'97 4.0 p38 wont start

Was driving around happily today, got to work, parked the car and then an hour later she wouldn't start. the starter motor turns, there are no warning messages but she just won't take. can anyone suggest a sensible checklist of things to eliminate one by one to find the problem? i'm not very experienced in fixing cars but make up for it by being keen!

incidentally, the car had been losing coolant for a couple of weeks. there's a little puddle underneath whenever i stop but no leaks, its coming from the overflow tank's overflow pipe i think. i've been topping it up every morning but didn't think much of it because it HAS been freakishly hot here for a while. could this be related?

cheers!

by turns do you mean it clicks....if its clicking it means your battery is low

The puddle is probably your air con draining......perfectly normal

Sirus said:

by turns do you mean it clicks....if its clicking it means your battery is low

Click to expand...

hi sirius,

no the starter cranks as normal, just no ignition. checked plugs and leads, all fine. as for the puddle, i think i may have found the leak. right around the edge of the aluminium clamping collar on one of the rubber pipes i notice discoloration, like very mild coolant-coloured limescale in a dribble pattern. will know more... once i get the car to start!!

have a look at as many connections as you can, particulerly the two on to on the intake manifold!

Just to update, it was in fact the battery. Just ever so slightly under-charged so the various electronic brains were going epileptic. I twigged when at one point it gave me a "TRACTION FAILURE" message. Had recently read about it on here so that was my "aha!" moment.

Thanks to all for your inputs!

ps. might just add it seems quite silly and un-ruggedised if you ask me for Land Rover to have a nervous fit because the battery voltage had dropped a few tenths of a volt.