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Electrical problems with first start up after coming out of years of storage


JP

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I've just got the 7 out of storage (1999 1.6K SS) - it hasn't been on the road for 10 years. It's been dry(ish) stored in a barn, but may have been nibbled by rodents.  Anyway, the plan is to strip and rebuild including sending the chassis etc to Arch for a going over.

I need to form a plan of things to change / fix as I go and in doing so I would like to get it stared before the strip down.  So I had a go today, but failed.  I would be grateful for any pointers for how to approach the electrical side of things.  Here are the problems:

1. Engine will turn on a jump starter (battery is dead).  Oil pressure comes up on cranking.

2. No sound of the fuel pump priming, when turning ignition on.  Fuse to pump appears fine.  I've disconnected the econoseal connector to the inertia switch and tried to bridge to terminals , but still no fuel pump sound.  Poking a multimeter into the switch occasionally shows about 12V, but now I cannot get it read anything despite wiggling the multimeter needle point contact.

3. When turning ignition on the rev counter jumps up to 2500.  If I put the lights on, it goes up to 3000rpm (engine off!)

4. All lights except fog light and reverse light work.  Horn doesn't work.

So, I'd be grateful for any help with a methodical way to approach this.  I'm thinking check earth points first - but I'm not sure where they all are? 

Also, is there a way to isolate and test the fuel pump without removing it from the car?

Thanks for any guidance.  If there are any other points that are recommended to look at, please do say.

Cheers

James

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Basic approach to each circuit:
Check the fuse.
Turn it on.
Trace the 12V feed everywhere that you can access it, with the other probe on a good earth.
Check the earth by testing continuity to a good earth.

If you're using the fitted bulb to test a lighting circuit NB failure could be caused by the bulb or the bulbholder.

Check all of the connections between the battery, engine block, starter, alternator and ECU, including the earths. Inspect, wiggle, disconnect, clean, reconnect.

Battery
Check the voltage that you're getting from that jump starter:
1 Connected and at rest.
2 As you crank the engine. If this isn't high enough there's a risk that the electronics won't join in as they should.

Fuel pump 
The immobilizer doesn't isolate the fuel pump on K engined Sevens. The inertia cut-off switch does. Expose the connections at the pump and add a photo. You can test the pump itself by disconnecting it and supplying a temporary feed and earth.

Rev counter
If the other instruments are working then ignore this until you know that the ECU has a good feed and earth..

Rear fog light
This needs the dipped headlamps to be on.

Reversing light
This is an earth-switched circuit. Check the connection and wiring at the gearbox.

Horn
The factory horn uses an earth-switched circuit. If it's operated by a button in the wheel then suspect the "pencil" switch.

ECU
I think that a 30A fuse is now recommended.

Jonathan

Edited: Crossed post.

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Thanks guys.

Jonathan - the wiring diagram in my assembly guide is the single page at Appendix B - it looks hand drawn and annotated in hand writing.  You kindly sent me a wiring diagram and various other guides by email in April last year - yes, it has taken that long to get the 7 out of storage!

The fuel in the tank is old super unleaded.  I will put a few litres of fresh fuel in, but at the moment there's no whirring of the pump when the ignition is switched on.  It does have the Rover immobiliser, but I stopped using it years ago as I thought the battery was dying in the fob.  The immobiliser light is not flashing when power is connected, so I assume it is off - I would not have armed it when laying up.  By the way, how does one change the battery in the fob?  It is a simple job of prying the fob open along the side or is there more to it?

Sorry for these numpty questions - it seems that everything I learned about my car when I bought it 21 years ago has been replaced by old Land Rover knowledge in the interim...I'll have a trawl through the tech archives here to get back up to date.

James

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"By the way, how does one change the battery in the fob?  It is a simple job of prying the fob open along the side or is there more to it?"

Yes.

Does the immobiliser fob have two buttons? I have the notes on arming, disarming and resetting. (And for other types.)

Jonathan

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Thanks guys.  I'll swot up on the wiring diagram and the assembly guide and go over everything methodically.  I would everything working before I start the strip down if possible.  I'll give the battery a charge as well, but I'll need a new one anyway - I think I'll stick with a Banner for now.

This is the fob:

20220306_221021.thumb.jpg.34d11268471c7b9362fe2d34ec558d19.jpg

Is this the one that just pries apart along the side?  I have a vague recollection of reading something on here in the early 2000s about it being difficult to replace the battery in these?  Maybe I'm misremembering...

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Remove fuel feed line at engine. Ignition on briefly and see if fuel is pumped ... with a wad of cloth around the hose. Caution ... high pressure. Edited to remove suggestion ref injector, as you can't remove just one on the k-series. Thanks Andrew.
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Excellent - thanks - I'lll have a play later.

Jonathan - you kindly emailed me a wiring diagram months ago.  Is there a key that goes with it identifying the numbered components - I know some are obvious like the lights, but some are not.  If there is one, would you be kind enough to send it to me please?

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On a K series you can't really just remove one injector to test it. The four injectors are clamped between a single rigid pressurised rail and the inlet manifold. Don't turn on the ignition with one injector removed completely (from the rail) or it will dump large volumes of petrol out of the hole in no time. 

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Thanks, revilla.  I've also found your EU2 engine wiring diagram in the tech section.  I'll make a oint of going through the tech guides to get myself back up to speed.

Cheers

James

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"... you kindly emailed me a wiring diagram months ago.  Is there a key that goes with it identifying the numbered components - I know some are obvious like the lights, but some are not.  If there is one, would you be kind enough to send it to me please?"

In that era there was a page in the Assembly Guide matching numbers to components. Let me know if you can't find that.

Then there's the "standard" wiring colours: 
https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/cms/files/colour_code_for_vehicle_wiring_-_new_order_2.pdf

And I think that you have Andrew's corrected diagram. 

Jonathan

PS: It could be worse... the schematic diagrams for later cars don't show the circuits end to end!

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Thanks, Jonathan - I've found the diagrams in the back of the Assembly Guide that you sent to me last year.  I think that guide is a later version than mine, but I can cross reference in case of any anomalies.

Cheers

James
 

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OK, an update -

New Banner battery fitted to day.  Engine turns but will not start.  Most lights work.  Immobiliser works and is disarmed.

No sound of the fuel pump priming when turning the key on.  Using a multimeter / DC voltmeter between a good earth and the inertia switch plug terminals it seems that there is no current to the inertia switch.  

The 15A fuel pump fuse has not blown and when probing the metal part of the fuse, the voltmeter stiil reads zero. Can anyone suggest where I should investigate next please?

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Right, then you need to check continuity from the fuse to the grey engine loom plug, then from the grey engine loom plug to the MRFU.. I would suspect that the fuel pump relay in the MRFU could be the culprit. You can carefully prise them apart and then check the small relays. 

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Thank you - I've got continuity from the female side of the grey plug (under the inlet manifold) to the fuel pump fuse!  Yay!

So, what / where is the MRFU (sorry for the numpty question).  (I have a std rover mems with a big plug and a smaller unit underneath it with 2 smaller plugs.)

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