Why won't it start?

I've got a series 3 swb diesel 1983. After driving it for several weeks without fault It broke down at work and wouldn't start after i drove it to work.
When i tried to start it to get home it caught then died. I turned it over again and again until there was a very nasty smell like burning from the engine bay. The recovery agent stated it was an air leak in the fuel system, and managed to get it running so i could get it home by releasing air from one of the injector pipes. This got me home but then it wouldn't start again.

The fuel system has been checked and fixed. No air leaks now, but it still wouldn't start. It turned over but very slowley as if the batt was flat. This was removed and fully charged for 24hr. Again when refitted it turned over slowly as if a flat battery.

Due to the earlier smell of burning it was presumed that the starter motor had burnt out. A new one sourced from John Craddocks has now been fitted. Again it wouldn't start. This was thought to be due to a faulty earth, so the earth to the s/motor was replaced. Still won't start, still sounds like a flat battery, i.e. slow turn over as if the battery has died.

A new battery was bought from Halfords and fitted. But it still won't start and still has a very slow turn over. All lights and electrics work.

What else could it be? One extremely annoyed and ever so much poorer owner.

have you checked the main starter feed cable ? - big fat red one direct from the battery - and go re-check all of the earths, just because they look ok don't assume they will be - undo them all, clean all surfaces with something abrasive (wire brush/steel wool, ickle flap wheel) then do em up nice and tight, using star washers and nylocs if you fancy

once you are sure the connectivity is good THEN start pondering battery/starter/solenoid issues

Mick Dunn said:

The fuel system has been checked and fixed.

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where was it leaking ?

A good way of checking to see if you've got an earth problem is to get a decent set of jumpleads and connect one end on to the engine(on a lifting eye or a head bolt) and the other end to a good point on the chassis. If it turns over better then you've got an earth problem. You can also put one end to the battery negative terminal and the other end to the chassis to see if the battery is earthed properly

I don't know where the leak was in the fuel line, a mechanic fixed that as i was on nights and too tired to do it myself.

had a similar problem......cleaning connections etc seemed to help a little but problem just wouldn't go away so I decided to re-route the wires from the battery to the starter as they ran between the engine and bulkhead and I thought they might be squashed and damaged. Couldnt find anything wrong with them til I used a multimeter and found massive resistance in the feed cable even though there was no sign of damage or kinks etc Can only think its corrosion inside.......anyway replaced to feed cable and she turns over like a goodun
You can check this by running a jump lead from solenoid to battery and turning over the engine to see if it helps.....if it does then you know its the feed cable or connection.....used this to get me started a few times before changing the cable, its a bit awkward and watch for shorting to earth

The connectors are sometimes crimped onto the cables and these can go high resistance - changing the cables looks like the next logical step. Blue Beasty's suggestion should help you work out if this is the problem.

You need a special low resistance meter to measure battery cables as being thick cables the resistance is low, a visual inspection usually tells you a lot.
The jump lead trick is a good start, and you caould also try jamming a screwdriver accross the solenoid, allthough being a diesel this might not start the engine as the starter wont engage.
Give it a tow start, that'll show if theres a starting issue as well.

dr pepper said:

You need a special low resistance meter to measure battery cables as being thick cables the resistance is low, a visual inspection usually tells you a lot.
The jump lead trick is a good start, and you caould also try jamming a screwdriver accross the solenoid, allthough being a diesel this might not start the engine as the starter wont engage.
Give it a tow start, that'll show if theres a starting issue as well.

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another way is measure battery volts while cranking. note reading.
then measure the same from the starter connection and crank it.
the readings should be the same, any difference is the volt drop.
volt drop will be caused by a high resistance joint, as stated above, then its a matter of finding it.
could also try cranking it and watching for smoke / heat at the connections as high resistance joints = heat.
be careful if your feeling for em' as they do get hot and can cause burns.

just a thought, you havent bought a 24volt starter and fitted that have you?

Blimy, so much info. Don't know what voltage starter motor i purchased, just gave all the veh det's to Craddocks, and hoped they sent me the right one. Thanks for all the tips, gonna pay a man to do it for me as i think i'll prob make it worse. Elec's are not somthing i'm any good at. Bolt it, re trim it and paint it. That's prob my limit.
Thanks again all.

nrgserv said:

just a thought, you havent bought a 24volt starter and fitted that have you?

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probly bought a ****part starter and there crap

Glow Plugs? Just a Thought. Since there was a Burning Smell.