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Dead Norman V8 and how to get it home.

The Saga of the 1990 3.5 V8 efi Disco mkI sitting dead in a Normandy field continues. A couple of months ago the Father person (now resident in France) finally buys a French car and so the Disco is now mine (again). Unfortunately, it has died. I went out around Easter to get her going and bring her home. After fixing the fuel pump electrics, swapping out the coil and checking everything she still wouldnt start without a tow. Even after starting on the tow, she wouldnt run for very long before stopping with fuel starvation type symptoms. Checks of the fuel ral finds fuel , and pulling some spark plugs finds wet plugs. So, its flooding itself. Over fuelling.

I went out to Trevieres this weekend armed with a new coolant temp sensor, and a few swap out bits supplied by Mr Brownlee. Thanks Neil.

On arrival at the site I find the battery totally dead. bum. The starter pack nearly dead. double bum. So I Charge the starter pack and change the coolant sensor. wait for green light on the booster pack. Turn it over - no joy. Change the MAF. Turn it over - no joy. Change the stepper motor on the plenum. Turn it over - no joy. Put starter pack back on charge and go out to look at my new (100yrs old but new to me) barn 5 miles away. Have a few beers at my mates place, then return. Put freshly charged starter pack on, turn over, she roars in to life. Whooppee! Let her warm for a few minutes, switch to LPG. Dies. Try Starting again. Yes! Now I'm getting to be a happy bunny. Take starter pack off, immediate splutter and die. Put starter pack back on. Turn it over - no joy. Turn it over - no joy. etc. Check all obvious connections and pipes. Turn it over - no joy. bugger. Look at TPS Neil lent me. Wrong connector and different coloured wires. bugger.

Come home, dejected. What now? I'm going back next weekend to pick up SWMBO, and hopefully the Disco, as she wants to fill it with shopping. Any suggestions as to what to look for now? Im thinking that I have an intermitant electroinic fault, as when she does run, its fine.

Free weekend (1) in Normandy for anyone with a suitable vehicle / trailer combination to get the old girl (the Disco not SWMBO) home on a trailer to Bedford in the next few months.

(1) Fuel, ferry, accomodation (in a newish caravan), food, beer, wine, cider.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware
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ok dokey, an observation from one who has also suffered the indignity of start ok with boost, but buggerawl once removed

The battery itself - if its completely and totally dead, will consume rather more power than the alternator can produce.

I also found with mine, rather annoyingly, that there is a connector block in the drivers footwell under (ish) the dead pedal, which when you have size

14's, tends to get pressed by your shoe, and slowly disconnects itself. This acts like a kill switch.

Wish I could help out with trailers etc, but prepping to move next weekend so cant - sorry

Si

Reply to
simonk

In news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Colonel Tupperware expelled:

You're on - I'll bring my transporter truck. You'll pay for the ferry etc from Auckland, New Zealand - you did say for *anyone* :-). Good luck getting it home.

Reply to
EMB

On or around Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:58:25 +0100, Colonel Tupperware enlightened us thusly:

tempting... I've got the trailer... and it'll be school holidays soon. Mind, all the weekends for ages are booked for something...

hmm. not *all*, I see. 17/18 July and 24/25 July aren't.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

On or around Mon, 28 Jun 2004 07:59:14 +1200, "EMB" enlightened us thusly:

I can beat that, I'm only in Wales :-)

buggered if I know whether the big trailer will go on a ferry, mind.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Hi Russ,

It could be worth trying a known good battery on the old girl - I somehow feel that's too simple to be the real answer, but maybe it has a dead short in a cell and is sucking everything that the alternator can throw at it?

More to the point,the battery also acts in a way like a large capacitor and smooths the output from the alternator so that the electronic components get a slightly smoother time of it. If that's not happening, it could be important ECU like bits shutting down in protest.

Is the ignition amplifier OK? Not getting too hot? I assume you've done the old-fashioned bits? Plugs/leads/rotor arm and dissy cap? The fact it dies on LPG sort of points to an ignition fault (wildly assuming that the LPG stuff is set up right and working OK) - it does take a nice fat spark to make LPG burn right.

I'd be inclined to join the AA ;-)

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

That was my initial theory this time around, but it woudlnt go again immediately afterwards.

This is a LHD, but I will check, I suspect as it started without any changes being made, or throttle applied then it is something else.

Thanks, but Ferry prices are prohibitive until September anyway. We get free trailers on the Ferry after Sept.

Watch this space for discount ferry fares from Portsmouth.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

You could hitch a lift on the delivery voyage for one of the Aluminium Antipodean catermaran fast ferries that we are using up here now.

Ta.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

Well I've had far bigger trailers than anything you could put behind a Landie on ferries. 200 tonnes and 5 m. high is my personal record.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

Ferry is too expensive until September now.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

Hi Simes

It has a virtually new battery on it.

It was a known good battery, I used it to move the vehicle on the starter in April, I suspect I left something switched on wich flattened it.

I'm coming round to a temperature related fault. The amp must be functional as it started straight away one one occasion. The spark is not brlliant though.

All fairly new, leads are brand new. Cap and rotor are 20k miles old but clean, plugs were new last october.

I know, but I'm not worried about the LPG ATM, I just want the damn thing to run on petrol.

The vehicle is over 10 yrs old. The RAC wouldnt touch it last year when it broke down in France. I will look into it though.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

..this isn't time for those world famous "fussible links" to rear their ugly heads is it? I can't quite remember where they are (I know they are in the wiring on one of the wings) - but they short out and well....it won;t start. Someone here must have 200 series Disco and know what I am on about? Please?

If not I'll trawl my backups for the message....

Reply to
Neil Brownlee

There are people who have been known to join a motoring organisation, (Caravan Club, Mayday, via Green Flad are excellent) get travel insurance for their trip abroad, and then call said motoring organisation to tell them they've broken down abroad ... all without actually having gone abroad .. until they need to import their 'broken' vehicle ... Though I'm sure resourceful people would have already thought about this .. ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Ahem.

Reply to
Colonel Tupperware

Heheheh .. ;)

I _do_ like this bit of your sig ..

"spouting bollocks on Usenet since 1997" .. ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

In which case - we're moving to Swanley area (M25 J3) next week - can help out a lot easier from there

Si

Reply to
simonk

Still a (remote) possibility...

Could be coil or amp - once they get warm they stop working until next time they feel like working.

I realise that - I was using it as a stream of consiousness problem solving thingy...

Some of the classic car club type breakdown chappies...

Reply to
Simon Atkinson

On or around Mon, 28 Jun 2004 07:46:27 +0100, Colonel Tupperware enlightened us thusly:

4th/5th or 18th/19th, but it'd mean getting back by sunday night as I'd have school work in the morning.
Reply to
Austin Shackles

In message , Colonel Tupperware writes

I'm available 'before' the end of July and after the 1st two weeks in August with a trailer, except if you can arrange a ferry from Weymouth while I'm camping in Beer for the two weeks (I can take an *A-frame* with me)

(Come to some arrangement about ferry costs)

Reply to
Graham Jones

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