Chimaera turns over but won't start
Discussion
Hello all, first post here, so be gentle …
I have owned a '98 Chimaera 450 for about three mostly trouble free years, but a couple of weeks ago it stopped working and I have run out of ideas. I'll go though what has happened in as much detail as possible and I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Two weeks ago the car started up normally, I gave it a minute for the idle to settle as usual then pulled off the drive and the engine died. I towed it back to my workshop and tried the following:
Cleaned the earth in the offside wheelarch
Pulled a couple of plugs and checked the spark … all good.
The fuel rail has good pressure and I can smell fuel when it turns over.
The fuel pump runs and the engine turns over well and coughs occasionally.
A couple of days later I tried it again and it started straight up... hmmm. This continued for the next few days, starting up with no problem and running smoothly, then for the last week it has failed to start again.
I have replaced the coil and the ignition amp because they are cheap and looked original (the coil was replace while the car was working).
I am a reasonable able DIY mechanic and I do my own servicing and a few jobs like adding power-steering and such, but I am not really sure where to go next. Any help appreciated.
I have owned a '98 Chimaera 450 for about three mostly trouble free years, but a couple of weeks ago it stopped working and I have run out of ideas. I'll go though what has happened in as much detail as possible and I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Two weeks ago the car started up normally, I gave it a minute for the idle to settle as usual then pulled off the drive and the engine died. I towed it back to my workshop and tried the following:
Cleaned the earth in the offside wheelarch
Pulled a couple of plugs and checked the spark … all good.
The fuel rail has good pressure and I can smell fuel when it turns over.
The fuel pump runs and the engine turns over well and coughs occasionally.
A couple of days later I tried it again and it started straight up... hmmm. This continued for the next few days, starting up with no problem and running smoothly, then for the last week it has failed to start again.
I have replaced the coil and the ignition amp because they are cheap and looked original (the coil was replace while the car was working).
I am a reasonable able DIY mechanic and I do my own servicing and a few jobs like adding power-steering and such, but I am not really sure where to go next. Any help appreciated.
I think I would be looking at the ignition side from your description.
Check the Low tension connections on the coil are clean and making good contact.
Are you getting a good strong spark from the king lead on the coil?
Is there a good strong spark from each of the plug leads?
Has the rotor arm been replaced recently? There are a lot of poor quality items out there that just don't last.
Distributor cap in good condition?
Check your HT leads are all in good condition and connected, they can sometimes work loose
Check the Low tension connections on the coil are clean and making good contact.
Are you getting a good strong spark from the king lead on the coil?
Is there a good strong spark from each of the plug leads?
Has the rotor arm been replaced recently? There are a lot of poor quality items out there that just don't last.
Distributor cap in good condition?
Check your HT leads are all in good condition and connected, they can sometimes work loose
Going by your post
There's a good spark and fuel is being pumped, should run and sometimes does run
As mentioned above, shouldn't change any components as you could be adding a fault rather than fixing what's gone wrong
Suggest you check the ignition timing before going any further, distributor bob-weights or base-plate could be sticking, possible wear or something else wrong with the distributor drive would also throw the timing out
Check the timing and post back
There's a good spark and fuel is being pumped, should run and sometimes does run
As mentioned above, shouldn't change any components as you could be adding a fault rather than fixing what's gone wrong
Suggest you check the ignition timing before going any further, distributor bob-weights or base-plate could be sticking, possible wear or something else wrong with the distributor drive would also throw the timing out
Check the timing and post back
Sorry it took a while to get back, I seemed to be blocked from posting for a while.
I removed and checked the spark on several plugs yesterday and the spark seems a little stronger with the new ignition amp, but that is fairly subjective. There is a good whiff of fuel as it turns over.
The engine won’t run so I’m not sure how I would check the timing. The plugs, leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm were replaced last year and were bought from tvr-parts, so I assume they are reasonable quality. The car is a daily driver when there is no salt on the roads so I have done 2-3k on these parts.
