Electrical help needed

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Lord Bungle

New Member
Posts
10
Vehicle 1994 200tdi disco

The other night (its always as night isn't it) I went to turn lights on and nothing, no full beam, no side lights no Dipped. I get out and notice no interior lights, No clock and no Radio. I think words along lines of oh dear just what I need (except not so polite) and lock the vehicle up, It then unlocks then relocks its self setting alarm off, I put key back in and unlock and relock again and it repeats this. In the end I open up bonnet, unlock relock and disconect battery, as my neighbors were starting to show signs of disaproval (remember this is around 11.30 at night) On reconection of battery in the morning the car does same thing again, then when I get it to stop sounding the alarm it starts to sound when I put key in ignition and try to start it. Its now sitting with a disconected battery as my langauge was starting to cause more upset than the horn beeping.





Has anyone got any idea what is going on? Wouldn't mind as much but I have just fitted new brakes all round rear bearings, new waterpump and given it a service. and fitted a new head gasket. so don't really feel like pulling it apart for scrap.
 
Yes your right allways at night when you need it!!!

First I would check battery voltage, give the terminals a clean. as for the lights I would trace from the start, Battery,Fuse,Switch,Relays

Give that try see where you get.
Stu
 
Battery seems ok as car fires up (once I have got alarm to shut up) first time.
have looked at fuses under the steering wheel and all seem fine. had radio out and discovered remote wire was bare and could have shorted, but I would say this would blow the fuse rather than lights as different circuit.
 
If fuse is ok, I would check that you have power to it. Should be live all the time on a Brown/Purple wire from fuse MF3 in the engine bay fusebox (60A)
 
I don't have an engine bay fusebox, I do have what looks like a big relay on left side of bulkhead (looking at it) with 12v70amp printed on it, I would think this is for the starter motor. It does run and turns over quite happily once alarm has stopped sounding the horn.
 
Give your stark a wiggle see if anything happens, could be dodgy wire which has broken free and needs soldering back again, also give the connectors to the headlights a wiggle they are prone to go.
 
Sure there is also a relay for the 200, in the passenger foot well bank of 3 i think. if you turn the lights on/off is there any clicking?
 
it sounds like a problem i had with my old disco some years ago.
this problem came and went for some time untill i finally found it was the fusable links in the wiring loom that had corroded.
if you feel the positive wire that comes off your battery and follow it up the loom on the drivers side inner wing you should be able to feel the connections from a large cable to several smaller ones, this is where the links are and they corrode. carefully cut the loom to reveal the wires and inspect all the joints.
i cleaned mine, bound with thin copper wire and resoldered the connections.
hope this helps
 
thanks folks :D I will check that out when I have time :) off to view a new house tomorrow. I asked this same question on another landrover forum and the 1 reply I got basicaly said I think you have an electrical problem. I think I know what Land Rover Forum I shall be using from now on
 
I posted up a reply earlier saying that you should check the fusible links for corrosion in the engine cavity....but then got confused when I checked in Haynes and it told me there was no fusebox under the bonnet on the 200 ....I was sure I had had a similar problem on a 200 but the doubt set in and I didnt want to steer you wrong , so I deleted the post after about 10 minutes .

I am glad to hear someone else say that about the corroded fusibles because it means I am not losing my marbles quite as badly and you have an answer to your problem , or a possible at least . Just goes to show - Haynes : bag 'o' ****e . Couldnt find my old 200 workshop book or disc though ......
 
I have been doing a fair bit of daylight driving in last couple of days and it gets stranger, Now the Alarm works 100% and this afternoon while heading back to Hampshire from Northampton I bashed my head on the roof when the Radio came on, thought oooh I wonder if the Headlights work, turned them on and the lit then died along with the radio, I am going to check fuses as I know the screen does leek a bit (it is a disco llol) so thats tomorrows job. Thanks for help :)
 
It'd be a good idea to also check the earth connections and earth braid wires .. make sure the battery earth is very good, and there's another from chassis to engine .. dunno exactly where 'cos mines a 300 .. ;)

Give the braid a good pull, the lead can look good but be utterly corroded within .. if you pull it off it might be a good sign! A quick fix might be to use jump leads if you don't have a spare earth lead .. ;)
 
ive just had the same problem gez, look just behind the battery and there should be a little black earth wire bolted to the inner wing, (down the back of the battery) i just run a thick new wire straight from the negitive terminal stright to that little earth and bam i had electric back, may not be your problem but was mine, just try it who nows and its a free fix :) let us no
 
