Help withe non start.
Discussion
Hi all, chim [1993 430 pre serp] been left in garage for 18 months now as i've been somewhat ill. It's back in [more or less] one piece now and having fitted a new battery I've attempted to get oil pressure up and fuel flowing. No response on both unfortunately,can't hear fuel pump priming even though alarm operates so if any body has any pointers i'd be eternally grateful. Better still if anybody in the birmingham area[I'm in Sutton fancys popping round to advise I can provide endless food,beer,tea etc and no doubt non stop entertainment with my ham fisted spannering prowess. I feel it's only fair to mention that electrics are not my strong point... Thanks in advance, Mark.
If it's the stock alarm/immobiliser fitted then they can be "problematic" the immobiliser has 2 small relays in it, one for the fuel pump and one for the starter circuit. Assuming your alarm LED is showing that it's good to go, what happens (if anything) when you turn the key to the "on" position (i.e. the one before start)
I'm guessing there is no noise of the pump priming but what about the other electrics that run from that position, does the radio work, do the gauges move, does the ignition light come on, can you release the boot using the button underneath? ANY one of those would indicate the ignition switch is probably working (again they're sometimes a little temperamental)
If you turn the key to "start" does it crank? If so then it could be a problem with the immobiliser, fuel pump, pump relay or the inertia switch.
Easiest thing to check is the inertia switch under the LH side of the dash. If that's "OK" then you could try slapping the dash under the LH side to see if there is a stuck relay in the immobiliser..
If it doesn't crank and the ignition works I'd suggest the immobiliser.
You could also disconnect the battery, then reconnect it as that sometimes resets the alarm/immobiliser..
I'm guessing there is no noise of the pump priming but what about the other electrics that run from that position, does the radio work, do the gauges move, does the ignition light come on, can you release the boot using the button underneath? ANY one of those would indicate the ignition switch is probably working (again they're sometimes a little temperamental)
If you turn the key to "start" does it crank? If so then it could be a problem with the immobiliser, fuel pump, pump relay or the inertia switch.
Easiest thing to check is the inertia switch under the LH side of the dash. If that's "OK" then you could try slapping the dash under the LH side to see if there is a stuck relay in the immobiliser..
If it doesn't crank and the ignition works I'd suggest the immobiliser.
You could also disconnect the battery, then reconnect it as that sometimes resets the alarm/immobiliser..
Hi Jules, and thanks for reply. All of the dash lights seem to light up, I think it is the original immobiliser judging by how ancient the fob is, it does crank off the key and no, I cant hear the fuel pump priming like it used to when it was last on the road. Will go out and slap under side of dash and try disconnecting battery too. Any idea where fuel pump relays,alarm box are located. I,m guessing they won't be anywhere east to get at...
Right, if the inertia switch is a plastic box with a little plunger device sticking out then i,ve pushed it in, repeatedly slapped underside of dash and disconnected and reconnected battery several times to no avail as far as pump is concerned. [Took fuel pipe off to be sure, dry as a bone]. Various clicking noises when reconnecting battery, all dash works alarm light goes off and engine turns over... Anybody know where fuel pump relays are or anybody had similar problems after their car has been laid up or failing that anybody know any good jokes to cheer me up...
The fuel pump relay is a metal bodied one, near the battery, in the footwell.
There is another identical relay beside it, swap the two over and see if that does it, if it does you just need a replacement.
If you have a multimeter you can check the pin outs - you can also TEMPORARILY take a feed straight from the battery (via a fuse) to the output from the relay and off to the pump, if it primes then it's probably the relay (or immobiliser still).
Bosch part number for relay is 0332014112 I believe
J
There is another identical relay beside it, swap the two over and see if that does it, if it does you just need a replacement.
If you have a multimeter you can check the pin outs - you can also TEMPORARILY take a feed straight from the battery (via a fuse) to the output from the relay and off to the pump, if it primes then it's probably the relay (or immobiliser still).
Bosch part number for relay is 0332014112 I believe
J
I should have said - swapping the two relays won't be a permenant fix as both are needed to run the engine. I believe the second one is the main ignition/ECU feed.
