rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 08:20
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - blakey

Hi can anybody help me, my rover has had a continuous starting problem since i bought it six months ago, have had new starter motor and battery. if the car is left overnight it will not start next morning, all the battery lights ect on dashboard are pretty strong but car will just turn over but not fire up, ive got one of them emergency power units which you connect to your battery terminals and it starts straight away, this is baffling me please help!!

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 09:02
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - injection doc

there is an earth starp that goes from the battery to the front shut panel near the n/s head lamp. this terminal must be clean and make very good contact, they often burn out or corrode away and are ignored.this prevents teh battery fully charging and causes starting issues

have you checked the boot light ?

Is the radio genuine or aftermarket ? is it wired correctly

Under the bonnet there are two yellow relays for the engine manegment system, try removing them when you park the night before and refitting them just before starting in the morning, if the battery is fine then one of the relays is faulty partially draining the battery overnight.

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 09:08
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - sierraman

Did you get a quality battery? I bought a new battery and had no end of starting problems.Turned out to be a duff,the replacement was little better,so might be worth getting it tested.

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 10:13
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - blakey

yes got a three year guarantee battery, car radio is old and was basicly shot in as the seller took out his good one

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 10:19
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - blakey

thank you, ill try that, radio is an old one that the seller put to get me away which ive never replaced, the boot light has no bulb in it, replaced earth stap as it was corroded, just cant understand why it would start with the power pack, even though the battery light on dash looks fully lit

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 11:46
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - injection doc
Sounds like you may have a drain then if the battery is Ok, but never asume its ok because its new or has a 3 year warranty.
I suggest you get a sparky to check for amp consumption when the car is locked up.
try removing the relays as I suggested overnight.
Does the central locking fully work ? or could that be suspect ?
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Tue 16 Nov 2010 15:10
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - OG

Rovers are quite vulnerable to faults in the HT system, worth checking over every bit and renewing all leads etc if they seem at all dodgy.

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 15:13
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - blakey

thank you m8, i will try all avenues discussed and get back with the results,,,, hopefully

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Tue 16 Nov 2010 15:34
rover 214 1997 8v - starting problems - SteveLee
Try connecting a jump lead to the negative terminal on the battery and onto a convenient metal part of the engine block - if this solves your problem you have a bad earth situation. In which case put a secondary earth strap on the negative battery terminal and bolt it to a convenient point on the engine block.

If the above fails and you have a multimeter, measure the voltage across the battery whilst cranking and then at the starter motor terminal whilst cranking (helper needed), any great difference in voltage would point to the positive strap to the starter motor being damaged and/or corroded connections. Ensure you do not tangle anything/yourself in rotating parts whilst cranking. Pop off the electrical connectors on the injectors whilst carrying out these cranking voltage tests so the engine does not start and/or become flooded. Label/number the electrical injector connectors if they are able to reach another injector! The car will still run if these are plugged into the wrong injectors just very roughly and inefficiently! If you have a single point (SPI) model then all this numbering etc. is irrelevant.
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