This thing has 311k miles on it, and it is in fair shape. The engine has a bad knock that is probably a slipped liner, so I'm simply driving it as a way to get to work and back till I hand it over to my son when he gets his permit.
As with a lot of the Rover V8's, it tends to have good days and bad. But I'd say a good 75% of the time, this thing runs great! Even with the oil leaks and the knock, it is smooth and powerful.
Same thing each time it dies. It kind of warns that it is going to happen with a quick power drop or two, then it dies. Won't catch at all, but then starts up after a few minutes have passed.
Now here is where it gets odd.
After work today, I was paying attention to the way it was running and thinking that maybe it was just gunk and stickiness in the intake because it seemed to be running really well after the Seafoam treatment. And just as I thought about how it would be silly if it were to break down at the same spot that ....it broke down.
And that's when I realized that every time it quit it has done so at the same miles away from a cold start. It has died four times in a row at a distance of 3.1-3.4 miles from start when the engine was cold. And when it seemed about to die at the coffee shop, that too was 3.2 miles (I traced my drives on Google Maps...) It did not break down when my wife took it, but that was after I had run it in the driveway, started and stopped it several times, and had let it sit, then restarted it to full temp while running the Seafoam through it, all while in PARK. Then she took it out about a half hour later while it was still warm.
Today, after I got it started again, I drove another 15 miles, start and stop, turning the engine off and on several times, and I never had another problem. It only dies once per drive after a cold start.
I need to know what you think, and what my options might be.
But my theory is that the computer, at a certain temp from a cold start, shifts into a new fuel consumption program, and that the shift is not happening smoothly. Either the computer is breaking down, has a fault code that is fooling with its base settings, or because there is something mechanically wrong with the injection/intake system that is causing a shut down when the computer goes through the shift.
As with a lot of the Rover V8's, it tends to have good days and bad. But I'd say a good 75% of the time, this thing runs great! Even with the oil leaks and the knock, it is smooth and powerful.
- However, last Friday on the way to work, it started revving on it's own, then RPMs dropped and it acted like it wanted to die while I was waiting for my coffee. But I turned it off to not embarrass the other cars waiting in line. And seemed to have a difficult time starting up.
- Then on the way home after work, it lost power once or twice, suddenly, only for a second, then completely died. Turned over like a champ, but was as if the coil was unplugged, or as if out of gas. I pulled off the road, checked a few things, then it started right up.
- So on Sunday I cleaned the intake with Seafoam, checked and cleaned and fixed all the vacuum leaks I could find. And checked for any obvious signs that a plug or wire was bad. Then my wife drove it and did not report any issues.
- This morning, it died again on the way to work.
- Then after work, it died again.
Same thing each time it dies. It kind of warns that it is going to happen with a quick power drop or two, then it dies. Won't catch at all, but then starts up after a few minutes have passed.
Now here is where it gets odd.
After work today, I was paying attention to the way it was running and thinking that maybe it was just gunk and stickiness in the intake because it seemed to be running really well after the Seafoam treatment. And just as I thought about how it would be silly if it were to break down at the same spot that ....it broke down.
And that's when I realized that every time it quit it has done so at the same miles away from a cold start. It has died four times in a row at a distance of 3.1-3.4 miles from start when the engine was cold. And when it seemed about to die at the coffee shop, that too was 3.2 miles (I traced my drives on Google Maps...) It did not break down when my wife took it, but that was after I had run it in the driveway, started and stopped it several times, and had let it sit, then restarted it to full temp while running the Seafoam through it, all while in PARK. Then she took it out about a half hour later while it was still warm.
Today, after I got it started again, I drove another 15 miles, start and stop, turning the engine off and on several times, and I never had another problem. It only dies once per drive after a cold start.
I need to know what you think, and what my options might be.
But my theory is that the computer, at a certain temp from a cold start, shifts into a new fuel consumption program, and that the shift is not happening smoothly. Either the computer is breaking down, has a fault code that is fooling with its base settings, or because there is something mechanically wrong with the injection/intake system that is causing a shut down when the computer goes through the shift.