If you have a buddy/partner/child handy get them to cycle the ignition while you hold and listen to the relays. One of them switches on for ~3 seconds (to prime the pump) then switches off, the other switches on and stays on...
If you have a buddy/partner/child handy get them to cycle the ignition while you hold and listen to the relays. One of them switches on for ~3 seconds (to prime the pump) then switches off, the other switches on and stays on...
Edited by Julesprivate on Sunday 5th May 15:30
Is it a META imobiliser. If so try using the emergency plastic stick into the slot just forward of the ignition key hole. It's difficult to see but it should be there. Inserting it should cancell the red led light near the ignition key hole. The old TVR META plastic remote locking fobs can break inside and prevent the internal battery making contact to disingage the imobiliser and prevent starting.
The fuel pump relay on mine is in the blue socket. The other is for ignition.
The fuel pump relay on mine is in the blue socket. The other is for ignition.
markbuck14 said:
Right swapped the relays and still no joy. It all seems to be pointing towards the immobiliser at the moment but is it possible to test this or isolate it entirely? Are there any replaceable parts in it? More to the point, where is it? 
The immobiliser is a bit of a PITA to get to, it's normally behind the radio panel and left-ish. It's a bit of a specialist thing, actually more than a bit, I guess by design it's supposed to be hard to bypass/test. Carl Barker is the MAN when it comes to that but I believe he's moved/moving to France.When you ran the pump from a battery did you do it from the relay end or under the back of the car?
You can "bridge" the relay connections, IIRC terminals 85 and 86 are the ones to energise the relay, in fact I'd suggest you take the relay off, run a pair of wires from that spare battery terminals and touch them to 85 and 86, if it clicks at least you know it is energising..
You can then check the terminal block to see if the connector to the terminal 30 has 12V on it.
You could also do this by connecting the connector block "30" to "87" and see if the pump runs.
Do you have a multimeter?
There is also a 15A fuse in the fusebox that does the fuel pump.. On mine it also does the central locking but not every TVR is the same sorry..
Hi Aussie john, no luck with the fuses, thanks for the suggestion. EGB, the alarm is a Gemini, or at least the fob is. It looks older than gods dog so if the main alarm is the same age it would seem to be the likely culprit as I'm running out of other possibilities. Think I need a TVR knowledgable auto electrician or trailer to Powers in Coventry. 
Hi Jules, I ran the pump from underneath the back of the car. Out of time now as other half is nagging to go out. I'll try your suggestions tomorrow night after work [Yes work on a bank holiday]. If that doesn't work I'll have to admit defeat and through gritted teeth send it to somebody with superior knowledge. 
markbuck14 said:
Hi Jules, I ran the pump from underneath the back of the car. Out of time now as other half is nagging to go out. I'll try your suggestions tomorrow night after work [Yes work on a bank holiday]. If that doesn't work I'll have to admit defeat and through gritted teeth send it to somebody with superior knowledge.
This sounds a challenge right up my street!!! ive been there! im in Redditch pm me your number ill be happy to help!
)Thanks again for the offer. Julesprivate said:
I should have said - swapping the two relays won't be a permenant fix as both are needed to run the engine. I believe the second one is the main ignition/ECU feed.
If you have a buddy/partner/child handy get them to cycle the ignition while you hold and listen to the relays. One of them switches on for ~3 seconds (to prime the pump) then switches off, the other switches on and stays on...
They won't fix it at all, a failure of either of the two relays will stop the pump running. Better to get a replacement and swap that around. If you have a buddy/partner/child handy get them to cycle the ignition while you hold and listen to the relays. One of them switches on for ~3 seconds (to prime the pump) then switches off, the other switches on and stays on...
Edited by Julesprivate on Sunday 5th May 15:30
I had the same symptoms on my 95 400 Serp. Swapping relays etc was a waste of time, even though after swapping them over at first I thought I could hear / feel each one click when it was in one of the plugs. Cue much head scratching. What did fix it was simply fitting two new relays, even though both of the old ones seemed to click in one of the plugs, but not in the other if you get me. Like what OldRed has said above.
They're cheap enough.
They're cheap enough.
Edited by Corso Marche on Monday 6th May 00:41
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