series 3 dies after its cranked

[weatherm]

I ripped this off my post from lr4x4 here goes:

Ok guys .. I just rebuilt my steering column and got everything back together ( I never want to do that again ). Anyways everything was hooked back up and everything works great right! Idles fine clutch works (had to rebleed and the brakes work fine after a rebleed). So my friend drives it around the block and lets it idle for a few after he gets back. Everything is good. We flush the radiator and put more fluid back in it (of course). Crank it and let it idle (does great) go change clothes to do a celebratory dinner and I get 2 miles down the road and it just died unexpectedly after I take my foot off the gas. We coast and scratch our heads.... bonnet goes up and all is fine .. all hoses are connected and everything ... no smoke nothing all is well. We limp it back home by giving it gas all the way (had a few choke outs due to having to shift). It just dies now... you crank it it turns over and dies (charge light is on) you let it run (giving it gas) and charge light goes out and come back on after you take your foot off the gas and then it dies. Seems like its running rough seemed fine when we first cranked it. We cleaned out the carb and that didn't work.



The battery was out of the truck for 2 weeks while we replaced the steering column ( its 3 years old... but all the lights work and head lights and everything are fine) alternator is fairly new.....

we are just baffled.. it has to be something silly

 

[I Leak Oil]

What carb. do you have? Do you have an inline fuel filter?

 

[TeriAnn]

If it is a fuel delivery problem:

I have become a real believer in having one of those small 1 inch fuel pressure gauges permanently mounted to the inlet of a carb on a brass tee. You can tell at a glance is you have fuel and what the pressure is. Land Rover carbs like 2-1/2 to 3-1/3 lbs pressure, with the pressure no lower than 2 lbs at higher RPMs.

My truck sat for 3+ years before I bought her and the fuel tank had all sorts of crud in it. I carried a couple spare fuel filters and swapped them out alongside the road when one clogged and the engine started to die. After a few months the filter stopped clogging. I was just too lazy to drop the tank and clean it out proper.

Anyway you have your fuel tank that may have crud in it. The pickup tube in the fuel tank came with a wire filter that may or may not still be intact. If it is there it may be clogged.

You have you fuel line to the pump which may or may not harbor particulate matter. If you have a 4 cylinder petrol engine you have a fuel sediment bowl on the inlet side that has a filter screen that may or may not be clogged.

NOTE: Never remove the glass sediment bowl unless you have a new replacement gasket on hand (always keep a spare). The gasket hardens in contact with the fuel and will never properly reseal.

Mechanical fuel pumps commonly fail by developing a crack in the diaphragm (never hurts to carry a fuel pump rebuild kit either). Symptoms commonly are good idle & poor running on the road due to not enough fuel. So your fuel pump is likely OK.

It is always a good idea to have a fuel filter in addition to the sediment bowl screen to filter out the fine particulate mater that gets through the screen (never hurts to carry a spare fuel filter either).

With a fuel pressure gauge you could tell at a glance if you are getting enough fuel at the right pressure.

Lacking that, disconnect the fuel line at the carb & give it a few pumps using the leaver at the bottom of the pump. You should get a good solid squirt of fuel each time you pump the leaver.


If it is not a fuel delivery problem:

Ignition points are really crappy these days. Whenever you have what appears to be a fuel related problem it never hurts to check the point gap early during your trouble shooting.

The problem could be in the idle circuit of your carb or an air leak between the base of your carb and the intake valves. You have a Series III which means vacuum assisted power brakes. A crack in the hose between the intake manifold and booster could cause your problem. A bad diaphragm inside the booster will also cause the problem you are experiencing.

Disconnect the vacuum hose at the intake manifold and use a Mity-Vac to test the brake booster diaphragm. While you have the Mity-Vac out, test the diaphragm on the distributor vacuum advance.

If I had to lay money on any one problem I'd lay it on the brake vacuum boost system as being the most likely to cause the engine to die at idle but still sorta run with choke on or above idle.

Hopefully I've provided you with enough ideas to keep you intertained for a while.

good luck!

 

[weatherm]

Thanks I have a 2.25 petrol and a weber carb...

It just started acting up out out of no where.
Brake booster line has been replaced and vacumn tested.


All suggestions are welcome and thanks TeriAnn!!

 

[I Leak Oil]

These are classic symtoms of the weber idle jet being blocked. Unscrew the jet and spray it out with some carb cleaner. It is a brass screw located on the side of the carb facing the valve cover.
You can sometimes unclog it by revving the engine while putting your hand over the carb until the engine almost stalls. This will sometimes suck the debris through.
Surely sounds fuel related but try this and let us know.

 

[weatherm]

I hope so.. its hard to get it cranked b/c you have to give it gas to even keep it running... time to recruit the wife

 

[weatherm]

Idler jet is probably the culprit!!! I took it out and it had crud on one side.. I gave it a carb deutch in there and it ran good and idled and didn't die. Only died when I put the choke in all the way to early. Drove it back and let it idle... worked good... I think it needs some more cleaning but it sure ran better and longer this time and harder.


I will keep you guys updated.

 

[evilfij]

You can run very fine wire through the jets to clean them. Go to the local napa/autozone etc. and buy a little inline fuel filter and fit it right in front of the carb.

 

[I Leak Oil]

OK, now you need to make sure the crud stays out of it. Clean the sediment bowl on the pump, if you don't have one already install an in line filter (a couple bucks at the parts store) and clean the built in filter in the weber. Keep an eye on them for a while. If they get dirty quickly then you'll need to check the tank for rust or contamination.

 

[weatherm]

Ok.. It was running 'ok' going to eat dinner tonight and didn't stall so it has to be the idler jet. I left dinner and was driving and it was just acting horrible and acting like it was going to choke. Parked it cleaned out the jet again (wasn't dirty this time) and was able to push the choke all the way in. It ran like a dream the 10 miles home.

Inline filter tomorrow

 

[evilfij]

Drop the tank and clean it out.

 

[Antichrist]

I really like these filters. Glass (so you can see how much crud is in them) with a replaceable element.

That's the one I put on my petrol Land Rovers.
Also available with different sized ends in the kit
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Gasket-9706-Universal-Clearview/dp/B00068OR8M/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1

 

[I Leak Oil]

That's the filter I run also. Easy to see the crud, easy to clean and you don't have to carry spare filters with you all the time.