V6 starting issues

[onehillside]

Ok. So Beachy the Bongo has been working perfectly. Parked her up a couple of days ago and she's sat through some driving wind and rain. Go to start her up yesterday and whilst she'll merrily turn over, no spark / won't catch and start.

The only 'indication' of anything going awry was a smell of petrol the other day when parking her up, otherwise she's behaved flawlessly. I took the battery out, topped up the charge and put it back in this morning.

Still not starting. I've turned the heaters on and can hear a click. Checked the plugs and they all look good - I had wondered whether it might be damp being blown into somewhere with the wind + rain but everything looks dry and there's no nasty deposits etc.

So - presume it's something electrical or fuel related? I've tried searching the forum but it's hard to find anything amidst the hundreds of topics returned.

Any pointers would be gratefully received - I'm no mechanic but can follow instructions!

Could replacing the fuel filter help? Have had a number of friends who use the same, non-chain, local garage have problems with dirty fuel / blocked lines etc...

[Simon Jones]

Had you driven thru any puddles or wet weather prior to it not starting? The crank position sensor has been known to play up when it gets wet. It's located at the front of the engine by the crank pulley so can get a soaking when driving thru any water. Typically, the engine will cut out while driving and then it will dry out and it can be started after a short while



Second option is moisture in and around the distributor but that's quite well tucked away in the dry.

Can you try turning it over with one of the plugs out but touching the block so you can check the spark? You need to identify if it's ignition or fuel related.

Two other possibilities are problem with the in-tank fuel pump or a fault with the rubber fuel hoses. You could start by changing the fuel filter as it will give you an idea of the condition of the pipes. I got quite a lot of black gunge out of mine which may indicate the rubber is deteriorating.



The filter is located under van on the drivers side and is a bit of a pain to get to:


Also, check the fuses under the bonnet for ignition. See fact sheet for details: http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/member ... usebox.pdf

[Gasy]

Someone will be along soon to help
A trick for searching on here is put and between words
Eg: V6 and starting problems
Think it helps

There we go

[onehillside]

cheers for the suggestions...off to the driveway with me!

[onehillside]

well, I think it's fuel related, or could be the aforementioned sensor + water perhaps?

went back out:

All fuses fine.
spark seems good.

..and she fired up, ran for about 8 minutes and then softly died. And now whilst she seems like she's about to fire up, doesn't.

copious spray of WD40 and I'll leave it for an hour and try again. No dice and I'll have bite the bullet and order a new fuel filter and check the hoses... (a cursory check and they seem ok)

[Northern Bongolow]

a quick word of warning when checking for a spark with the plug out.
a young lad i know did a a spark check on his motor bike recently and got burned. he had removed the plug, fitted the lead, cranked the engine over which expelled the fuel/air mix out of the spark plug hole which then ignited on the next spark from the plug he was testing against the head next to the plug hole. he was lucky he got a free hair and eyebrow trim only.

[Simon Jones]

Good point. Safety first and all that.