Thread: My Dodgy Disco, an update and a plea for advice....

Originally Posted by Mattskii

PS - why has the word RESULTS been **** out above?? Wierd......

Aliens

Originally Posted by Mattskii

PS - why has the word RESULTS been **** out above?? Wierd......

Because you're a dyslexic bugger who transposes L & U. Easily done.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Because you're a dyslexic bugger who transposes L & U. Easily done.

Ha ha, thats hilarious!

hi mattskii,
just read the thread through, and the only thing that hasn't been said is,
go out and thrash it.
i didn't notice if it is manual or auto,
i have a 95 disco v8 auto, and since i have owned it it has been a fuel guzzler,
i have no idea of what fuel consumption should be, but i don't drive to be economic, it's a 2 ton v8.
my first car some time ago was a vanguard, and it wasn't able to get any better than 18 mpg, not bad for a four cylinder petrol engine!
so i do not understand what everyone complains about.
my disco changes up at about 7000 rpm, not that the tacho goes that far, but if i keep the foot flat it does it.
a lot of your problem may just be a coked up engine if the previous owner toddled around.

i have dealt with many sick mercedes owned by those that could afford them, but not capable of driving them,
a quick thrash around the block, decoked them and the difference was amazing.
and on the subject of plugs, don't bother gapping them,
chuck them in the bin and fit new ones,
car plugs cost nothing, and it is easier to fit new ones than root around with old ones.


we can go into all the other problems later.
**** off the plugs and thrash it, it won't hurt the engine,
trust me...
if it's an auto.

I like your style Harry lol

OK, I'll check out what the plugs cost, but I am on a small budget. The ones in there have only done a couple of thousand K's, and look like they are in quite good condition. I have also been running fuel system cleaner in through this week. OK - you are sure I can hit the pedal hard? I usually don't let it go over 3000rpm - you know, fuel economy and all that! I'll try it tomorrow, see where we end up. Eeek!

Originally Posted by Mattskii

OK, some more re****s:

Tested the coolant temp sensor. Set the multi meter to 2k and when the engine was almost totally cold it was reading 1.50. Went for a long run, came back with the engine hot, and it reads .259. So it seems to be working. Not that I know much about what these numbers mean?! lol Not too sure about how well the connector is working though - it slides on and off easier than a hot knife through butter.... is there any way to check it is making a good connection?

It is still not starting well from cold. Takes about 7 or 8 secconds of turning over before I start to get any ignition, then it chugs away and stops when I release the key. On the seccond attemt it is the same unless I give it some throttle when it starts chugging, then it crawls into life. Once it is running it seems to run nicely though.

Idle speed is just under 750 rpm. The guy I got it from was adjusting the hex nut by the accelerator cable on the air intake with an alan key to set the revs. Not sure this was the right thing to do as the haynes manual says this should be left for a workshop with test gear? Do you reccon it will be OK?

Rover 14CUX Hot Wire Mass Flow EFI: Service and Troubleshooting
this is a great link about the 14CUX, you should read it to educate yourself a bit more about your fuel injection system it contains multimeter readings for the coolant sensor, and just about all the other sensors used by the 14CUX, it is very helpful

as for the base idle, it is covered in the RAVE manual, however this site Fuel injection covers the procedure also

i would be getting that right if i was you, especially if that other bloke has been adjusting the idle by turning the screw on the throttle body, it isnt really that hard, that and at some point buy or borrow a timing light and set your ignition timing to the standard specification (i think my 3.5 was 2 degrees BTDC), it doesnt have to stay there forever, but will help to isolate the cause of your problems

It is in your best interest to learn more about your system, saves a lot of headache with mechanics chasing their tail, and is cheaper also!

good luck, you have come a long way so far, its satisfying to learn as you go along

Is there anywhere you may be able to take it to have it plugged into a lap top or even do a self test to see what, if any, fault codes show up?
The ECU should have a data log of fault codes with things that aren't working as they should ie faulty coolant temp sensor, dodgy MAF etc

There is no quick easy way of checking this without a diagnostic tool, but your O2 sensors could also be kaaput?
Some symptoms of a faulty sensor are a loss of power, (particularly when accelerating from a stand-still), overheating, and spark plug fouling, both of these are due to an increased rich or lean running condition, high fuel consumption.

Do all the simple cheap fixes first as you have been, like plugs, checking for leaks, cleaning and checking connections to sensors, making sure your battery is in good condition (in some cases, not too sure how it effects Landys, batteries that arent putting out enough charge can effect the running of the ecu as it needs to have a constant supply of power to run at its optimum) ... Might pay to make sure that all the tappets are all gapped to spec, also, could also pay to do a compression test.
if you still have dramas, get it plugged in to a diagnostic tool and check fault codes...

Otherwise, forget all that, go fill its belly with some premium, weigh down ya right foot with a few pounds of lead and go give the old jigga a some curry! and see where that gets ya!
Might not be any different, but at least it gets the frustrations out! LOL

Hope you get it sorted mate, you are going great guns so far!

Originally Posted by Disco_Balls

your O2 sensors could also be kaaput?

Sadly aust spec D1's don't have O2 sensors.