Rover won't start

[Millennium]

hiya

I have a P reg rover 414 that's been in a garage for 3 years. At first it wouldn't turn over so I replaced the starter motor. Now it turns over fine but won't start. What should I be looking to fix? Is the fuel out of date or something? Or maybe new plugs?

I've got a fully charged working battery so it's not that...

Thanks

[jimbouk]

Remember your fire triangle Check for spark, fuel and air (although there's usually air unless the air/fuel mixture has been messed up). I'd get new fuel to start with, and check the plugs for condition and a spark if they look ok. Unless the plugs or something further up the chain are broken you should be able to get rough running just with a clean and setting the gap again.

[XA04]

3 years? maybe the fuel has evaporated.

[Millennium]

Ok, I've added fresh fuel, and removed and cleaned the (clean) spark plugs. The air filter is pretty new. Anyone got any thoughts before I likely scrap the beast? Thanks.

P.S. I have tried 2 batteries (fully charged) and the turnover seems maybe a little slow. What might cause that?

[jimbouk]

Stick the end of a fuel line into a jar and make sure it's squirting appropriately, make sure you actually have a spark. Any problems then work backwards and find the broken bit. You could try spraying some carb cleaner in their as well to help revive the thing.

[DanceswithUnix]

If it is turning over slowly then a jump start from a big car sometimes gets an engine that is just being obstinate to start up just by getting it to spin faster. Make sure you have decent jump leads, not ones that will just melt

It might be turning over slowly as the insides of the engine may have surface rust slightly over 3 years. There is lots of cleaning and lubricating advice for getting a standing engine up and running again such as lubricating the cylinder bores and cams before starting to minimise problems with that and indeed cylinders are supposed to be filled with oil before storage. Back in the real world , I would expect the engine to be a bit of a dog for a while until it loosens up again. I would also expect it to need an oil change, the lighter oil will have evaporated leaving heavier stuff behind (much like the fuel goes off as lighter elements evaporate).

[J4MES]

Checked the oil condition/level? Had the plugs off to turn the engine over first without compression? Check the coolant condition/levels too, in the whole system (expansion tank, pipes and radiator) - the K-Series is well known for cooling (i.e. head gasket) problems.

Good luck. If it's turning over slowly with a new battery, either the starter motor has a problem or there's excessive engine wear somewhere (or both)!

[Phage]

Vote #3 for the oil. Old oil will will settled to the bottom of the case and there will be practically nothing actually lubricating the thing. What's on the dipstick ? Black sludge ?
Drain all the oil, flush through with the cheapest lightest oil you can find, ie fill, turn over, drain. Then put a reasonable oil in and put a quick squirt of WD40 down the plug holes.
Put the plugs back and try to start with a fresh battery. If that doesn't work, it's probably time for a rebuild.
NB if it does fire, it will probably blow a lot of smoke for a few mins. I would try this outside.

[Millennium]

I've changed the starter motor (admittedly for a 2nd hand one) so let's hope its not that.

Did have a larger battery but doesn't look like it holds a charge any more so can't jump start with that.
I think the oil has gone sludgy since it's black from the dipstick. Might try an oil change or get a garage to do it. Thanks for all the tips. If the oil change doesn't fix it, I don't really feel like going over the coolant and all that, will probably scrap it. It's had a good life so far

P.S You're also suggesting I try turning it over with the plugs removed, then WD40 the holes and put the plugs back in? That would also be worth a try...

[Millennium]

Car's gone, thanks for all the help though. Needed the space.

Mods you can close this thread

[sovereignv12]

Hi,
It's a bit late, but only just seen your thread. It was a problem with the flywheel - my mate had exactly the same thing - took him 2 years to suss it out! Never mind!