300tdi in Def 90 clicks on start up

My DEFender won't start and only gives me a clicking sound from a relay when I turn the key, I have a brake warning light constantly too. Everything cuts out when I turn the ignition.

I have a brand new battery, fully charged to rule out the battery as a cause.

My best guess was a ground issue and the only chassis earth point I have found is around 30cm, was attached to the passenger engine mount via ring connector, with the other end of the wire loose.

The negative to gearbox cable has been all cleaned up, as have battery connectors.

Please if you have any idea of what to do or where that short ground cable might have been attached let me know before I miss some good bank holiday driving.

Would the alternator ground to the chassis?

Could be the starter brushes are worn or poor connection on the solenoid. Make sure the small spade connector on the solenoid is clean and tight. If that doesn't help give the starter a good whack with a lump of wood or similar, if that cures it you may be looking at a starter rebuild.

Everything looking like it is cutting out when the starter is operated is pretty normal as far as I remember as the switch is designed to disconnect all the auxiliary stuff so the starter has maximum available power.

Brake warning light could be low fluid (if you have a low level switch in the cap)

Thanks a lot. I'll check though your points now. Can't believe I didn't even think to check the fluid.

So on a full key turn the starter solenoid is engaging and clicking, but the starter isn't.

However if I bridge the constant 12v starter wire to ignition spade with a screwdriver it starts perfectly.

Thing is I guess from this you'd expect an ignition fault? Does the spade on the starter solenoid need to receive a certain voltage? I'm reading around 11.9v on key turn at the end of the red white wire. So there is a small drop from the battery en route to the solenoid spade.

Had a look at getting to the ignition switch wiring and it looks like pure hell. Is it possible to relove the ignition barrel without taking the entire dash off and accessing it that way?

Really grateful for any help you guys could offer, particularly any suggestions that don't involve removing the dash

LD1989 said:

So on a full key turn the starter solenoid is engaging and clicking, but the starter isn't.

However if I bridge the constant 12v starter wire to ignition spade with a screwdriver it starts perfectly.

Thing is I guess from this you'd expect an ignition fault? Does the spade on the starter solenoid need to receive a certain voltage? I'm reading around 11.9v on key turn at the end of the red white wire. So there is a small drop from the battery en route to the solenoid spade.

Had a look at getting to the ignition switch wiring and it looks like pure hell. Is it possible to relove the ignition barrel without taking the entire dash off and accessing it that way?

Really grateful for any help you guys could offer, particularly any suggestions that don't involve removing the dash

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Is that 11.9v with the terminal connected or disconnected from the starter? Having the voltage on the end of a disconnected wire doesn't mean that you will get the same voltage with it connected as any resistance in the line (poor contacts/corrosion etc) will reduce the voltage when a current is flowing in the wire. Is your 300 a standard 300 (from build), if it is then it may still have the factory immobiliser which is prone to dry joints (it immobilises the starter and fuel solenoid using separate relays). Have a look in the battery compartment on the front facing wall to see if there is a black box about 100mm square with a plastic conduit leading to it. That is the immobiliser box, give it a whack with a rubber mallet or lump of wood and try again. If it is there, or cures the fault, there is a way to fix it which I can explain later if that is the case.

That reading was with the wire disconnected. It's a 1989 with a 300 put into it at a later date. I don't think I have an immobiliser. I'll have a look around.

If I had a poor contact on the solenoid wouldn't that mean that bridging it wouldn't have started the engine? The wiring is a bit shocking and hard to follow at times. Should I read resistance throughout the ignition wiring path and try and find a bad section?

LD1989 said:

That reading was with the wire disconnected. It's a 1989 with a 300 put into it at a later date. I don't think I have an immobiliser. I'll have a look around.

If I had a poor contact on the solenoid wouldn't that mean that bridging it wouldn't have started the engine? The wiring is a bit shocking and hard to follow at times. Should I read resistance throughout the ignition wiring path and try and find a bad section?

Click to expand...

Don't think I have a wiring diagram for an 89 (200?). If the wiring goes straight from the switch to the solenoid then you could measure the resistance and it should be less than 1 ohm as a rough guide, if there is a relay in between that makes things a bit more difficult. When you said in the first post that you could hear a click from a relay are you sure it is a relay (near to the gear lever?) or are you hearing the click from the starter solenoid? If it is a relay put your fingers on the relays when you try to start, you should feel one of them click and that will be the starter relay. You could then pull it out to see if there are any burnt/damaged contacts (on the relay and the relay socket). If one of the other relays has the same part number then you could try swapping to see if that changes anything. Just be aware that the indicator relay is in the same area so you don't want to get things mixed up! If it all looks ok and swapping doesn't help then it sounds like a poor connection. Let me know how you get on and we can discuss further.

Was the bloody starter relay. Swapped it for a spare and jobs a goodun. Thanks so much for your help.

LD1989 said:

Was the bloody starter relay. Swapped it for a spare and jobs a goodun. Thanks so much for your help.

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No probs, glad its sorted