Engine Died

a clue as to the make, model and engine type/size would be a good starting point for diagnosis. If it is a diesel then cold fuel lines could well make it give your symptoms.

Sorry. My mistake. It's a '94 Rover 214Sli 16V.

then the first thing to do is to replace the rotor arm and the distributor cap, also ensure that the coil lead is not strained against the bracket that it goes past on its way to the distributor cap.

On Sun, 28 Nov 2010 11:36:12 +0000, John boggled us with:

My BMW 5-series did exactly this around this time last year. Died on me in a queue of traffic in Slough one evening. Got it pushed to the side, called the AA. He checked everything, including removing the fuel pump from the tank to check it was ok. Removed all the plugs, tested them all, tested fuel to the fuel rail. It would start, but hunted a lot then stalled when it was put in gear.

He was going to tow me home, as he went to shut the bonnet, it became clear the connector plug from the Air Mass Meter to the throttle body had simply dropped off....

I got someone out. Limited mobility, particularly in this cold weather, meant I couldn't get out to get a rotor arm to fit myself.

Contrary to what the recovery guy said, it wasn't the fuel pump. No spark at the plugs. Rotor arm and dizzy cap replaced. Still wouldn't fire. There was an intermittent spark. There was a poor connection between the king lead and the coil.

Whether that was the initial cause, or the rotor arm and dizzy cap were also at fault, who knows? I feel more secure with the new parts anyway.

Many Thanks. Once again, Usenet proves its worth.

John

on that model the rotor arm in particular is a very weak spot, many people carry a spare one !! So although the king lead was probably the fault it was worth fitting cap and arm, just in case. When the guy sprayed in easy start: even the tiniest bit of a spark will light that stuff, but as soon as it ran out it would stop as petrol needs a better spark, especially if its cold.

The problem has recurred. I was going to go out today, for the first time since it was fixed. The engine started at first turn of the key. I turned the fan onto the lowest speed to help clear the windscreen, while I scraped some ice away. As the engine warmed up, it started to hiccup, with the revs on the tacho rising and falling. It died.

It restarted at first turn of the key, but died again, this time failing to restart. I probably flooded the engine trying to restart it. Meanwhile the battery is off the car, being recharged.

Could a failing crank sensor be a possible cause? Both times I have had the problem, the outside temperature has been -7deg. And the problem has only shown itself, when the engine has been partly warm.

Thanks again, John

it is possible, but they tend to fail as they get hot usually.

When I had one of these in with very similar symptoms which only came after it got warmed up, it turned out to be the king lead 'leaking' its spark to the metal bracket it ran past. I found it by having my head under the bonnet with it misbehaving and found I could hear the crackling, re-routing it fixed all the problems (including the tacho waving about). That car had new leads, new arm, new cap, even a replacement ecu before it came to me. The owner would not believe it was fixed at first.

I would have another look at the ht side first. It would certainly be worth checking the crank sensor connection and cleaning it, before replacing it (I think they are fairly cheap on one of those in any case)

Thanks for your reply.

I refitted the battery about half an hour ago. Engine started immediately, ran okay for a few mins, then hiccuped and died again. I restarted it this time after pushing the king lead slightly at the coil. It started again, but died shortly afterwards. I took the king lead off the coil, and reseated it. It hiccuped and died agianNow that it is fully warmed up, it seems to be running okay, not that I feel confident on taking it out onto the roads.

I haven't noticed any sparking at the coil across to the king lead. This king lead is routed behind the airfilter. The bnew one that I had fitted was routed in front of the air filter.

Is it possible that damp and the severe cold ( -7deg ) on both occasions that the problem has arisen, could have been affecting the coil? I'm wondering if I should have the coil replaced?

Thanks for your help.

John

Could it be the fuel filter needing replacement?

Engine off: crud falls away from the filter. Engine on: crud is drawn against the filter, gradually blocking it.

Just a suggestion; does anyone think it has merit?

it is possible, but in recent years the quality of fuel seems to have improved and there never seems to be any crud in the filters nowadays. years ago it was very different. but in the case of the op it seems unlikely from his description of the tacho needle jumping about, that points to an electrical fault.

autodata list a common fault as the earth connection near the battery as a non start/run on issue. they also list a misfiring problem due to valves sticking open due to carbon deposits. and of course the rotor arm fault. the crank sensor should have a resistance across it of 1100 - 1700 ohms