Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

1995 214 cab went on 40mile run then another 10 mile trip returned home the other 50 miles never missed a beat. this was on Friday not used Sat or sun or Monday came to start on Tuesday just turned over non start, left had dinner tried it again it started revs were up and down and cutting out. I i had got petrol on way home Friday so suspected that took sample and its crystal clear please has anybody got any ideas.

Turning over and not starting sounds like the rotor arm - nice easy and cheap fix.

Yes, check if you've got a spark at the plugs as the first step. The next step is to see if fuel is getting in, the plugs should smell of petrol.

up date spark at coil spark at plug plugs

would a code reader be any help?

A generic OBDII code reader won’t unfortunately for a car this early - you’ll need Pscan or Rover T4.

If you post where you are, someone local may be able to help.

Will the car start and run if you spray Easy Start or similar into the throttle body? If it does, it narrows it down to a fuelling issue, at least.

When you checked the spark at the plugs, was it a strong spark? It should be able to jump 12 to 15 mm to the engine case. If it's a weak spark, it may not fire properly under compression. You mentioned the revs going up and down and cutting out. The ECU will try to compensate if the firing isn't reliable.

Some other possibilities. Are all the vacuum tubes attached to the inlet manifold attached and in good condition. There is at least one going to the ECU to detect manifold pressure. If there's a leak here, air can get in and weaken the mixture. Another possibility is that the crankshaft sensor is failing so the ECU doesn't get reliable timing. These can fail without warning, often temperature sensitive.

If all these are good then you are back to fuel and it might be worth checking fuel pressure is correct. You implied it had been running fine, and then suddenly started playing up.

if anyone can help i live in stockport greater manchester