Adding extra earths to D1s is never wasted effort , to block , chassis and body . After checking the above starter one which as pointed out is a favourite
 
Congratulations to those that said fusible links under the bonnet, after checking fuses, relays more relays I found hiding behind kick panel in drivers foot well and a relay well up behind everything, getting the multimeter out and trying to work out if lights work when I move relay myself (ouch to some of those sparks) and if the switches work, why is there no power going to the switching side of the relay? Looked in engine bay checked earths, And then discovered the fusible links, all I can say is what fool came up with an idea like that and what were they smoking, a good think wire running to 4 pieces of wire that looked like a well Those of a certain age may remember soldering a tin box together in metalwork in secondary school, the soldering on the fusible links looked like they had employed the same tools to do the job, cut out the lovely green section of wire/solder and oxidisation and rejoined it together, In doing this I was greeted by the sound of the alarm going off, doors shut, locked unlock locked etc still it went off, car could be started so the alarm horn connection got unplugged, I then noticed the clock, I knew the clock was there but had never been able to tell the time as it was so dull I was never sure if it worked or not, but there it was glowing like it had sat on an LED. Whoopee I thought job done, but alas still no lights, poking around with a multimeter I discovered part of the fuse box had no power, so as it was starting to get damp and I was starting to get cold I have jerry rigged (Bodged what ever you want to call it) a wire across the fusebox to power the lights this resulted in all lights working and the radio coming back to life (except for when something happens ) As it also seemed to make the side lights work no mater what position the switch is in I fitted a switch so now I have lights, radio a horn (yes that had stopped as well even though alarm would sound it) Hazard lights and an interior light. EXCEPT when I turn the light switch off I loose radio Horn, interior lights and the clock resets its self.

I think a rewire may be on the cars (Its drivable for now and at night it just looks more modern as I have to have daytime running lights on ) :D


I am sure there will be more on this as time goes on.


Thanks for all the suggestions I am now off to investigate the bottom of a pint glass
 
EXCEPT when I turn the light switch off I loose radio Horn, interior lights and the clock resets its self.
Click to expand...

This is usually down to the trailer socket. On a 300 it is fuse 6 in the upper satellite fusebox. This may give you an idea, but I don't know the details for a 200.
 

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Lord Bungle said:
Congratulations to those that said fusible links under the bonnet, after checking fuses, relays more relays I found hiding behind kick panel in drivers foot well and a relay well up behind everything, getting the multimeter out and trying to work out if lights work when I move relay myself (ouch to some of those sparks) and if the switches work, why is there no power going to the switching side of the relay? Looked in engine bay checked earths, And then discovered the fusible links, all I can say is what fool came up with an idea like that and what were they smoking, a good think wire running to 4 pieces of wire that looked like a well Those of a certain age may remember soldering a tin box together in metalwork in secondary school, the soldering on the fusible links looked like they had employed the same tools to do the job, cut out the lovely green section of wire/solder and oxidisation and rejoined it together, In doing this I was greeted by the sound of the alarm going off, doors shut, locked unlock locked etc still it went off, car could be started so the alarm horn connection got unplugged, I then noticed the clock, I knew the clock was there but had never been able to tell the time as it was so dull I was never sure if it worked or not, but there it was glowing like it had sat on an LED. Whoopee I thought job done, but alas still no lights, poking around with a multimeter I discovered part of the fuse box had no power, so as it was starting to get damp and I was starting to get cold I have jerry rigged (Bodged what ever you want to call it) a wire across the fusebox to power the lights this resulted in all lights working and the radio coming back to life (except for when something happens ) As it also seemed to make the side lights work no mater what position the switch is in I fitted a switch so now I have lights, radio a horn (yes that had stopped as well even though alarm would sound it) Hazard lights and an interior light. EXCEPT when I turn the light switch off I loose radio Horn, interior lights and the clock resets its self.

I think a rewire may be on the cars (Its drivable for now and at night it just looks more modern as I have to have daytime running lights on ) :D


I am sure there will be more on this as time goes on.


Thanks for all the suggestions I am now off to investigate the bottom of a pint glass
Click to expand...


Enjoy your beer...

When your thinking of your re-wire, get a large piece of ply, some largish panel pins and a wiring diagram.

Make a wiring harness...

Draw it up on the ply...put the wires in one by one, mark 'em up,(it'll help when fitting).

You can add bits for stereo changes and extra lights.

You can make several smaller looms rather than one huge one.:D

Radio spares or Maplins sell the multiplugs
 
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