Good day to one and all.
Whilst not totally inept when it comes to vehicles, I'm looking at waving the white flag on this one. Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
2007 Diesel Manual with 131,000 on the clock. Completed top end rebuilt - bastard of a job with engine in car! - and now it's not even thinking about starting.
Cylinder head gasket replaced, plus head and valve full inspection due to ingested bolt! (see previous post).
After careful rebuild, checking all sensors correctly connected, attempted fuel pump priming etc ... nothing!
Using an iCarsoft V2.0 (which won't even code the injectors on this beastie!) I find an existing fault with the hill descent / abs pump, low fuel rail pressure, air intake sensor low reading (disconnected) and no other obviously relevant fault codes. OBD2 reading shows no faults.
Fuel primer bulb seems not to be fully air tight, but does provide resistance when pumped.
All obvious electrics checked with no fault found. Rev counter does move (a little) when cranking.
Easy Start gets five seconds of (rattly) running but no joy.
She gives the impression of not getting fuel to the injectors, or the injectors not operating. It's not the fairly common problem of the camshaft end fuel pump drive being damaged as this is in prefect condition when inspected.
As stated above, I'll be grateful for any suggestions - however obscure.
I strongly suspect the problem is one of "The nut behind the wheel", but I admit to running low on sensible ideas to sort it.
Many thanks in anticipation of your normally excellent assistance.

Well the good news if easy start will get her to run, then mechanically your not far away.

Don't understand the comments about priming, stick the priming bulb in the line between the filter and the camshaft driven pump, but don't connect to the pump. Squeeze away until you get cramp in your hand, swap hands and fuel should come out. If it doesn't then you have an air leak and the high pressure pump doesn't stand a chance, in fact you will it by running it dry.

Once you have fuel coming out connect to the high pressure pump, give her another couple of pumps and try again.

Electrical gremlins - maybe crank sensor, maybe fuel tank gauges - will not start if she THINKS that there is insufficient fuel.

Can I admit to having a fuel can for an outboard - complete with priming bulb, easy way of eliminating the fuel supply as a possibility, and a plug that connects to the tank that mimics half a tank of fuel. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

I must admit, I don't find a top end rebuild too bad on these engines, unfortunately I've done mine twice now, and replace a piston, which isn't fun in situ
You want to try the DTV8, now that is a PITA.

For a non start.
Did you use a hand pump to prime the fuel system?

The lift pump isn't strong enough to pull fuel all the way from the tank without priming manually first.

Also make sure you've got the rail connector (red) and cam sensor connector (white) the correct way round. Also how did you set the cam sensor air gap?
I'm assuming the timing belt was timed correctly.

Can you post a good quality picture of the engine, so we can see everything is as it should be? Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate. The family car.
2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Gone.
2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE. Gone.
Audi A5 convertible, my daily driver.
1972 Hillman Avenger GT, the project.

5 seconds of rattly running sounds like valve timing is out - recheck indexes after belt refit

When I prime the fuel system with bulb hand pump it is fairly soft at first but hardens up as it sucks up the fuel, I keep going until I can't hear air bubbling in the fuel tank from the return any more - then I know all the air has been pumped through. Jules

I got to the same point after rebuilding the top end of my motor. After trying to prime the system multiple times I saw a video on YouTube where someone used a brake bleed kit connected to an air compressor to draw the fuel through the system by connecting it to the return line on the fuel filter. I have never been so relieved when the thing started!

Well, many thanks for the replies.
Having read them through, the idea that the timing might be out (I'd thought of that already, and it had remained a small nagging doubt, despite believing all to be done properly) seemed a possibility. Had time enough today to check using the prescribed locking kit. Unless there are two suitable holes in either the camshaft pulley or the flywheel - which would be a devilish trick, even for Land Rover - everything lined up perfectly.

All the electrical connections are correct - I tagged them with tape as I removed them - and indeed it would be quite hard to get them wrong as the plugs are designed to only fit the correct socket... although I'm not above applying a certain amount of persuasion (sometimes in error I admit) if required.

The Camshaft sensor gap was set up according the advice of Monsieur Haynes (a 7mm drill bit if I recall), but that does not mean it isn't faulty.

Worst is the priming pump. Although supposedly designed specifically for the Freelander / Ford / Volvo / PSA engine, I still find air entering the clear pipes around the pump wherever I use it - in front, or after, the filter. This means that I cannot completely eliminate air from the system prior to cranking.

The fuel level seems fine, reading 3/4 of a tank, and plenty coming through when using the primer bulb.

Despite all this - and I admit that the air in the priming process is a problem - I feel that the fuel pump solenoid may not be being activated ( it was removed and checked whilst the pump was off the car). Does anyone know exactly what signals the ECU is looking for to enable it to trigger the solenoid, and also those needed for the injectors to function?

I'm impressed Nodge68. For me, removing the EGR cooler on Cynthia (got to call her something after all this time!) whilst she was on a pair of axle stands with me lying on my back on a cold garage floor, with crap lighting and frozen hands, has been about as tricky as anything I've done. If your DT V8 is worse than that, I truly take my hat (extra thick wooly) off to you.

Have you tried a few sprays of Easy Start to at least see if she will fire up for you.

I Like Chips wrote:

Have you tried a few sprays of Easy Start to at least see if she will fire up for you.

French Chris wrote:

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Easy Start gets five seconds of (rattly) running but no joy
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Yes I re read the original post