Disco 1 300Tdi EDC Wont Crank

Hi All,

Day three of D1 ownership is going well! This morning when i had to move the car it started as normal but the CHECK ENGINE lamp stayed on and the wipers wouldn't work. Parked on the driveway and decided to charge the battery from the Range Rover (long term renovation and currently without engine so not going to miss battery). This afternoon I swapped the batteries over and it started up turning much faster than before and everything worked properly. Figured I must have fixed the issue and decided to do some cleaning.

Proceeded to spend an hour and a half cleaning the interior with doors open, radio on and bong going off to warn me the key was in the ignition. Probably not one of my best ideas. Now when I go to start it there is a buzzing sound from around the fuel pump area and it doesn't crank.

Connecting a booster box doesn't seem to be making any difference. Immobiliser LED goes comes on when the door is left open for a bit but goes out when the key is turned with the fob on the ring. Tried in neutral and park incase there was an issue with the safety switch. The CHECK ENGINE lamp gets dimmer once the glow plugs finish but otherwise nothing happens. Wipers and electric windows are all out of action as well but the lights, radio and the electric seats all still work. Anyone fancy reassuring me that it will start fine tomorrow with a charged up battery? Any other ideas to check? Only other thing I can think of is that something somewhere has got wet in all the rain today or I have a bad earth somewhere and had been lucky not to see the issue before now?

Rich

Sounds like you have flattened the newer battery, not all boost boxes have enough go to start diesels, and even if they have enough go the cars battery can kill the boost boxes best efforts, so charge battery overnight and off you go.

lynall said:

Sounds like you have flattened the newer battery, not all boost boxes have enough go to start diesels, and even if they have enough go the cars battery can kill the boost boxes best efforts, so charge battery overnight and off you go.

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Fingers crossed. Is wipers etc not working a normal thing on these when the battery is low?

Rich

RAW111111 said:

Fingers crossed. Is wipers etc not working a normal thing on these when the battery is low?

Rich

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I have not owned a 300 TDI for probably 15 years now
Currently run a discovery 3, and if you leave ign on for half an hour or interior lights on, you kill the battery
So I guess not much has changed!

Oh dear. Apparently not battery. Took the disco’s battery off charge and fitted this morning - no change. Yuasa from the RR is reading 12.45V this morning which is only slightly less than the disco’s battery and I would normally consider healthy. In any case it behaved exactly the same even with the fully charged jump pack connected as well. Guess after work the next check is clean all the earths including the ones in the footwell and then perhaps look for the infamous spider?

Rich

RAW111111 said:

Oh dear. Apparently not battery. Took the disco’s battery off charge and fitted this morning - no change. Yuasa from the RR is reading 12.45V this morning which is only slightly less than the disco’s battery and I would normally consider healthy. In any case it behaved exactly the same even with the fully charged jump pack connected as well. Guess after work the next check is clean all the earths including the ones in the footwell and then perhaps look for the infamous spider?

Rich

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Don't waste your time with the spider EDC equipped disco don't have the spider immobiliser.
The earth in the footwells are a single bold connection but with multi earth terminations, so if that connection is corroded then you would I expect a few circuits to not be function.
Check you are getting a 12v supply to the starter solenoid on the side of the starter motor, if not then move to the starter relay and check that’s operating, if not then move back to the switch and the two plugs, one is a multi pin plug & socket… with loads of wires.

discool said:

Don't waste your time with the spider EDC equipped disco don't have the spider immobiliser.
The earth in the footwells are a single bold connection but with multi earth terminations, so if that connection is corroded then you would I expect a few circuits to not be function.
Check you are getting a 12v supply to the starter solenoid on the side of the starter motor, if not then move to the starter relay and check that’s operating, if not then move back to the switch and the two plugs, one is a multi pin plug & socket… with loads of wires.

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thanks for putting me off ripping the dash apart to find the spider! Going to have to sit and work through it methodically with the troubleshooting manual I think.

rich

discool said:

Check you are getting a 12v supply to the starter solenoid on the side of the starter motor, if not then move to the starter relay and check that’s operating, if not then move back to the switch and the two plugs, one is a multi pin plug & socket… with loads of wires.

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^^^ This. Connect a load to the starter solenoid energising wire* - something like a headlamp bulb - make sure the circuit can deliver the amps AND the voltage ....

if the above works, then cool ... failing same, then re-sync your immobiliser ( lock four times in a row IIRC - but it's in the handbook ).

* - AND check the actual integrity of the wire - they have been know to fall off .... ask me how I know

Buzzing from the pump is "normal" - but if it gets loud, then, you've either run out of fuel, or the FIP is getting ready for a rebuild ...

