bits over to try and eliminate your problem ?
Quite possible that the ECU will require re-soldering. easy job, just strip ECU down circuit board and dap each soldered joint with a fine solder iron and a little fresh solder, if your not confident with an iron i am sure a locale TV repair shop could help. Over time the joints can go dry and crack open.
Hope all turns out well.
Hope all turns out well.
Update for this morning.
Yellow Wedge very kindly drove all the way from Essex and back last night to drop off his spare flapper ECU. That Griff sounds like a Thunderstorm!
Sadly, swapping the ECU made no difference..., and the car wont start even from cold now. I have tested or swapped out: ECU, AFM, Coolant sensor, throttle pot, resistor pack.
I now suspect that it could be to do with the rev counter, as I know for a fact that the car WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT IT. It has also recently been removed and plugged back in again.
Next time, Gadget... Next time...
Ed.
Yellow Wedge very kindly drove all the way from Essex and back last night to drop off his spare flapper ECU. That Griff sounds like a Thunderstorm!
Sadly, swapping the ECU made no difference..., and the car wont start even from cold now. I have tested or swapped out: ECU, AFM, Coolant sensor, throttle pot, resistor pack.
I now suspect that it could be to do with the rev counter, as I know for a fact that the car WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT IT. It has also recently been removed and plugged back in again.
Next time, Gadget... Next time...
Ed.
WEDGE IS ALIVE!!
Sorted. Firstly, many thanks to those who offered experience, ideas and spare parts. I still cant believe Yellow Wedge came over last night with a spare ECU!
It turned out to be, of all things, a bad connection on the fuel pump fuse!!! Basically, when the loom was assembled, one of the yellow wires that connects to the Fuel Pump fuse was, I suspect, cut a little shorter than the rest, and hence any flexure of the loom tends to pull that connector out the back of the block. Also, when I put the fuse in, the little tang on the connector socket wasnt engaged into the fuse board, and hence the right hand fuse blade was pushing the contact out of the back of the fuse board, but only by a few mm, just enough so that it wasnt conspicuous.
Result: intermittent contact, and the fuel pump was beng stopped and started probably several times a second: i.e. it was only pumping half the time.
Therefore, when I hit the floor, not only does the pressure demand suddenly rise, but the rate of usage of fuel rises too, and the pump (only operating intermittently) cant supply enough fuel. Rail pressure goes down, car sputters.
Well I'm damned.
I cracked onto this cos the car started this morning (bl***y tpical), so i tugged at different bits of the loom until it stopped. After it stopped, the fuel pump wouldnt work (opened the AFM flap, and only got a click from the relay).
A-HA!
Woohoo. Roll on Wedgefest.
Ed.
Sorted. Firstly, many thanks to those who offered experience, ideas and spare parts. I still cant believe Yellow Wedge came over last night with a spare ECU!
It turned out to be, of all things, a bad connection on the fuel pump fuse!!! Basically, when the loom was assembled, one of the yellow wires that connects to the Fuel Pump fuse was, I suspect, cut a little shorter than the rest, and hence any flexure of the loom tends to pull that connector out the back of the block. Also, when I put the fuse in, the little tang on the connector socket wasnt engaged into the fuse board, and hence the right hand fuse blade was pushing the contact out of the back of the fuse board, but only by a few mm, just enough so that it wasnt conspicuous.
Result: intermittent contact, and the fuel pump was beng stopped and started probably several times a second: i.e. it was only pumping half the time.
Therefore, when I hit the floor, not only does the pressure demand suddenly rise, but the rate of usage of fuel rises too, and the pump (only operating intermittently) cant supply enough fuel. Rail pressure goes down, car sputters.
Well I'm damned.
I cracked onto this cos the car started this morning (bl***y tpical), so i tugged at different bits of the loom until it stopped. After it stopped, the fuel pump wouldnt work (opened the AFM flap, and only got a click from the relay).
A-HA!
Woohoo. Roll on Wedgefest.
Ed.
yellow wedge said:
well done that man....!!!!! Ed if you think the griff is loud wait till you hear the yellow monster we had a bit of a sound off on one of the tunnel runs i was on and it was clocked at........126.2 db's...
........yw 
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