QuestionHi I hope you can help me with this problem seeing as no one else can. From 1995 until 2004 my discovery had no major problems. Replace a sensor here and a hose their. At the end of 2004 all heck broke loose. Since September about $3500 has been dumped into it.
I have been taking it to a mechanic that specializes in European cars and he has fixed all of my problems except for this one.
About three months ago I started to notice a high pitched wining noise coming from the rear of my vehicle. I did a little research and figured it was the fuel pump going bad. It started having starting problems where it would turn over for 5-7 seconds before starting. So I took it to the mechanic and had him replace it (he also replaced the relay and the pressure regulator). Well after replacing all that I still was left with the starting problem. Everytime I would get in the vehicle it would take about 5 seconds to crank unless i had just shut it off less than 10 minutes ago.
I took it back to the mechanic and told him the problem and he said he would look at it. He told me that the alternator was not getting enough power(sounded wierd to me because it didn't sound like a power problem). Funny thing is he had already replaced the alternator 3 months before that with a new Bosch alternator. So he replaced it and I went to pick it up and it still did not start.
Got sick of this guy and took it somewhere else and they hooked a fuel pressure guage to it and it was reading 0-5psi at cranking and 12-20 while running. So I took it back to the original mechanic (fuel pump still under warranty) he hooked a pressure gauge to it and it read 35.(This was the same day.) So he said let me work on it some more. Yesterday he replaced the spark plugs, rotors, distributor cap and 02 sensor. This was a wopping bill and it still doesn't start.
I have invested over a thousand in this problem alone. Can you help me please!
AnswerHi Austin,
I know exactly what you are thinking about LR repairs. I've been there and we are not alone.
You're description of the problem, difficulty starting, can be fuel related BUT it can also be a question of spark.
If the alt is not charging the battery enough, this is easy to detect and almost any auto parts store can test this in a few minutes. Advance auto come to mind.
If the spark amplifier module is defective, that is another thing. Its harder to detect and need a LR mechanic to bench test.
The coil can be bench tested by most general mechanics. This too has an impact on starting.
Its a shame that you had so much work done and the problem still persists. I've been there. After $5000 worth of work, I still had an overheated gearbox. The dealer did everything to me but 'kiss me good night'!
You can threaten this mechanic with legal action...having replaced parts that were obviously not affecting the problem. The BBB or state's attorney's office would have soem things to say about this type of repair. Perhaps the threat will motivate the mechanic to solve the problem.
Since you have a 3 month old Bosch alt (good choice) I would follow the 'spark'. New 02's were not really necessary as they monitor only what's coming out AFTER the engine is running. Expensive lesson to learn.
I will look around for more detailed data and send you a followup message. Maybe there's another component I'm missing. I too have a '95 Disco and your problem is very familiar to me.
Regards,
JohnMc
NB: was that original mechanic from a LR dealership?
