Land Rover Repair: 95 Disco 3.9 Fuel System and Other Problems, california emissions, fan clutch

Question
I recently purchased a 1995 Discovery with a 3.9, 108,000 miles (101,000 at purchase in March), California emissions, and an automatic transmission.  Here is a brief synopsis of my history with the truck:  It is an awesome 4X4, very smooth off road, great anti-lock system, etc...  On a 1300 mile trip to Seattle and back, the truck began overheating while on long climbs.  Eventually a heater hose blew, and I fixed it immediately.  When the truck is under load and heating up the fan doesn't speed up so I would imagine that it's the fan clutch.  Do you think that could be it?  Should I replace the water pump and serpentine belt at the same time?

Second and most important of all!!!!  I recently ran out of gas, and when I filled the tank again the Rover wouldn't start. I pulled out the fuel pump and inspected it for damage, and the bowl was full of fuel.  The tank was immaculate, so I replaced the filter and still no dice.  I did some searching and on the Tdi models there is a lift pump with a bleed valve which can purge the system to that point(I assume this is a manual pump), and then the ends of the fuel rails can be loosened and the system will attempt to pressurize and push the rest of the air out.  Is this my problem???  Can I bleed the fuel system in my 3.9?  When I replaced the filter I disconnected the fuel line and turned the key.  The fuel pump pushed fuel for about two seconds then stopped, which is normal I guess to prime the system.  I just don't want to order a new fuel pump because they are not cheap.

Thanks for the help!
Bill

Answer
First, is there spark when you crank it?  If a good spark is present, check the spark from the distrubutor cap to the spark plug.  If no spark is present, I would inpect the distributor cap and rotor.  Be very careful when removing the rotor as the distributor will often fall apart when removing the rotor.  If there is no spark at all it could be the coil or the amplifier.

Secondly,have you checked the fuel pressure.  Fuel pressure runs at 30 psi.  If it is below 20psi, it needs a new fuel pump.

As to your first question, how do you know the fan does not speed up?  If the car is overheating going up hill, it could be a radiator, fan clutch, blocked catalyic converters, faulty distributor unit or faulty torque converter.  It could even be blown head gaskets.