Downgrading from a Rover 800

[Microwave]

On 7/16/2019 at 8:14 PM, Microwave said:

ROVER 800 ELECTRICS FTW

Statement retracted

I've come to get it sorted today and all of a sudden it no longer starts. Every single function of the car works perfectly as it should until you come to start the car, at which point it refuses to crank. Jumped the starter and all sorts and you can get it to crank that way, but we’re missing fuel and/or ignition. Anyone got any idea as to what might be causing this? I’ve unhooked the battery and reconnected it, reseated all the relays, twatted the under dash fusebox a couple times etc and I just can’t get it to come to life.

Ungrateful little prick

[wuvvum]

Immobiliser kicked in yo?

[bramz7]

Yeah my previous 800 would not crank if you disarmed it, and then waited a few minutes. It then needed the whole cycle again to play ball. 

The scary electrics put me off, which is a shame as they're unbelievably satisfying when running. 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Excellent fix. It happens to all of us at some point. I didn't drive my broken down and recovered home* BM for a week due to a (ahem..) loose earth strap on the battery. I had an red 820si with the tailgate, excellent car. Got stolen tho...

[Microwave]

Immobiliser was my first thought but no, I don’t believe it to be that as every other function of the shit security system works fine, and the immobiliser light goes on and off as it should, when it should. There is every chance the fusebox wants resoldering AGAIN because it’s been sat, but I’ll see if anyone else has any better suggestions.

[DaveDorson]

Has your ignition switch failed?, does the signal wire to the starter solenoid go live when you turn the key?  I had an old beetle that did that, we used to start it with a switch under the back seat that basically jumped the solenoid as the switch failure was massively intermittent and being a semi automatic, it had a unique and unobtainium ignition switch.  Bastard thing.

[Lord Sterling]

Crank angle sensor?

Also, make sure at some point you get the fusebox resoldered. This'll usually solve most electrical maladies you might have.

[Microwave]

25 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

Also, make sure at some point you get the fusebox resoldered. This'll usually solve most electrical maladies you might have.

I had it resoldered already when I first got it but it was very clearly playing up again the other day (girlfriend knocked sunroof open and it refused to close again until I booted the fusebox). 

I’ll have a look into the crank angle sensor. Sounds very possible but would that stop it cranking altogether?

[chodweaver]

After some very similar experiences with laid-up-for-a-while shite, I wonder if the fuel you ran it on last time had been that which had been sat in the pump/lines/injectors, where it had not been exposed to lots of air and hence not 'gone off'. But you've burnt all that now and what you're pulling through from the tank HAS been sat with lots of air over it and HAS gone off. Fresh can of pez in/rig up a temporary feed from a can before you do anything else?

#expecting to be shot down for a stupid theory

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[Microwave]

It doesn’t respond when you go to crank it on the key at all, and it doesn’t fire when the starter is jumped with the ignition on, so there’s no spark and/or no fuel. I don’t believe it to be a duff ignition switch, sorry.

I really can’t tell if a switch or sensor has died, or if it’s just being a fucking retard because of the dodgy fusebox. For everyone who isn’t aware, a very vast majority of the Rover 800s “electrical woes” are because of dry/cracked solder joints on the interior fuseboxes. It makes them do all sorts like open windows on their own, makes windows go down but not up, stops the central locking working, makes the radio go on and off over bumps, turns all of your lights off... am I really selling the Rover 800 experience to you?

As I said above I had all the solder joints reflowed months ago and it worked mint, fixed all of my car’s dodgy electrics right away and it was painless. Trouble is, it’s been sat again and is slightly damp inside and I know for a fact it isn’t happy because it was showing symptoms of dead solder joints again when I had it running the other day. It just seems really strange that everything else that a car requires to start is working exactly as it should, the lights even dim and the radio cuts out when you try to start it, so it knows what I want it to do, it just won’t.

So, it’s either the fusebox, or a small electrical component somewhere, but surely something can’t have broken since I last started it a couple of days back? The battery hasn’t even been connected?

argh

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Suggestion number 67.... Main relay. You're bypassing it by jumping the starter and there will be no ECU input. You can bridge the terminals to get it going but will need to pull the bodge to stop it.

[Microwave]

1 hour ago, BoggyMires said:

 

Suggestion number 67.... Main relay. You're bypassing it by jumping the starter and there will be no ECU input. You can bridge the terminals to get it going but will need to pull the bodge to stop it.

 

Think this sounds the most plausible out of everything here so far, I’ll have a look.

[RoadworkUK]

Main relay sounds good to me. Happiness is a working 800.

