Well hello.

I've owned my K3 for just over a week and it hasn't stopped raining here in North Wales. No one told me about that. However what has stopped is the engine.

I've been for a few runs in the car and really enjoying it, but Thursday I started it, fired first touch, but after about ten seconds idling the engine cut out and on turning the key nothing! The starter doesn't turn, no click of the solenoid, nothing. All other electrics seem ok.

I haven't had time to investigate yet but hope to on Sunday. Any ideas?

Ian

Hi,

I would check the multi plugs going to the little black relay box next to the ecu this contains the starter relay and fuel and engine relays.Make sure the plugs to this relay box and pushed in completly and pins are pushed in and that the wires are not fasten as to put strain on the plugs.It could be a problem with the box itself.Also worth checking that the rear earthing point has good contact, may be worth cleaning up.
Hope this helps Matty

Hi Matty, thanks for that. I just tried the plugs/sockets on the relay box and the ecu, but all appear ok. Still no life. I'm going out shortly, so I'll have a better look tomorrow.

Ian

I had water, track down the loom into the multiplug (when the bb Coupe ran a K series).
All was running fine then the engine just stopped, no starter ect as you say. Just a thought

It is the little black relay box, known as the MFU (Multi-Function Unit) which has failed. The one I have removed bears the part number YWB10022-F which appears to be for the SPI K-series. Mine is the MPI engine which appears to use part number YWB100710/YWB100970. Anyone any thoughts on which is right and, indeed, does anyone have one to sell me?

Thanks guys.

Ian

Scrapyard is your best bet grab a couple of them or I have seen people do away with them by fitting a standard relay box.Not sure how critical the box number is obviously been running fine with the SPI box it just basicly has four relays on a board in it.

As suggested, I've just been to my local scrappy and bought two relay boxes for the princely sum of £5. I got a ywb100710 and the newer ywb100970, which are the MPI versions, though used on loads of other Rover/MG cars.

Plugged one in and the car started.

Thanks for all the comments.

Now when will the rain stop?

Ian

I have suffered this failure last week, I have three engine management relay modules and none of them have cured the problem.
When I turn the ignition key on I get the normal lights up and nothing changes when turn the key to start position no clicks of any relays and no starter.

Any ideas?

Have you got power to the starter when you crank,could be a bad earth, to test put a jump lead on the battery earth and straight to the engine/gearbox.

I have power at the starter, but can't get to crank off the key, I did put power to direct to solenoid and starter spins the engine over. So it looks like it is not the starter although it did not fire either, i now wondering if it is a ECU problem. I have checked all the connections, fuses and wiring that I can see and it looks fine.

Have you used a jump lead as a earth staight to starter/gearbox casing to battery.Then tried cranking with key.

Has it 'popped' the inertia switch - that used to stop My K3 periodicly - until I moved it to a more solid mounting.

I have not tried the jumper cable direct to the starter and engine earth, I will give that go.

Where is the "inertia switch"? Is it the round toped rubber unit where you push down the rubber, I think that it cuts the supply to petrol pump and therefore stops petrol pumping after a accident. If it is then my must be working as petrol pumps works fine as took off the petrol pipe to injection and turned the ignition and cover the garge with petrol
Hence I am back indoors as better let that lot evaporate.

Has it still got the Metro/Rover100 fusebox? It's a sort of plastic slab maybe half an inch thick with fuses and relays plugged into one side and the wiring loom into the other side (on plugs I think). We had a Metro and this thig burnt some tracks internally. There was 12v at the solenoid but the increases rsistance in that fusebox was enough that it couldn't flow enough current to actually throw the solenoid and start the starter otor spinning (took a while to cloc kthe problem as we did see 12v at the starter). When we got the replacement we were told that apparently they are a common failure point.

Iain

Well the saga continues, I think i rule out the fuse box as tonight I have found when I apply an earth to stepper motor plug (on any contact) I get a relay to operate in the Engine Relay box and the starter motor cranks the engine over (via the key in the ignition).
Have now gone round all 5 pins on the stepper motor, none of them have an earth on them, that would suggest the earth is applied to the stepper motor from the plug.
Working on this reasoning I should have earth on either Orange/Grey, Orange/Blue, Orange/Green or Pink/Blue which all connect to ECU, the only other wire in the plug Brown/Pink connects to Engine Relay box where it operates the main relay and oxygen senor relay, it connects back out of this box and goes to all the fuel injectors, so this one is acting as earth.

So my original Engine Relay box was a YWB 10022, i have got a YWB 100710 and YWB100970 but are these the same as the 10022
100710 seems to superseded by 100970, but looking Rimmer Bros site for 10022 the replace part has the same number but with SLP added. Do I need to get a like for like unit i.e. YWB 10022