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mrodey

Member Since: 18 May 2023
Location: Svedala
Posts: 14

Restoration project... and she won't start now

I have a 2002 TD5 110 that I decided to do a frame off restoration last year. From a new chassis to every bolt and nut replaced, it is basically a brand new car now. She was running fine with no problems at the time when I started the project and I'm about 90% complete now and she wont start.

She turns over but doesn't fire up. The fuel pump makes a high whining sound that is abnormally loud which leads me to question if that is the problem. She wines for about 30 seconds then stops. If I turn the ignition off and on right away it takes another 30 seconds to prime and shut off. Fuel filter is brand new and filled with diesel and I've tried the pump the accelerator 5 times and it goes through the purging cycle and never fixes the whine. I even took out the one way air valve in the filter to see if that was clogged but no change.

The motor I didn't tear apart inside, just disassembled to the block leaving the head on, cleaned and painted and replaced gaskets, so I don't think the injectors went bad in that time? Likewise on the fuel system I cleaned up the pump, replaced the gasket on top but the pump did sit out of the car for 6 months or so.

I've hooked up the nanocom and the only fault I get is (10,7) GLOWPLUG LAMP DRIVE OPEN LOAD but when I test the glowplugs with the nanocom, the relay clicks like it should and the dash light for glowplugs goes on then turns off after 2 seconds.

I know the list of things that could be causing the car not to start could be VERY broad but I'm hoping for some ideas or others that might have had the same issue before.

17th Jun 2023 10:29am

TexasRover

Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 801

2002 Defender 110 Td5 DCPU Chawton White

I would suspect fuel supply. Disconnect the fuel line from the pressure regulator on the engine and hang in a bottle. With the pump priming there should be a significant flow which fills up the bottle quickly. Just a dribble ain't good enough.

Are you sure you connected the hoses correctly at the tank, they are easy to mix up. The circuit is a little weird and it worth tracing back also the fuel filter.

https://forums.lr4x4.com/topic/38945-td5-fuel-diagram/

There is a drawing here, but note there is a small difference athe engine pressure regulator between the 10p and 15p

17th Jun 2023 11:12am

landy andy

Member Since: 15 Feb 2009
Location: Ware, Herts
Posts: 5427

2006 Defender 110 Td5 USW Zermatt Silver

If your pump keeps making the whining sound then you are getting air in the system. Possibly fuel lines wrong as mentioned above, or joints not sealed, porous filter head, bad fuel filter, hole in pipe, something wrong inside tank are the things I’d check. Can’t imagine that the injector seals have failed over night.

17th Jun 2023 12:20pm

mrodey

Member Since: 18 May 2023
Location: Svedala
Posts: 14

Thanks for the input thus far. I hung a bottle from the fuel line where it connects to the pressure regulator and when the fuel pump started priming a tiny dribble of fuel came out. When I turned over the engine, nothing. So the HP system is not working.

As for the lines being on the pump the wrong way, I had thought that and checked my before and after photos (been documenting everything) and they are correct.

So would air in the system prevent the high pressure stage of the pump to fail? I'm trying to think what else I can check so I don't have to drop the tank as that's a nightmare. There is no fuel leaking and the filter is brand new and filling with fuel if I put it on empty.

17th Jun 2023 1:29pm

TexasRover

Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 801

So the LP system is not working. The HP system only exist within the injector.

You have a problem with your pump, filter or plumbing. Don't necessary assume that the installation was correct to start with. A Td5 will quite happily run with a broken LP pump or a wrongly connected fuel pump as long as there is no air in the system. As soon as you open the system and you cannot prime it correctly you get the no-start issue.

I know this because on my Td5 I did exactly that. Car ran ok-ish (some other issues as well) but I did not hear a pump so started to trouble shoot, which resulted in a no-start - ever. Changed out the pump and barely got it to start but ran ok-ish after that. Not satisfied I pulled the connection on the fuel cooler, no flow at all.. tried the pressure regulator connection barely a dribble.

Double checked my fuel pump connections (made a photo etc) including colour coding, all good, but I noticed someone before me had been messing with the lines so I traced them all back. Sure enough two lines were swapped. Reconnected and now I have a strong flow, perfect start. Cannot say if the engine runs better (confirmation bias) but at least it feels better knowing it is correct now.

Last edited by TexasRover on 17th Jun 2023 2:03pm. Edited 1 time in total

17th Jun 2023 2:02pm

TexasRover

Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 801

PS dumb question, but do you have enough fuel in the tank?

17th Jun 2023 2:02pm

mrodey

Member Since: 18 May 2023
Location: Svedala
Posts: 14

There is about 60 liters of diesel in the tank.

I've double checked the lines and it looks correct according to what I read on the internet and the way it was set up before (white, green, blue, unmarked).

Also I just noticed with the fuel line disconnected from the pressure regulator, when I just tried to prime the tank, fuel streamed out of the pressure regulator all over the ground. And the lines to the engine are set up correct, red on cooler, green on regulator.

17th Jun 2023 2:53pm

mrodey

Member Since: 18 May 2023
Location: Svedala
Posts: 14

Damn I feel like an idiot… the lines on the fuel filter were swapped. Will swap now and check.

17th Jun 2023 3:04pm

mrodey

Member Since: 18 May 2023
Location: Svedala
Posts: 14

And it works! No more pump noise and she fired up after about 30 seconds. Your idea of taking off the fuel line at the regulator and the fuel coming out that way meant the lines on the right side of the fuel filter were swapped. As those are not color coded and I was working off early photos, well they went on wrong. Thank you so much for everyone's input!

17th Jun 2023 3:25pm

TexasRover

Member Since: 24 Nov 2022
Location: Paris
Posts: 801

Excellent! Very satisfying when it is just a little thing that's easy to fix.

17th Jun 2023 4:21pm

diesel_jim

Member Since: 13 Oct 2008
Location: hiding
Posts: 6043

And remember, if you just turn the ignition "on" to the 2nd position, then press the throttle pedal 5 times, it'll go into a purge mode and run the pump for considerably longer.... ideal for when you change the filter.

17th Jun 2023 6:19pm

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