| Author |
Message |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 68
Reg: 07-2007
|
A Summary of my experiences over the past week:
My wife with our baby along with a friends wife and her baby went into town in the soarer which died at one of the traffic lights. I went over to see if I could see what had happened. The symptoms were:
Engine aparrently cut immediately at the traffic lights and up to that point was driving normally.
I tried to start when I got there and there was no sign of life from the engine - it turned fine but didn't even splutter.
Since there was no life from the engine I assumed that it may have run out of fuel (I know the gauge on soarers can sometimes be faulty) - so I put in 5ltrs and tried again - Still no joy.
Popped the hood and took a look - there was nothing obviously out of place.
So I checked the fuse box - all seemed fine there too.
Then I reset the computer to see if that could help. When I tried starting again the engine fired imediately as usual but within a second it completely died again.
I repeated the resetting and tried again - engine fired up fine but died almost imediately.
I was now begining to think that I have an electrical fault which is cutting the engine automatically once it is started.
It was getting a bit late by then so I decided to tow her home - making sure that I did not exceed 30km/h (not to damage automatic gear box).
Last weekend my brother came down to visit and we did a complete service of the engine - plugs, fuel filter, air filter, oil.
To my delight the car started although it was still very rough and had to be revved otherwise it would stall. I was excited that perhaps I had just had a blocked fuel filter which would be resolved after the service.
After running the car for about 5 minutes the engine cleared and there was no more missing and it seemed to be 100%.
Time for test drive - put it into drive and the engine almost cuts again - even flooring the throttle it would accelerate a bit in first gear and then stall again.
I couldn't understand it - it started perfectly was not missing any more and revved fine in neutral and park. In any of the other gears it would just struggle and die.
I then thought that I had damaged the gear box by towing it (it was about a 15km tow). My excitement was gone again and I was thinking about gear box repairs...
We gave up on the car and had a braii lunch to relax a little. Just by chance I thought that I would try the soarer one last time. - and blow me down it drove 100% fine - went for test drive and it all seemed perfect again.
Wow it really is surprising how these things happen - the car is back to its usual self but I have no idea how....
Perhaps I am a genius mechanic and I don't even know it... |
Peter Nitschke
Junk Filterer
South Australia
UZZ30 UZZ31
Posts: 11418
Reg: 11-2004
|
My first thought was loose battery terminal.
And it might still be that, but also I would be looking into:
Coil packs.
Main ECU.
Fuel pump ECU.
I personally wouldn't feel happy until I had found an actual fault. |
Mark Donovan
TryHard
Auckland
V8 Limited
Posts: 484
Reg: 07-2005
|
^ Ditto this. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31
Posts: 5287
Reg: 10-2005
|
Yup, what Peter said. Had exactly the same thing happen and it was a combination of a battery on its last legs and a loose negative terminal. Bought a new battery and replaced the crap factory terminals with solid cast copper ones, and all was well. |
Ali Saeed
Goo Roo
WA
V8 Limited
Posts: 1885
Reg: 09-2007
|
yeh i need to do that too Matt, need to get some new terminals..where did you get yours? |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 69
Reg: 07-2007
|
Sad and embarrassing news - went to take the soarer for spin last night and its back to square one again. It starts and then immediately dies.
And there I was hoping that the service had sorted the problem! Does anyone think that it could be contaminated fuel? Could my new fuel filter already be blocked?
My brother took it for a drive to Swaziland on Monday it was about a 300km drive - he said there were no problems.
I will check the battery too as the negative terminal was bent since I got the car a few years back. But I don't think that it would be the problem because the starter always turns the engine without a problem...
I am also not sure about the coil packs because probably only one would go at a time so it should at least start even though it would be rough.
I hope it isn't a ecu problem it will be tough to sort this end of the world... |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 70
Reg: 07-2007
|
Is it a mission to take the fuel tank out of the car? Perhaps I should try to get it out and have it cleaned up?
Is there any way of checking the flow of fuel to the injectors? I can hear the fuel pump grumbling away if I listen carefully behind the back seat. |
Don Bagnall
Moderator
New Zealand
SLK 230 Kompressor
Posts: 7545
Reg: 05-2005
|
Hey Precious Pup,
Have you checked the FUEL ECU? |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 71
Reg: 07-2007
|
Hey Don you always have a way with words...
I will try bridging the ecu and see if there is any change...
Thanks,,, |
Peter Nitschke
Junk Filterer
South Australia
UZZ30 UZZ31
Posts: 11423
Reg: 11-2004
|
Barry, you can always remove the fuel gauge sender if you want to have a look inside the tank. Probably no need to remove the tank itself. |
Scott Wilkes
Goo Roo
Tasmania
92 TT Factory Manual, 70 HG GTS Monaro
Posts: 1309
Reg: 10-2008
|
go through the tests.
First, figure out what is the problem that is causing it to not run.
Is it fuel pressure, spark, injector pulse etc, once you have figured out which circuit the problem is within, then concentrate on that.
You seem to be persistant with the fuel problem, but are you certain it is that? Generally a intermitant fault will be something electrical, a dry solder joint, loose connection, faulty sensors. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31
Posts: 5298
Reg: 10-2005
|
Ali Saeed wrote on Thursday, March 04, 2010 - 09:26 am:yeh i need to do that too Matt, need to get some new terminals..where did you get yours?