I totally feel your pain. A few years ago I gave up on the barely ever working remote key fobs for mine and have been doing the old driver's door lock safe-cracking fandango to enter the security code several times a week. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to buy some fob batteries, just for a laugh, to see if they could be resurrected.

Of course not.

"Character"

[Microwave]

9 hours ago, RoadworkUK said:

totally feel your pain. A few years ago I gave up on the barely ever working remote key fobs for mine and have been doing the old driver's door lock safe-cracking fandango to enter the security code several times a week. 

A few weeks ago, I decided to buy some fob batteries, just for a laugh, to see if they could be resurrected.

Of course not.

"Character"

They’re a bastard. Mine don’t work to lock/unlock the car either, but when you turn the key in the ignition and press the buttons, the lights show that the fob and the car are communicating. If I’m not mistaken, to even link keys to the car you need a) a particular rover machine and b) all keys linked to the car to be present, so we’re both probably shit out of luck. Who doesn’t love turning a key in a door in the rain (literally) 25 times?

[RoadworkUK]

Yeah. The MoT place love dealing with that every time it comes to them!  In fact, in case I ever lose the code for mine, I'm gonna record here that it's 3427. 

[Fumbler]

1 hour ago, RoadworkUK said:

 I'm gonna record here that it's 3427. 

If you fail to enter it in correctly does it also lock you out for increasing amounts of time after every fail?

[Microwave]

48 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

f you fail to enter it in correctly does it also lock you out for increasing amounts of time after every fail?

Not that I remember, no, thank Christ 

[clayts450]

No, only the Rover radios put you through that misery. And no, don't ask me how I know.

[Microwave]

Right, tried a new relay in various places and tried another new battery on it and nothing. Still the same. Rapidly approaching my wits end with this car, anyone got any ideas? I’m worried it might be a dead ECU at this point.

[Fumbler]

On 7/24/2019 at 7:29 PM, clayts450 said:

No, only the Rover radios put you through that misery. And no, don't ask me how I know.

Don't worry, the Micra (and other Nissans) radio code system works in the same way!

[AdeMk1]

Have you checked the wiring to the starter motor? A common issue is the spade connector sometimes corrodes & causes a bad contact. Can you hear a relay clicking when you turn the key to the start position? Another common issue is the ignition switch, but because they are quite rare, not to mention a pain to change, most just install a starter button somewhere. Hope you manage to get it sorted out.

[Microwave]

5 minutes ago, AdeMk1 said:

Can you hear a relay clicking when you turn the key to the start position?

No, I can’t. Would this issue still be a possibility even if the starter works when jumped? As for the ignition switch, surely it’s ok if everything else works off the key? Including lights dimming, radio cutting out etc. When the starter is jumped in the key on position, it doesn’t fire at all so there’s either no spark or no fuel (or both). Not doubting you, I just don’t know a lot about car electrics and would like to get to the bottom of this haha

[AdeMk1]

Start with the basics & work through methodically.
Have you checked all the fuses?
If you have or can borrow a multimeter connect the - of the meter to earth & the + to the trigger wire on the starter (spade connector) & check for voltage when cranking. If no voltage then I'd suspect either fuse box solder joints or the ignition switch.

[Microwave]

Just fixed it, another really stupid easy fix. One of the connections to the under dash fusebox had unplugged itself and was tucked up. I swear to Christ I checked this multiple times, so I’m baffled 

also knocked the sunroof back and now it won’t close

It’s also raining

cba

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 7/14/2019 at 9:27 AM, Microwave said:

Nice to know others have done the same thing I guess. I think my biggest concern if I get it going again is all the shitty Rover security systems playing up and not letting me unlock the car or disarm the immobiliser. Was bad enough when it was working that I had to put the key in the door and turn it left and right about 20 times every single time I left the car for a second. Who at Rover honestly thought that was a good idea?

well back in the day when asked for advice a known car thief reccomended the rover alarm as being the one to go for to beat the crooks

[RoadworkUK]

17 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

well back in the day when asked for advice a known car thief reccomended the rover alarm as being the one to go for to beat the owner

FTFY

[Microwave]

Sunroof sorted, just had to twat the button a bit. Car should be sorted this week, hoping to have it MOTd by Friday! Cannot wait to give this thing a clean, even if the forecast is looking absolutely depressing.

[Fumbler]

Everything can be fixed with percussive persuasion*

[Microwave]

Gone to get the radiator in and there’s a very rotten metal coolant pipe which needs sorting. Gonna be fun to find this I’m sure!

[Microwave]

Need one of these things to get it back up and running, don’t suppose any of you Rover lot have one knocking about? Sits low down in the engine bay.

https://m.imgur.com/a/lvfyQQG