+1 on their being no spider on the EDC.

I've had two EDC D1's - one gave no trouble at all and I was a complete **** for selling it - the other one, current D1, ( in my avatar ) .... well, lets just say I took the EDC orft cos I was sick of it

Cleaned the earth in the driver’s footwell up and she fired up. Hopefully that was the problem and it’ll behave from now on.

Rich

RAW111111 said:

Cleaned the earth in the driver’s footwell up and she fired up. Hopefully that was the problem and it’ll behave from now on.

Rich

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Best clean and check the rest before the winter sets in and you draw more power from the battery than it likes ...
Always can add gearbox and engine earth straps ...

Dippypud said:

Best clean and check the rest before the winter sets in and you draw more power from the battery than it likes ...
Always can add gearbox and engine earth straps ...

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Will do that before winter. Going to go around with the lanolin rust proofer as well so will do the earths before I do that. Much nicer cleaning them now then in the cold and wet when they play up!

Rich

Make sure you check all the earth straps are there - if they're missing/kaput - the handbrake cable is known to substitute itself - producing smoke from the centre console and, shortly thereafter .... no handbrake

The 300 TDI EDC model I had years ago was never as good a starter as the non-EDC or the 200 TDI versions.
In the end I converted it to twin batteries with extra earth straps and advanced the pump timing a knatts cock then it was an okay starter.

Disco1BFG said:

Make sure you check all the earth straps are there - if they're missing/kaput - the handbrake cable is known to substitute itself - producing smoke from the centre console and, shortly thereafter .... no handbrake

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Will definitely check that. I think in autos the gear selector cable can also act as an earth. Similar results of smoke, dodgy smell, electrical gremlins and a stiff gear selector.

lynall said:

The 300 TDI EDC model I had years ago was never as good a starter as the non-EDC or the 200 TDI versions.
In the end I converted it to twin batteries with extra earth straps and advanced the pump timing a knatts cock then it was an okay starter.

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I think injection timing has a lot to play in EDC engines reputation for not being good starters. P38 diesels for example are often fitted with the hot start bodge box rather than fixing the actual problem by setting the injection timing. I’ll admit even with the timing right moms DSE doesn’t jump into life on the first cylinder the way my Volvo or Peugeot with mechanical pumps do. This one is probably about right I’d guess but I’ll definitely be checking next time I give it a service.

Edit to clarify: I have too many cars yes, but the Volvo is actually off the road and the Peugeot is my wife’s so not quite as bad as it sounds!

Rich

RAW111111 said:

Will definitely check that. I think in autos the gear selector cable can also act as an earth. Similar results of smoke, dodgy smell, electrical gremlins and a stiff gear selector.




I think injection timing has a lot to play in EDC engines reputation for not being good starters. P38 diesels for example are often fitted with the hot start bodge box rather than fixing the actual problem by setting the injection timing. I’ll admit even with the timing right moms DSE doesn’t jump into life on the first cylinder the way my Volvo or Peugeot with mechanical pumps do. This one is probably about right I’d guess but I’ll definitely be checking next time I give it a service.

Edit to clarify: I have too many cars yes, but the Volvo is actually off the road and the Peugeot is my wife’s so not quite as bad as it sounds!

Rich

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I think you will find it is quite common for lr owners to have multiple vehicles!

Disco1BFG said:

^^^ This. Connect a load to the starter solenoid energising wire* - something like a headlamp bulb - make sure the circuit can deliver the amps AND the voltage ....

if the above works, then cool ... failing same, then re-sync your immobiliser ( lock four times in a row IIRC - but it's in the handbook ).

* - AND check the actual integrity of the wire - they have been know to fall off .... ask me how I know

Buzzing from the pump is "normal" - but if it gets loud, then, you've either run out of fuel, or the FIP is getting ready for a rebuild ...

+1 on their being no spider on the EDC.

I've had two EDC D1's - one gave no trouble at all and I was a complete **** for selling it - the other one, current D1, ( in my avatar ) .... well, lets just say I took the EDC orft cos I was sick of it

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Hi. Can i pick your brain about the EDC. I have power to the glow plugs and solenoid and diesel into the injector pump but not out. Removed the spring and plunger on the solenoid but still no go. Cranks over and immobilizer seems to work. Timing looks correct. I am in Ireland and mine is a Jap import with full service history. Just want her running so i can offload her. Cheers

Soggybite3 said:

Hi. Can i pick your brain about the EDC

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You can try, but I've forgotten most of what I knew .... What do diagnostics say ?

Rather than hijack this thread - I'd start another one