1990 Range Rover

Fired Up – Starting the 1990 Range Rover CSK

The last time we showed you the assessment done on the wonderful 1990 Range Rover CSK that we currently have in at Bridge Classic Cars for sympathetic restoration.

After the assessment was done by our technician Mauro, the first port of call was to try and get the 3.9 litre V8 to fire into life. From the assessment, we could see all of the soft fuel lines had cracked and were too brittle to attempt to be pressurised. For that, Mauro fitted up a testbed fuel system to ensure the Range Rover would get all the fuel it could need.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, the starter motor had failed. Before rigging up the fuel, Mauro installed the brand new starter motor to the engine to make sure the big V8 would turn over well enough to be fired.

With the testbed system in place, it was a case of adding the fuel, the air and spark into the chambers. Success. The now 31-year-old V8 roared into life inside of our workshop.

Next on the list of mechanical checks for the CSK while it’s here at Bridge Classic Cars, is to see if the Range Rover will move under its own power…

Getting Started – Fitting a New Starter Motor to the 1990 Range Rover CSK.

A starter motor is the unsung hero of any car. You rely on it for vehicles new and old to begin every sort of adventure.

Eventually, however, they do give up. That is the story of the starter motor on the 1990 Range Rover CSK we have in at Bridge Classic Cars. Our technician Mauro began looking into exactly what was happening.

After removing the old starter motor, he found it to be in rather a bad shape. A massive crack was found in the stator, this was due in part to the ignition switch on the steering column. When Mauro first tried to check to see if any power was going to the starter, he noted that the 3rd position would not return the 2nd position. This meant that the starter motor was constantly on which caused the crack in the stator.

After the replacement starter motor had been delivered, Mauro tested the component on the bench to check it operated as it should before installing it into this very rare piece of 4×4 history. Along with the starter motor, Mauro also cleaned up some of the grounding points.

The next step for the CSK here at Bridge Classic Cars will be firing up the 3.9 litre V8 with this very lucky customer right next to it to enjoy the first start.