Houston, we have a problem.......
Discussion
Pulling into a carpark near work today and drove through what I thought was a shallow puddle of standing water. Turns out there was a grand canyon of a pot hole hidden beneath it. I drove through with a bump and the engine instantly died and wouldn't restart and the M.I.L. light lit up (at least I know that works now!)
Came back during my lunch hour for a bit of an investigation: engine turns but doesn't fire, I can hear the fuel pump spinning and gurgling in the boot, and nothing obvious seems to be loose beneath the bonnet (HT, LT lead etc etc) but I admit to being a bit of a biff in the mechanical department.
Before I admit defeat and summon the lowloader of doom to take her off to the dealer, does anyone know of anything obvious worth checking first?
I can't help thinking that if she died so suddenly and seems to do everything but fire into life, it must be a loose something or other causing the problem.
Any suggestions gratefully recieved!
Cheers
Pete
Came back during my lunch hour for a bit of an investigation: engine turns but doesn't fire, I can hear the fuel pump spinning and gurgling in the boot, and nothing obvious seems to be loose beneath the bonnet (HT, LT lead etc etc) but I admit to being a bit of a biff in the mechanical department.
Before I admit defeat and summon the lowloader of doom to take her off to the dealer, does anyone know of anything obvious worth checking first?
I can't help thinking that if she died so suddenly and seems to do everything but fire into life, it must be a loose something or other causing the problem.
Any suggestions gratefully recieved!
Cheers
Pete
It sounds like you may have killed your airflow meter (AFM), which can happen if you send a tidal wave up the air filter. I can give you some electrical tests if that helps, otherwise substitution of the AFM can help.
Roughly where are you based (please don't give an address on an open forum)?
Roughly where are you based (please don't give an address on an open forum)?
Mark,
I'd thought about the chance of getting water through the air intake, but had rejected that on the grounds that the puddle was really quite small - I though the damage was done by the pot hole it concealed. I did see some steam coming of the cats/manifold as I passed thorough, but put that down to water splashing up after the air intake had gone past the puddle.
Is the airflow meter the box halfway down the pipe leading from the air intake? Is there anyway to tell if its fudged from visual inspection?
I'm living in Germany at the moment - thankfully the only dealer in the country is about an hour and a half away!
Cheers,
Pete
Just to add - the M.I.L. light has gone out now - don't know if thats significant, or if the bulb in the dash has just gone!
>> Edited by v8_gwa on Monday 9th May 19:18
I'd thought about the chance of getting water through the air intake, but had rejected that on the grounds that the puddle was really quite small - I though the damage was done by the pot hole it concealed. I did see some steam coming of the cats/manifold as I passed thorough, but put that down to water splashing up after the air intake had gone past the puddle.
Is the airflow meter the box halfway down the pipe leading from the air intake? Is there anyway to tell if its fudged from visual inspection?
I'm living in Germany at the moment - thankfully the only dealer in the country is about an hour and a half away!
Cheers,
Pete
Just to add - the M.I.L. light has gone out now - don't know if thats significant, or if the bulb in the dash has just gone!
>> Edited by v8_gwa on Monday 9th May 19:18
Consider yourself lucky you've got a MIL light that works!
Mark, I would have thought if the AFM went down, the ECU would revert to throttle position, limp you home, only, and not prevent the car from starting at all.
How about starting with the simple things, like checking if you've got a spark when you crank her over (remove the king lead from the distributor end and see if it sparks).
Next try the same with a spark plug lead.
If you'vd got fuel and spark, and they're roughly at the right time, it'll run.
Mark, I would have thought if the AFM went down, the ECU would revert to throttle position, limp you home, only, and not prevent the car from starting at all.
How about starting with the simple things, like checking if you've got a spark when you crank her over (remove the king lead from the distributor end and see if it sparks).
Next try the same with a spark plug lead.
If you'vd got fuel and spark, and they're roughly at the right time, it'll run.
Could this be the inertia switch ... I have set it off before now fiddling in the footwell with something else ... it's actually quite sensitive and may have been knocked on.
If you reach behind the glovebox you will find a rubber covered vertically mounted switch. If you switch it the other way to the way it is now, then try the car, you will soon know. If there is no difference then re set the switch.
If you reach behind the glovebox you will find a rubber covered vertically mounted switch. If you switch it the other way to the way it is now, then try the car, you will soon know. If there is no difference then re set the switch.
Inertia switch was my initial thought too, but then I looked back at the post and he said he can hear the fuel pump priming. The whole point of the switch is to stop fuel being pumped to the engine so I doubt the pump primes if the inertia switch has been triggered. Although, having said that, I triggered mine before and the MIL light does come on...
Thanks for all you solutions so far - the plot thickens!
I enlisted the help of someone mechanically minded and we have confirmed that we have fuel getting to the injector rail and a spark. After much scratching of heads, the latest theory is that the ignition coil is on its last legs. This would, apparantly, mean that the spark my be fine when tested out of the engine, but inside the cylinder under compression it won't be strong enough to fire up into life.
Another mechanically minded person will be testing the coil output for me tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to pop down to Bosch and get a new one. If not I'll be back to plan A and the lowloader!
Despite life's little complications like this with TVR ownership, I wouldn't swap for the world!
Cheers,
Pete
I enlisted the help of someone mechanically minded and we have confirmed that we have fuel getting to the injector rail and a spark. After much scratching of heads, the latest theory is that the ignition coil is on its last legs. This would, apparantly, mean that the spark my be fine when tested out of the engine, but inside the cylinder under compression it won't be strong enough to fire up into life.
Another mechanically minded person will be testing the coil output for me tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to pop down to Bosch and get a new one. If not I'll be back to plan A and the lowloader!
Despite life's little complications like this with TVR ownership, I wouldn't swap for the world!
Cheers,
Pete
The good news that after finally getting the car to my dealer, they figured out what was causing my issues.
The bad news is the ECU is fudged. Apparantly a previous owner had fitted an dodgy reconditioned one that has been on its last legs for a while. The bump it got when I drove it through the crater appeared to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
All I have to do now is pick the car up and see what difference a decent ECU makes!
Thats for all your suggestions and advice,
Cheers,
Pete
The bad news is the ECU is fudged. Apparantly a previous owner had fitted an dodgy reconditioned one that has been on its last legs for a while. The bump it got when I drove it through the crater appeared to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
All I have to do now is pick the car up and see what difference a decent ECU makes!
Thats for all your suggestions and advice,
Cheers,
Pete
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