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Thread: 1999 V8 4.0L Dual Fuel starting on LPG but not Petrol

  1. #1
    FirstCarLandy Guest

    Question 1999 V8 4.0L Dual Fuel starting on LPG but not Petrol

    Hi fellas,

    Recently went and bought my first car - mentioned in the title. Bought it cheap, knowing full well it didn't start on petrol. Starts on LPG after holding in gas button, turning to main ignition, turning off, back to main ignition for 5 seconds while still holding button then crank, as this switches over to emergency gas start - although a little cranky to do so. Problem is, it won't start or run on Petrol. Cranks over, no start. Checked out everything I can think of. Looked for fuel pump under carpet in boot - not there, LPG tanks are. Can hear petrol churning in the tank, so assuming pump is fine. Got an OBDII reader, telling me that each injector is faulty. Tried resetting inertia switch, pretty sure not Crankshaft Position Sensor as starts and runs on LPG, tried pretty much everything possible. Starting to think there's no power to the injectors. Also wondered whether it was a part of the immobilizer system, as I've heard that can cut fuel off. ANY help would be appreciated as I'm quickly running out of ideas. It's not extremely urgent, as the car runs fine other than this, so take your time and give me what ever you can think of. Just worried about having to get it towed, as I'm still getting to know how many kms I can get from a tank of guess. Also, I'd like to be able to start first kick and get a little more performance when I need it. One other thing is that I'm going to need rego soon, and I can't be sure they'll pass it in current condition.

    Side note is that I have intermittent three amigos, which hasn't noticeably affected any running of the car. Also a battery light on startup, which goes away after I get going.

    Edit: Forgot to mention that it's auto.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Is it a mixer system or an injection system? A mixer system cuts the common positive wire to all 8 injectors. A 330 ohm 1 watt resistor soldered across the injector cut relay allows a small current to flow preventing a dead injector detection. The relay may have dropped a wire. If its an injection system the LPG ECU reads every single injector pulse from the petrol ECU and translates them to LPG injection pulses. You'll need to plug it into the correct diagnostic software to find the problem.

    In any case you should find the pressure port on the petrol fuel rail (reach behind the inlet manifold and feel for a Schrader valve) and check the pump pressure. Pumps installed in auxiliary tanks are at higher risk of failure than pumps in their original fuel tank. It may just have a burst outlet hose from a poorly installed replacement pump. You need the proper fully submersible fuel hose at around $30/foot for this application. You should drop the auxiliary petrol tank and extract the pump assembly and inspect it closely.

  3. #3
    FirstCarLandy Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by bee utey View Post
    Is it a mixer system or an injection system?
    Thanks for the quick replay mate, it's a mixer system.

    Quote Originally Posted by bee utey View Post
    You should drop the auxiliary petrol tank and extract the pump assembly and inspect it closely.
    The bloke I bought it off said he recently had a new fuel pump installed. As I mentioned in the original post, I can hear petrol mixing in the tank during cranking, so I'm assuming the pump is not the problem. Nevertheless, I'll get around to dropping it out and taking a look if all else fails.

    Quote Originally Posted by bee utey View Post
    A 330 ohm 1 watt resistor soldered across the injector cut relay allows a small current to flow preventing a dead injector detection. The relay may have dropped a wire.
    Where is the common positive wire and the soldered resistor? As I said it's my first car, so I'm not exactly mechanically fluent.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by FirstCarLandy View Post
    The bloke I bought it off said he recently had a new fuel pump installed. As I mentioned in the original post, I can hear petrol mixing in the tank during cranking, so I'm assuming the pump is not the problem. Nevertheless, I'll get around to dropping it out and taking a look if all else fails.
    Pumps don't "mix" anything, so a noise you describe as "mixing" probably means a burst outlet hose. The correct hose type is essential and someone being stingy will use cheaper hose. Seen it all before.

    5 16" Submersible IN Tank Fuel Line Hose SAE30R10 Specs | eBay

    Pull the pump out and inspect it after you've tested for the lack of fuel pressure.

    Quote Originally Posted by FirstCarLandy View Post
    Where is the common positive wire and the soldered resistor? As I said it's my first car, so I'm not exactly mechanically fluent.
    The injectors all have brown/orange striped wires to them from the main fuel injection relay. They all join together at the back of the engine inside the loom. To enable the engine to run on gas they must all be cut in the correct place and joined together so as to not cut off any engine accessory other than the injectors. So when the LPG fitter cuts these 8 wires he then has to switch the injectors off with a relay somewhere in the vehicle. You will have to find the relay yourself. Look for electrical tape around the harness and wires running towards some gas control equipment. Then you need to find out exactly which wires are cutting the power to the injectors by measuring the voltage with the petrol on and off. (obviously you'll have to first fix the pump hose if that is indeed the problem) Once you've identified the wires that cut the injectors you need to solder this resistor between the two.

    Oh and get yourself a RAVE workshop manual with wiring diagrams ASAP, at the "shop" tag above.

  5. #5
    FirstCarLandy Guest
    I'll check this out tomorrow and let you know what I find. Cheers.

  6. #6
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    I'd try pulling the fuel pump relay out and putting 12v across the terminals that power it. That will tell you whether or not the relay, the pump and that side of the circuit work. Then I would put a test light/meter across the terminals that power the relay and try starting on petrol. That will tell you if the relay is getting the signal. With that info you can then start to investigate along the appropriate lines. You are guessing randomly otherwise.

  7. #7
    FirstCarLandy Guest

    Unhappy

    Hey fellas, just a quick update to say that the battery light I mentioned has turned out to be a bigger problem. Turns out the alternator's crook. Not sure whether brushes or regulator so I'm gonna have to strip it down and refit before I continue with the LPG/Petrol problem. I've got a manual, and as soon as this weather clears up, I'll get stuck into it. After that I'll drop the tank out and check that pump. If that fails, I'm starting to think I'll have to take it to an official Rover mob and get them to hook it up to TestBook so that they can reprogram the ECM. After scouring the manual this is pretty much where I'm at. I've tried replacing the gas relay/switch that changes between fuel sources, and it still started on gas, but not petrol, so I'm pretty sure I can rule that out. Bloke I bought it off said that he bought a new fuel pump and had it fitted AFTER this problem reared it's head, so I don't have high hopes about the hose being the problem. I'll let you know how it's going once the alternator's sorted out. Until then, I can't even drive the damn thing.

  8. #8
    FirstCarLandy Guest

    Smile

    Alright, so I just got back from stripping and refitting an alternator. Turns out it was just clogged springs under the brushes, so they weren't making contact. What a win. The plan was to drop the fuel tank out today, but it doesn't look like it's gonna happen until tomorrow, as I've got to head into town soon. At least I can take the Landy. I'll post again when I drop the tank out.

    Edit: Just took the car out for a drive. Running great. Fixing this damn Petrol issue would be icing on the cake. I'll take a look at it tomorrow.

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