The fact that it either runs perfectly or not at all suggests an electrical fault to me, maybe the immobiliser? It has an aftermarket alarm, a Meta I think. However the fuel pump runs, the starter turns over and the spark is good, so what else would the immobiliser cut?
I removed and checked the spark on several plugs yesterday and the spark seems a little stronger with the new ignition amp, but that is fairly subjective. There is a good whiff of fuel as it turns over.
The engine won’t run so I’m not sure how I would check the timing. The plugs, leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm were replaced last year and were bought from tvr-parts, so I assume they are reasonable quality. The car is a daily driver when there is no salt on the roads so I have done 2-3k on these parts.
The fact that it either runs perfectly or not at all suggests an electrical fault to me, maybe the immobiliser? It has an aftermarket alarm, a Meta I think. However the fuel pump runs, the starter turns over and the spark is good, so what else would the immobiliser cut?
The Meta alarm and immobiliser is standard fit. It isolates the fuel pump and the starter.
Since it is turning over and you have a spark, is the fuel pump running all the time? It it's failing to start, it's easy to flood the engine, that'll be the fuel smell.
As soon as you disable the immobiliser, the fuel pump will run for a few seconds and then stop. It shouldn't then run again until it has a 'start' demand. 2 Chimaeras ago, I had a faulty Meta immobiliser in that the fuel pump sometimes wouldn't run. It WASN'T the pump. A new M36T2 sorted it.
Since it is turning over and you have a spark, is the fuel pump running all the time? It it's failing to start, it's easy to flood the engine, that'll be the fuel smell.
As soon as you disable the immobiliser, the fuel pump will run for a few seconds and then stop. It shouldn't then run again until it has a 'start' demand. 2 Chimaeras ago, I had a faulty Meta immobiliser in that the fuel pump sometimes wouldn't run. It WASN'T the pump. A new M36T2 sorted it.
After doing a bit more reading I don't think it is the immobiliser. The fuel pump primes for a couple of seconds when the ignition is turned on, which I believe means that the ECU is getting power which in turn switches on the pump and also the starter runs. As far as I'm aware, these are the two circuits cut by the immobiliser. The alarm I have is not original, I was given that in a bag by the previous owner who had a new one fitted.
I have Rovergauge, although I had not tried it before these problems. The coolant and fuel temperatures look right and there are no ECU faults recorded, but I don't know what else to look for that might be useful.
I may have mentioned it before, but there is a strong spark from the king lead and the other plug leads.
I have tried disconnecting the fuel pump and turning the engine over to clear any flooding, this method has worked on the few occasions in the past to clear this problem and was the first thing I tried when it initially stopped running.
Many thanks for your suggestions so far, I'm grateful for any further help you can give.
Also … any suggestions for a good TVR garage near Leicester? I visited PPC in Melton when I first had the car, but they have since closed.
I have Rovergauge, although I had not tried it before these problems. The coolant and fuel temperatures look right and there are no ECU faults recorded, but I don't know what else to look for that might be useful.
I may have mentioned it before, but there is a strong spark from the king lead and the other plug leads.
I have tried disconnecting the fuel pump and turning the engine over to clear any flooding, this method has worked on the few occasions in the past to clear this problem and was the first thing I tried when it initially stopped running.
Many thanks for your suggestions so far, I'm grateful for any further help you can give.
Also … any suggestions for a good TVR garage near Leicester? I visited PPC in Melton when I first had the car, but they have since closed.
, I ended up having to take all the plugs out to let it evaporate for a couple of hours, especially when it's chilly! 2 minutes 47 seconds into this video shows bob-weights advance test
Worth checking before going any further
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFfnenMFQ3U
Worth checking before going any further
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFfnenMFQ3U
dikielad said:
After doing a bit more reading I don't think it is the immobiliser. The fuel pump primes for a couple of seconds when the ignition is turned on, which I believe means that the ECU is getting power which in turn switches on the pump and also the starter runs. As far as I'm aware, these are the two circuits cut by the immobiliser. The alarm I have is not original, I was given that in a bag by the previous owner who had a new one fitted.
