Rover 75 (1999 - 2005) - 02 2.0 Reluctant to start

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Sun 12 Oct 2008 10:11
02 2.0 Reluctant to start - David Horn
Hi all,

My dad's having problems with his Rover 75 diesel which has suddenly become extremely reluctant to start. Sometimes it will need nearly 5 minutes of cranking, other times it takes 5 - 30 seconds. Today it started after about 5 seconds and then cut out (actually, my dad says he stalled it after it had no power and couldn't face trying to restart it).

There are no warning lights. Performance is fine once it's going.

It went into the garage yesterday and had the fuel filter changed (they said it cured the problem but clearly not), and short of dragging it to a dealer to see if any codes are logged I'm not sure what the problem is.

Has anyone seen this issue before?

Cheers,

Dave.


Edited by Pugugly on 12/10/2008 at 12:01

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Sun 12 Oct 2008 11:01
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - elekie&a/c doctor
A diagnostic check would certainly help with sorting this out.However from your description of the fault this may be a problem with the cam sensor.Fairly common fault on these .It is located on top of the engine ,under plastic cover.hth
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Sun 12 Oct 2008 11:31
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - injection doc
David, first check to see if there is any water marks around the ECU, sits in the plenum chamber ( blower intake for heater) these are prone to flooding causing damage to the ECU & relays & wiring loom. Cam shaft sensor are prone but normally start with a hot start issue. I suspect that an injector is leaking back or the intank pump has come apart
!st you need to check that the in tank pre-pump is working.
2nd it need the return pipes removed from the injectors & try cranking the engine. If they are spurting or dribbling they are leaking causing loss of pressure. ( this one is the most common cause "
If you used to get a hesitation around 2900 rpm the reply to me as there is a mod to carry out on the cam sensor.
I doc
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Sun 12 Oct 2008 11:47
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - David Horn
Thanks everyone, will give these a try. Is there a quick way to check if the tank pump is working?

[On reflection, I think it's actually a 2.0 litre diesel - please can a mod fix the title?]
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Sun 12 Oct 2008 11:56
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - bbroomlea{P}
I had exactly the same symptons and it was the crank sensor. Sometimes it was in the right position to start first time, others it was a lottery if it would start - although it always did eventually.

Definately check the ECU to make sure its not water damaged though - I used to check mine once a month as the drain holes get bunged up with leaves and dirt
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Mon 13 Oct 2008 20:34
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - David Horn
Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear....

Wouldn't start at all this morning so my dad called the RAC recovery chaps. Turns out there was no diesel in the tank! Stuck £10 in and it started up fine. The little orange light was on but the gauge was showing approximately 1/8 tank left.

My dad has now vanished from public sight. I will not let him forget this in a hurry and I apologise profusely to anyone who offered advice.

Cheers,

Dave.
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Mon 13 Oct 2008 20:39
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - bbroomlea{P}
Due to the shape and location of the fuel pump its not a good idea to run these too low so might be worth mentioning before he gets an unsavory bill for a new in-tank fuel pump!

Glad you have sorted it though - hope my current diesel problem is as cheap!!
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Mon 13 Oct 2008 21:33
02 1.9 Reluctant starting of 1.9 diesel - injection doc
I 2nd that as well. Glad it was that simple but it is inadvisable to allow the tank to run below 1/4. Most manufactures now advise a minimum of 20 ltrs in a tank except for the cars with small tanks!. For a CR diesel to pick up any air is detrimental to the pumps!
I Doc
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