not starting

AA Rescue man Defeated....can anyone else stick their spanner in?
Ok...drove home last night no problems what so ever, got in about an hour later and the car just turned over but wouldn't start. on the dash it was saying gear box fault but it often says that if the battery is getting low. Called the AA and he checked for a spark..none, checked the plugs..dry. checked all relays and fuses and bridged the fuel pump relays and the pump started running. tried his diagnostic device and there was powere to that but the bluetooth to his van computer would not pick it up. So on his report he says no switched earth to fuel pump relay or ecu relay...any idea's?

chrisvlane said:

AA Rescue man Defeated....can anyone else stick their spanner in?
but it often says that if the battery is getting low

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It's my, albeit limited, experience that most Landrovers after about '98 with ECU's and 'electronics' are pretty susceptible to low battery power .. first thing I'd do is make sure the battery has the right amount of electrolyte in it, if not top-up, then charge it overnight and see what happens.

Low battery voltage leading to loss of sync would be my bet.

Message centre displaying Gearbox Fault - won't stop the car from starting in normal conditions, it just means that the gearbox will be in Limp-home-mode-3rd-gear-only mode....

I agree with PaulD, check the battery is tip top and fully charged, the P38 hate weak batteries, even by a tiny fraction - it causes havoc with the overly sensitive and diva like electronics and ECU's.

Check the under bonnet fuse box for signs/smells of burning as these are a known weak point and often causing starting issues....

Do you have the Orange Check Engine Light on the dash as a bulb check when you first turn the ignition on?? - Can't remember which year it is, but upto a certain year if it doesn't come on it menas the BeCM and the Engine ECU needed to be resynced, and for the other years -if it does come on but goes off when cranking (I think) it means the resync is required....

First thing is to check the battery....

Datatek beat me to it - in a shorter way than I....

PS: are my posts too long???

Saint.V8 said:

Datatek beat me to it - in a shorter way than I....

PS: are my posts too long???

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Yeah, condense. War and peace is not required. The Russkies fought the Frogs will do.

wammers said:

Yeah, condense. War and peace is not required. The Russkies fought the Frogs will do.

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Noted and will do my best - I get it from my Dad - ask him a Question and he is the true font of all knowledge and will give you the answer, then find references to it in the myriad of books he has collected, then provide photographic evidence from 'His jaunt in the Sudan...' then be prepared for a 3 hour epic on the design, development, testing, commisioning and subsiquent maintenance thereof of the said item....

I love him to bits, and you can truly ask him anything and he will give an informed and educated answer with backup....but at times all I want to know is the what the time is, or if the toilet is free!!

(Love yer really Dad)

Sh!t that answer was quite long too...!!

Thanks guys, good information. i have had problems with the battery draining even after replacing the battery a few months ago. the car usually starts with one turn of the engine and there seemed plenty of life in it because it turned the engine over for about two minutes befor you could feel the battery draining..the AA guy had his booster on it too and still wouldnt start. with no spark or petrol pump running could it be immobiliser related? i say that because earlier in the day I could not use the key fob to lock the car so I used the key...when I went to start the car "engine disabled" came up but a few seconds later it started ........... sorry Saint for the long reply

Loss of sync from weak battery, weak battery because of RF reciever drain...

Resync, new battery, d/c RF receiver

Concise?

RF Reciever disconected 6 months ago...

how do i resync?

Poor quality batteries or something else draining them such as door locks etc? Resync needs syncmate or similar diagnostic magic box plugging in. Maybe someone local has one? Or you might invest? Otherwise trip to local indie ir dealer

Phoned C & A 4 x 4 in Colne....first thing he said was re-sync, coming out tomorrow with his box of tricks...fingers crossed, will let you know the result. thanks guys.

Next problem to address is the bloody think keeps overheating...I can hear you all running out the door lol, basically i bought a crock of s**te!!

ref Over heating:

Check the viscous fan is working properly with a rolled up newspaper, see if you can stop/considerably slow the fan when the engine is up to temp...if you can fan unit is duff

Check the rad is warm all over as they do tend to silt up

Check the firmness of the rad hoses when the engine is up to temp - firm is ok, solid is iffy

Check the oil cap for water in oil - check the expansion tank for oil in water

Consider a static pressure check on the cooling system and a gas sniffer test thingy (the one that tests for Hydrocarbons in the coolant)

Bleed the system according to the RAVE manuals - could be an airlock

Check the stat - does it open and close?

chrisvlane said:

RF Reciever disconected 6 months ago...

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If you disconnected the aerial, it is still possible for a malfunction of the RF receiver to drain the battery and burn your lock motors. If it's the early type replace it before it costs you.