Cutting Out Chimaera

[tlm21]

I have a 97 4.5 Chimaera which only runs for 20 seconds at a time and then cuts out. When restarting the car you can hear the fuel pump prime and the car will then start again. I have checked the fuel pump fuse - I am unable to find a fuel cut off switch.

If anyone can provide me with some advice/help I would be very grateful.

[stevied]

Inertia cut off switch in passenger footwell I believe.

See the post on 'Wiring diagram for 4.0 Chimaera.

[tlm21]

Thanks - had another look - unable to see any fuel cut off switch in my passenger footwell.

[mike@brill]

In the passenger footwell is a very loose description, I found mine ( Chimaera 4.0l ) by lying on my back in the footwell and sticking my head up behind the dash !!
At least I assume that the little black box with a red button is the fuel cut off. If you can hear the pump prime it seems unlikely to be the fuel cut off as I understand it cuts all power to the pump. Steve Dyer has just kindly sent me some pages from the Griff and Chimaera book which Says that the fuel filter ( under rear near diff ) needs replacing regularly to prevent fuel starvation through blockage. Could be that ??
Good luck,
Mike

[mike@brill]

In the passenger footwell is a very loose description, I found mine ( Chimaera 4.0l ) by lying on my back in the footwell and sticking my head up behind the dash !!
At least I assume that the little black box with a red button is the fuel cut off. If you can hear the pump prime it seems unlikely to be the fuel cut off as I understand it cuts all power to the pump. Steve Dyer has just kindly sent me some pages from the Griff and Chimaera book which Says that the fuel filter ( under rear near diff ) needs replacing regularly to prevent fuel starvation through blockage. Could be that ??
Good luck,
Mike

[yum]

at risk of serious "don't be so patronising" abuse, are you sure that there is sufficient fuel in the tank? (sorry...)

Good luck, and don't forget to tell us what it is when you find it!

R

[shpub]

quote:
Steve Dyer has just kindly sent me some pages from the Griff and Chimaera book

I hope he asked me first...

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[shpub]

Providing there is fuel this sounds like either a "the ECU is not maintaining the signal to the fuel pump and switching the damn thing off and that the fuel pressure in the pipe work is keeping the engine running for about 20 seconds" problem or the "you snoppy ECUs think you control the fuel pump well I'm not going to energise the supply" dodgy fuel pump relay. Usually the one of them lying the footwell in the ECU loom but it is an electronic one and while it can be replaced with a normal relay, it will flatten your battery.

This relay is not labelled but if the turn on the ignition to energise everything you should hear it click.
It could also be a dodgy connection soemwhere.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[mike@brill]

Steve, think of it as a sample - It has made me buy a copy!! But now I am worried, I had a vehicle electrician to solve my "no power to the fuel pump problem which he traced to having no feed to the inhibiter switch. He solved this by creating a new feed from the ignition circuit to the switch and BINGO "Alice" is back in action BUT The fuel pump doesn't just prime when the ignition is turned on but runs constantly - there is no smell of excess fuel and no visible leek, so the question is - Is it safe??
Any thoughts welcome,Mike.

[GreenV8S]

quote:

so the question is - Is it safe??

I would say no. The engine running signal and the inertial cut-off are both safety features that I would want to retain. I suggest you look into why the engine running signal is no longer reaching the inertial cut-off switch.

[tlm21]

Thank you for all your replies. I had some tips from TVR in Blackpool and they suggested, amongst other things, swopping the two silver relays (one of them being the fuel pump relay) connected to the ECU harness as they were both the same to see if the fuel pump relay was to fault. I tried this and the other relay, once swopped, did not work the fuel pump. On replacing the suspect relay the car, surprise surprise, started running normally. I am a little concerned, possibly dodgy wiring. Just for interest, behind the passenger seat there is a pink plug on the wiring harness for the fuel pump - this apparently can give problems. I may be in contact again, but thanks for your help in the meantime.