Disco 1 cutting out

Hi I have an Nreg 96 300tdi Discovery and it has cut out twice at a junction and once as I was driving each time I just turned the ignition switch off and back on and it started fine. A few weeks ago I had problems starting when warm had to keep turning the ignition on and off few times and it started it did this about 4 times. I have read about the spider under the dash that controls the immobilizer are the problems I have described signs that the spider is beginning to fail also the general performance seems a little poor just lately too . any help appreciated .

when you say poor performance? like its not getting enough fuel?

Hi yes it feels slow on acceleration and some times a bit missy like a petrol car with a plug off but not quite as harsh

have a look on you tube for fuel cut off solenoid problems.

its a magnetically controlled valve that shuts off fuel to the engine when you turn it off. when you turn your ignition on it supply's a 12v feed to the solenoid, this opens and allows fuel to flow the opposite when you turn your ignition off. when these get lazy they can fail in all sorts of ways. sounds like it could not be opening fully to allow enough fuel to the engine and when it cuts out it could just be closing? just a thought?

I 'll have a look at that tomorrow I think I have a spare one some were may be thinking it is the spider is over thinking it a bit

it cold well be the spider but a good starting point would be testing that.

if you can re-create the fault see if you are getting 12v to the solenoid, if you are then it could well be that. if not then it could be your spider or there is a relay behind the panel at the side of the accelerator pedal that could have got wet. hope its not the spider thats a pain in the ass.

this is quite a good video



its the reduced power that made me think solenoid. but again that could just be because its a landi!

Maddogtrev said:

I 'll have a look at that tomorrow I think I have a spare one some were may be thinking it is the spider is over thinking it a bit

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I assume u do have a spider, so u have a 1996MY disco and it isn't an auto.

It so don't dismiss the spider, as its this unit that provides the 12v supply to the stop solenoid when u remobilised with your fob at the same time removing the starter inhibit, there's no way to test the spider other than checking both its outputs. If it's the start of a spider issue then one day it will or could fail completely then u have problems so better to check when u have the starting problems.

Could be the lift pump , Easy to change and cheap.

When did it last have the fuel filter changed??
Start with the simple stuff.................

puddlejumper said:

When did it last have the fuel filter changed??
Start with the simple stuff.................

Click to expand...

Amen, and clean the sedimenter out too.... likely full of water and misc carp.

Hi been a busy week end I have taken on board all the suggestions I'll start at the rear and work forward 1) the sedimenter has been cleaned in the last 30 days 2) the fuel filter has also been changed in the last 30 days too.
3) the lift pump is pumping fuel fine have had pipes off and run the engine and have got loads of fuel through in no time 4) took the stop solenoid out and tested it on a battery it appears to work fine it was also nice and clean and the spring seemed ok too
5) checked various relays behind the kick panels in the foot wells they are all dry and the connections all are clean and dry. I have had a general look around and can't find any thing that looks iffy so have been on e-bay and ordered a plug to replace the spider in the mean time I am driving around with some tolls and a multi-meter so the next time it cuts out I can test it before I restart it to see if I lose power to the stop solenoid. I have done a search and read about the spider location looks like you need some patience to remove the center of the dash will keep you posted and thank you all for your help and suggestions

Should u find its the spider that's iffy the common modification is to remove the existing and install a new supply to the stop solenoid from the ignition switch, no need to dismantle the dashboard then.

Also a 5w bulb and a bit of wire is what u require for testing, a digital multimeter will still show 12v but with a bulb that won't illuminate of if it does dimly, therefore indicating an issue.

Thank you Discool point taken I will add a 5w bulb and wire to my tool kit and see were I end up with this I would like to find the problem so I'm sure its fixed !!

Hi All I started this thread in August last year and have been carrying and ever increasing tool kit ever since and my discovery has ran fine up until I left the tools at home and it immediately began to play up by not starting at the supermarket, in the petrol station and outside my mates house all in one day. To get it started I had to sit in the Disco use the fob to lock the doors put the key in the ignition try to start the engine which set the alarm off the turn the alarm off with the fob put the key back in the ignition and it would start ok. I bought a spider bypass off ebay last September and its been in the door pocket until now so after a week of the above starting procedure I took the plunge yesterday and pulled the center of the dash out took the spider out and put in the bypass plug and it now starts fine. What did surprise me is that when I lock the disco the alarm still sets and if I try to start it I turn the key and it will not turn over and the alarm goes off I did not expect the immobilizer to still work.Also the disc starts up quicker it turns over faster and it seems to me it accelerates faster and seems to run much better in general. So everything seems to work as it did before I bypassed the spider so what dose the spider do then apart from been a pain?

The spider immobiliser should, if working correctly, inhibit the engine start function, also remove the electrical supply to the stop solenoid if a diesel without the electronic diesel control.
Fitting the spider bypass would or should remove both of the spider functions.
If the alarm is set it will be activated if the ignition switch is turned on much the the same as unlocking the vehicle with a key.

Hi thank you Discool I know it doesn't make any sense but my discovery definitely seems to start and run better without the spider is there any reason it would ?