Serie 3 109 periodically dead

[Green]

Hello enthusiast! My mother (yes my mother!) has a Serie 3 109 millitary version in good condition but lately it is impossible to start and if it starts it can suddenly stop. The starter turn but no life signs. Then if I try again after some days it starts perfectly and can go for half an hour and dies again.

We have drained the fuel tanks (some dirt there) and the carburators and changed plug and plug wires to non millitary standard.

It has the 2,2 liter engine.

Any ideas would be highly appreciated!

Best regards from Norway

[graniterover]

Coil?

[Green]

I have little experience with these cars but it looks like it has two coils? Are the coils likely to start and stop working all by themselves? How to be certain it is the problem before getting new ones? Thank`s for posting

[SafeAirOne]

Depending on year of manufacture, some Rovers have a screen on the bottom of the fuel draw (intake) tube in the fuel tank. If you have this screen, did you clean it? Did you change the fuel filter?

If the screen or filter is clogged, the engine can run for a time, then die of fuel starvation. After some time, the engine will start again, but then die of fuel starvation again.

[Leslie]

Depending on year of manufacture, some Rovers have a screen on the bottom of the fuel draw (intake) tube in the fuel tank. If you have this screen, did you clean it? Did you change the fuel filter?

If the screen or filter is clogged, the engine can run for a time, then die of fuel starvation. After some time, the engine will start again, but then die of fuel starvation again.

Mine was doing this. You could fire it up and let it idle, and it was okay. But get up to speed, and it'd start to bog down when cruisin' along in 4th, have to downshift to 3rd. Then, 3rd would bog, and you'd downshift to 2nd, etc. But if you let it idle long enough, it'd get enough fuel through into the filter to allow it to take off and run again for awhile before it'd bog again.

I took the screen off the bottom of the pickup tube, and used a .223 bore-brush to clean out the tube.... 30+ years of varnish had plugged the tube and screen, I'm surprised that *anything* got through. Did much better after that.

The PO had gotten the vehicle out of a barn, where it had been parked because of problems, and never solved them. The PO before that, who had parked it, had a vehicle journal, documenting repairs made, problems with, etc. What's sad is, I read through the logs, looking at the symptoms, reading the attempted cures, realizing that this vehicle was parked because of, left in a barn, pulled out and then sold off as problematic again, because of the pick-up tube problem that I had finally figured out.....

[greenmeanie]

Don't forget the mesh screen at the top of the glass bowl on the fuel pump. It's not obvious but that thing drove me nuts for over a month on my 101.

Also, the mechanical fuel pumps wear out and can gradually lose performance over time as opposed to the sudden failure you see with a 'lecky pump. When it next stops pull the fuel line at the carb and see if ou are still getting fuel through. It should gush not dribble. IF you are not start pulling it apart at each connection.

Cheers
Gregor

[dunerunner]

Don't forget the mesh screen at the top of the glass bowl on the fuel pump. It's not obvious but that thing drove me nuts for over a month on my 101.

Gregor - Thanks for that one, I've been having trouble with fuel transport to the carb ever since having the tanks replaced. I'll have to check this out!!

Scott

[scott]

i've heard of the lobe on the cam that the fuel pump rides becoming worn such that the pump just doesn't pump hard enough. don't know if that was my problem but i put in an electric pump w/ fuel pressure regulator. cleaned filters and screens along the fuel route. when it was all done found out that the weber carb mine was fitted with is sensative to crap in the fuel and occasionally needs cleaning.