Supercheap I think - Supercheap or Repco both stock them, they are far superior to the rubbish muck metal ones that come from the factory, and only take a couple of minutes to fit. |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 72
Reg: 07-2007
|
Thanks gents - I will be going through the car over the weekend and will see how I get on,
Have yourselves a good one...
 |
Dan McColl
Goo Roo
Victoria (The Nazi State)
Active V8 and the Beast.
Posts: 2362
Reg: 07-2005
|
Fuel Pump ECU. |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 73
Reg: 07-2007
|
Not the fuel ECU - I did the test over the weekend. I must open up the tank and have a look inside - I need to satisfy myself that fuel is not the problem - I still think that I got contaminated fuel from somewhere...
What would happen if diesel was put in instead of petrol? Would that just make it smokey or stop it from running. Or what about water in the tank - what would that do? |
Peter Nitschke
Junk Filterer
South Australia
UZZ30 UZZ31
Posts: 11439
Reg: 11-2004
|
Water shouldn't get past the in tank filter. |
Don Bagnall
Moderator
New Zealand
SLK 230 Kompressor
Posts: 7560
Reg: 05-2005
|
Barry, is the fuel supply in Mozambique normally ok?
Or is it imported from some random other country in Africa?
 |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 74
Reg: 07-2007
|
Don, not sure where the fuel comes from? Since we're by the sea I assume it would be directly shipped in but that sort of logic isn't always followed. But I think the problem would have more likely come from the actual garage I got the fuel from - they could have had ancient old tanks and maybe I got the last dregs of fuel from them sucking up all the unwanted dirt from their tanks... You know that here there is no choice of fuel grades - you either have petrol or diesel |
Don Bagnall
Moderator
New Zealand
SLK 230 Kompressor
Posts: 7562
Reg: 05-2005
|
Barry Precious wrote on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - 04:19 pm:there is no choice of fuel grades - you either have petrol or diesel
Oh, the luxury! 
You're probably right about the tanks..........I don't think a hell of lot's been "Upgraded" since the Portuguese buggered off  |
Evan Kaio
DieHard
Beautiful sunny good @ rugby 'Canes'
'91 UZZ31. 92 TT
Posts: 618
Reg: 01-2007
|
Barry, if it's bad fuel (water/sea water in the tanks, underground storage I am presuming), I would not like to be running a diesel vehicle, especially a common rail type diesel.
Water + petrol = not good
Water + diesel + heat = Bad News.
Salt water + diesel + heat = Very Bad News |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 75
Reg: 07-2007
|
I know what you mean Evan - always essential to have your water separator filter on a diesel... |
Evan Kaio
DieHard
Beautiful sunny good @ rugby 'Canes'
'91 UZZ31. 92 TT
Posts: 619
Reg: 01-2007
|
Barry Precious wrote on Thursday, March 04, 2010 - 07:20 pm:My brother took it for a drive to Swaziland on Monday it was about a 300km drive - he said there were no problems.
Where did your brother fill up on gas for the trip, or after? |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 77
Reg: 07-2007
|
The car was almost full when he took it - and he filled up in a small villa on the Moz side of the border...
I still haven't opened up the fuel tank yet to see the condition, but once I do I will let you know my findings.
I will be away for a week, so it will have to wait for now. |
Barry Precious
Tinkerer
Maputo
4.0GT V8
Posts: 78
Reg: 07-2007
|
Hi Again Gents...
Been away for some time now. I have now seen that fuel is not causing the problem.
The car still just starts and then immediately dies. I have a blinky dash but did the system diagnostic when it was working on occassion and it didn't give me any errors?
When the car does start it is a bit rough and gives me the "engine Electrical error" message. Why doesn't it give me the fault codes when I do the diagnostic test?
Any advice? |
Ross Bull
Tinkerer
Vic
V8
Posts: 25
Reg: 05-2009
|
I would be looking at the ECU, I had the "Engine Electrical Error" message with no errors when tested. I opened up the ECU and found a leaking capacitor, I ended up having to replace the ECU as replacing the leaking cap didn't fix my problem. If you have any experience with electronics i would open the ECU and inspect it for leaking capacitors and replace if you find suspect items, failing that try and find another good ECU. |
Rob Wilson
Tinkerer
Queensland
UZZ32
Posts: 14
Reg: 10-2009
|
Mine was doing a similar thing when I first bought it. Driving fine and then just randomly stopping at lights and even when driving.
After playing around with all sorts of potential errors, I eventually got an error code 15 (I think), which told me it was the right side coil pack at fault. I tested this and all was good, so thought I would check the left coil pack as well.
As I removed it from on top of the engine, I noticed that the low voltage cable connector was loose. So I just plugged it back in, and have not had a problem since. I did have quite a hard time actually getting my fingers onto the plug, but might be worth a look. |
Joshua Baldwin
TryHard
victoria
ucf-11 1uz-fe v8
Posts: 200
Reg: 10-2009
|
im having a similar problem this is helpful thanks guys |
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