Land Rover Repair: 98 Disco startup, fuel pressure gauge, fuel pressure regulator

Question
Hey John,

I had been discussing the whole keyless/immobilization thing, but I'd like to move on now and mention that the '98 sometimes takes 2-4 attempts to start. I find turning the key on for a few moments before attempting start offers no real change. The previous owner had given up on it due to this and a randomly occurring loss of power at speed. They had replaced coils and wires, I replaced plugs. They replaced fuel pressure regulator and (claim) fuel pump, I replaced fuel filter. The randomly occurring loss of power, accompanied by 1316 code has dropped dramatically, and now if it does occur, it does not do so to the point that a code is stored, but the several start attempts thing is bugging me. Any quick/off the top of your head hints or tips on how I should continue to chase this? When it is running well, it runs VERY well, passed state emissions, etc. Just hard to test this problem because you never know when it will occur.

Thanks,
Michael

Answer
Hook a fuel pressure gauge in line and watch what happens when it fails to start.  I'll bet you see the pressure at zero when it happens.  The gauge will tell the story.  You may have to tee it into the line at the engine or the fuel filter.  At Robison Service we use an electronic gauge so all there is coming into the car is a piece of wire, not a pressurized gas line