I have Rovergauge, although I had not tried it before these problems. The coolant and fuel temperatures look right and there are no ECU faults recorded, but I don't know what else to look for that might be useful.
I may have mentioned it before, but there is a strong spark from the king lead and the other plug leads.
I have tried disconnecting the fuel pump and turning the engine over to clear any flooding, this method has worked on the few occasions in the past to clear this problem and was the first thing I tried when it initially stopped running.
Many thanks for your suggestions so far, I'm grateful for any further help you can give.
Also … any suggestions for a good TVR garage near Leicester? I visited PPC in Melton when I first had the car, but they have since closed.
Look up James Agger. On the way to Melton from Leicester. I have Rovergauge, although I had not tried it before these problems. The coolant and fuel temperatures look right and there are no ECU faults recorded, but I don't know what else to look for that might be useful.
I may have mentioned it before, but there is a strong spark from the king lead and the other plug leads.
I have tried disconnecting the fuel pump and turning the engine over to clear any flooding, this method has worked on the few occasions in the past to clear this problem and was the first thing I tried when it initially stopped running.
Many thanks for your suggestions so far, I'm grateful for any further help you can give.
Also … any suggestions for a good TVR garage near Leicester? I visited PPC in Melton when I first had the car, but they have since closed.
I’ve checked the distributor as shown in the video, the mechanical and vacuum advance both seem to be fine and there are no signs of corrosion.
I think I can rule out the ignition switch as the ECU powers up, I get a good spark when the engine turns over and the starter motor runs. Let me know if there is something I’ve missed.
I think I can rule out the ignition switch as the ECU powers up, I get a good spark when the engine turns over and the starter motor runs. Let me know if there is something I’ve missed.
Good news then on the distributor
Flooding is mentioned a few times in this topic
Is it flooding or is there only the smell of fuel
Remove and dry plugs, remove fuel pump, crank engine over with throttle fully open to blow any fuel out of the bores
Now refit plugs and fuel pump, crank for 10 seconds
If it hasn't started, remove plugs and see if they are all wet or only wet at one bank
I know you've probably done all this
Trying to help that's all
Flooding is mentioned a few times in this topic
Is it flooding or is there only the smell of fuel
Remove and dry plugs, remove fuel pump, crank engine over with throttle fully open to blow any fuel out of the bores
Now refit plugs and fuel pump, crank for 10 seconds
If it hasn't started, remove plugs and see if they are all wet or only wet at one bank
I know you've probably done all this
Trying to help that's all
Thanks for your post, but flooding isn’t the issue here. The details are in the original post, but it boils down to:
The car was working perfectly then abruptly stopped working for a few days then started and ran perfectly for a few days then stopped again. I am looking for an intermittent fault the doesn’t seem to affect the spark or the fueling but prevents car from running
The car was working perfectly then abruptly stopped working for a few days then started and ran perfectly for a few days then stopped again. I am looking for an intermittent fault the doesn’t seem to affect the spark or the fueling but prevents car from running
Mmmmm understood
The thing is you could do with knowing what is happening on both banks when it doesn't run
Example
If carrying out the procedure mentioned above
You later pull the plugs out and possibly find one bank of plugs wet and the other bank dry, meaning that there's no injection at one bank
The thing is you could do with knowing what is happening on both banks when it doesn't run
Example
If carrying out the procedure mentioned above
You later pull the plugs out and possibly find one bank of plugs wet and the other bank dry, meaning that there's no injection at one bank
Yes you have got spark and fuel but you know nothing about the injection side of it
Injector or injectors may not be opening or an injector /injectors may be always open
Perhaps the ECU is driving the fuel pump relay but not the injectors
Fitting dry plugs in cleared out bores, cranking then removing plugs for a visual check may help solve it
Injector or injectors may not be opening or an injector /injectors may be always open
Perhaps the ECU is driving the fuel pump relay but not the injectors
Fitting dry plugs in cleared out bores, cranking then removing plugs for a visual check may help solve it
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