Now she won't start!

Some of you might have seen my recent thread about refitting the gearbox. She's all fitted now, everything bolted up and comes time to try her out.

So when I turn the key I get two lights on the dash. Oil and Battery. But the battery gauge doesn't raise as it usually would and the glow plug light doesn't come on either. Turn it to start and nothing at all. Nada, nilch, zip...

Nothing else electrical is working either. No lights, radio etc.

So I have 3 questions:

1. Why does my Landy hate me so much?
2. What the hell is wrong now?
and
3. Can somebody PLLLLLEEEEAAASSSSEEEEEEEEE help me before I lose my sanity and go buy a Ford Galaxy?
:mad2:

you forgot to reconnect the earth strap that was on the gearbox.. or it needs cleaning and rebolted at all the points ?

test by sticking a jump lead to neg bat term and the other to the engine block.. see if everything now works

I have the negative earth from the battery bolted to the back of the transfer box. This was how it was when I dismantled. Am I missing something else?

Thanks for the help by the way.

try the jump lead thing anyway, might be a bad connection and it's easy to test

trax said:

try the jump lead thing anyway, might be a bad connection and it's easy to test

Click to expand...

+1

Also, check the exciter wire. It's the thin one that runs to the starter motor - it connects with a spade at the starter side.

Cheers guys, won't get a chance to take a look at her until Sunday now but will report back then.

I meant the solenoid wire, not the exciter wire :doh:

I did wonder what an exciter wire was. I was going to Google it first before I looked stupid though

Well as suspected it was a dodgy earth. Funny thing is that when I reconnected the handbrake she started no bother. Is this safe? I'm not going to get an electric shock touching the seat box or anything?

Have left it as is for now anyway so I could focus on getting everything running right.

After about 3 hours of clutch bleeding she lives again! Just need to put everything BA k together now (and maybe sort out the earth) and I'll have a fully functioning Defender again! Feeling rather chuffed with myself now as I was getting damned sick of driving round in the wife's rover 75 :-D

xaby82 said:

Well as suspected it was a dodgy earth. Funny thing is that when I reconnected the handbrake she started no bother. Is this safe? I'm not going to get an electric shock touching the seat box or anything?

Have left it as is for now anyway so I could focus on getting everything running right.

After about 3 hours of clutch bleeding she lives again! Just need to put everything BA k together now (and maybe sort out the earth) and I'll have a fully functioning Defender again! Feeling rather chuffed with myself now :-D

Click to expand...

you need better earth cables or you will melt the hand brake cable liner, body needs earthing to chassis and transmission to chassis, cables can look good but be poor

As above your earthing through your handbrake which wil only end in tears. Check and clean them all ensuring good contact and replace if necessary

i'm not sure why you decided to leave it, you only have to undo a bolt and give it a clean.

iirc some 300s seem to have a stupid earthing system which consists of the neg lead going to the gearbox, with an inch section of insulation removed from it mid way which is clamped by a chassis bracket.

so you end up with corrosion of the wire and bracket and lose your chassis earth.

i prefer a lead going from the bat to a chassis bolt, then another from the bolt to the gearbox, and another from the engine to another chassis bolt.

either paint over them or silicone grease/vaseline or whatever to protect.

Ah, now it's starting to make sense, as there is a bear bit of the battery neg which wasn't actually connected to anything. But it's been earthing through the handbrake all this time!

As I say, only left everything as is to test the gearbox. Have ordered some new earth cables and once they arrive I'll be rebuilding everything as it should be.