intermittent start

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gregomega

gregomega

Active Member
Posts
127
Location
mansfield/ notts
hi guys first of all i'll apologise for this thread because i know i've seen the same problem posted before but after an hour searchin i still can't find it. So i've got a 95 es tdi auto that every so often refuses to turn over no matter how many times you turn the key it just wont go the relays click but starter won't engage! ahh i hear you say its the solenoid! however i've tried banging the starter when this fault occurs and still it won't go but this is where it gets interesting if i leave it ten mins it'll turn straight over 5 mins is no good it still won't go but 10 mins or a fag an a coffee does the trick. so any ideas guys? i'd like to get this sorted asap as i'm sure it'll fail completely at some point and probably in the worst possible place. It failed to start outside the mother-in-laws today! being stuck there any longer than i need to would definetly be out of order so please HELP!!!!
 
do you have any loose wiring.. it seems like a dead battery problem but if your battery is fine then next step is to check the wire's to the starter.

my range rover classic had a similer problem and it turned out to be a bad connection in the solonoid(the plastic/bakealite casing had cracked and was allowing the contact to move)

another thing to check is your earth straps(engine to chassie gearbox to chassie) as all electrics run a common ground(your starter bolts to the gearbox for its ground/earth) if its loose it may give the same symptoms as a dead battery(clicking solonoid failing to engage not enough turning power so on and so on)..

i'm not an expert when it come's to this but thats what i would check as a start..
 
Couldn't find any loose wiring when i fitted egr blanking kit the other day i gave it a service and general check over. The thing thats puzzling me is that without touching anything if i leave it ten mins it'll start straight up then be fine again for days before it happens again which is making it extremely difficult to diagnose because as of yet the fault hasn't occured at home where i've got the kit to get involved. it usually happens at times like today when i'm wearing cream jeans and white shirt! Starting to think the landy's got an issue with me being clean. mmm..... lol.
 
question have you checked your battery..as you may have a dead plate??

sorry this is now guess work at its best mate

another guess at its best is maybe someone as previously sat on the starter(kept it turning trying to either bleed through after running outta deisel or some other reason for keeping the starter burning)..this can damage the strator coil(i think thats the correct term but as i say i'm a little over me head now) this would cause a bad contact only at certian points on the starter which again would act like a stickie starter/batt problem ?
 
One hting that happened to my 300tdi when i had it was it had a similar problem.
someitmes would start after a few turns of key and other times had to either bump start or try again later when it burst into life.
Then one sat afternoon in B&Q car park it wouldnt start at all not even with jump leads so a call to the AA was made they sent out a indipendant garage who tried to start it by running it off the back of his truck to bump start it.he pulled it on and let it roll off a few times then said the engine was seized. the on the back of the ttruck to pennine land rover in haliax where ian the owner stayed on to receive it. after the recovery firm had dropped it off ian had a hunch what was causing it he took the alternator belt off and low and behold it started up then much to my relief. then a new alternator was fitted and not another poor starting problem again. With me thinking it was the starter i had even started to price starter motors up and glad i never got one fitted. Iwas as suprised as anyone that the alternator could stop the engine turning but it has siezed solid and had been tightening up for a while. So next time its like that pull the tensioner back and slip the belt off it it starts you know its alternator,
 
cheers guy's i'll do some investigating 2moro the battery is new so it should'nt be an issue although i have noticed the car always turns over slow when its cold but i'm sure this isn't battery as we stuck the jump leads on the other week just to see if the battery was struggling but it still turned over slow with the leads on once warm it winds over like a good un. except for the intermittent none start prob. but this has now got me wondering if the occasional none start and the slow turnover from cold could be related. thanks again and i'll let you know what i find.
 
everyone i know has slow turnover with a 300tdi i was one who replacedthe battery because of it and it made no difference but hey i had a spare battery then
 
cheers yorkshireman i'll leave the slow turnover out of the equation then. this is my first 300tdi i've only had 200's in past. Thanks to you as well SPUDY. i'll have a gander at it 2moro.
 
My 300tdi wont start, clicks when you turn the key, this prob has been intermitent and has just become permanent, thought it was the starterand was about to order one, having just read this i will now check the Alternator as it has been a bit noisy (squeels) when cold, never thought that this could be the problem, thanks will let you know
 
:confused:
ANDY MAC said:
My 300tdi wont start, clicks when you turn the key, this prob has been intermitent and has just become permanent, thought it was the starterand was about to order one, having just read this i will now check the Alternator as it has been a bit noisy (squeels) when cold, never thought that this could be the problem, thanks will let you know
Click to expand...
 
hiya yorkshireman not had chance to have a luck. had to go into work due to an inconsiderate coach breaking down in luton. Wouldn't mind but i'm not even employed as a mechanic!! Head mechanics off skiing in france and other guy not got phone on so only me available with mechanical knowledge. However the bonus being that i got to take disco on a nice long run and it performed perfectly although showed i still haven't quite cured the wandering steering problem from a few weeks ago... all part of the fun though. lol Hopefully as long as we don't get these really silly cold temps they're predicting i'll have a good look 2moro and let you know. If it is too cold theres always the rac if it does decide to be lazy again...lmao
 
Your symptoms sound similar to mine were. Mine turned out to be bad joints in the spider. Do a search for 'spider' in the discovery section and you should find some good links to fix this problem.

Or of course, it could be anyone of the other fixes mentioned in the thread.

Cheers
 
well checked the alternator this morning and it seems fine. then after checking various connections tried to start car only to find low and behold it won't go!! FINALLY ITS DONE IT AT HOME!!!! so grab the multimeter and found theres no power at the starter solenoid. so i popped my head under dash on passenger side where the relays are to see if i could find a dodgy connection but all i found was a mass of wires rather than the neat row of relays landrover intended not too mention the remains of an aftermarket alarm/immobiliser that was obviously fitted poorly and removed with even less care so i could really do with a wiring diagram or at least the colours of the starter relay wires so i can trace it all back and either repair or eliminate it. as for the spider i've never heard of it so i'll do a search later tonight when i've got abit more time to read. cheers guys.
 
funnily enough i had this prob on my 200, was really shocked when it got iggy but wouldnt start, its never ever failed. anyway it sounded like a stuck starter, wait ten mins and it would go, checked starter, alt, battery, etc etc then onto wiring in the engine bay and all was good, looked at the plug on the end of my iggy barrel and turn out it was a connection prob there. might not be your answer but for the sake of whipping a few screws out and having a check it must be worth a try, all is good for me now!!!
 
cheers for all the help guys i've found the prob and effected a temporary repair until i get back to work next week where i've access to equipment! the problem has been down to whatever numbnuts wired in the aftermarket alarm and immobiliser. The wiring from the relay to the starter is in a really poor state its been spurred into so many times it looks like it should have fairy lights connected every 2 inch. can't figure out why aftermarket system was fitted, the original system had been bypassed but on reconnecting it functions perfectly apart from the doors have had their solenoids removed. so a trip to the breakers should sort that. however i'm gonna leave it bypassed till i get back to work till i can totally inspect it for bodges. Then with view of the fact that i'm planning to do some light off roading i'll replaced any damaged or bodged cable with new, so hopefully then it'll be problem free and waterproof. THANKS
 
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