odd breakdown question for the oracle, that is you guys !!

Hey guys.
Got my 90 parked up alongside the A38 right now in an awkward position and aiming to try and recover it, or start it, once traffic died down tonight.
Thought i'd ask and see what you guys though as too the cause before i get going on it.
Partly my fault as did allow it to get low enough on fuel that it started to stutter, due i might add.. to a faulty fuel gauge.
As soon as it started to do this i pulled onto the verge and chucked in my back up can i always carry.
Now normally (and it is rare) when this happens, i simply fire her up and away i go again, but not this time.
This time i jump back in and it simply has the sound of a dead battery with not enough umpth to throw over and get going.
This strangly also happened yesterday after i stopped for a pasty, jumped in and was pretty dead, but after about 7-10 attempts she crancked over like there was a bus battery on her. Away i went and i have started her about 6 or 7 times since with absolutely no issue.
I've recently had a new battery (4mths) and the only other thing that has seemed odd for ages now, is that even when starting from warm, more often than not i have to turn ignition to show the warm up light for 2-5 seconds before i fire her up or else i get the flat battery effect. This is not always the case though
So now, here i am scratching my head wondering why a new battery (which is a powerfull one from a big battery centre) still sounds flat in these times when it should be megga pumping the power.
I've even had a new alternator in last 12mths prior to battery as thought it was that causing battery to act this way though ill charging.

Engine wise i have a 300tdi disco engine in a G reg 90

Any suggestions would be appreciated. (or a tow

Bad earth or frayed or corroded live can give flat battery symptoms.

Sounds like a dodgy earth, try a jump lead from battery -ve to engine block.

Could also be a lose connection anywhere on the circuit

fanatic said:

Bad earth or frayed or corroded live can give flat battery symptoms.

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Had a corroded main live to starter cable a few years ago (the actual cable not connection) that gave intermittent starting took me fookin weeks to find that out after changing virtually everything

Worn brushes in the starter?

Do you have a spade connector on the starter attaching the low current wire from the starter switch? Mine (on a TD5 so not necessarily the same as yours) has occasionally worked loose and needs a bit of a jiggle to get it making contact again.

Brown said:

Do you have a spade connector on the starter attaching the low current wire from the starter switch? Mine (on a TD5 so not necessarily the same as yours) has occasionally worked loose and needs a bit of a jiggle to get it making contact again.

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The same on Tdi's

Thanks guys.
All things def leading towards a bad earth connection somewhere, so will be out looking today.
Sorry it took a while to reply, been a bit hectic here lol.

Will update when i get to bottom of it so you know what it ended up being. Might help someone else also.

I,ve not come accross it on a Land Rover before but i have seen a newer Seat Leon TDi show these symptoms. The car wasnt charging due to an alternator fault and because of this, it was running like a bag of shyte, no power and wouldnt accelerate. Once stopped, it obviously wouldnt start.
In your case, could it have been that it wasnt charging due to a bad connection/earth and that was causing it to run so bad?
Just by coincidence then, a connection is made and away it goes as if nothing had ever been wrong? Food for thought.

Thanks for the suggestion sam.
I've been out and looked at all the connections and can't find anything loose etc , so far.

Thinking about earthing being the issue, i found that there was a main earth from battery directly to chassis, and a separate earth from the starter motor to the gear box mount.
I've been advised that there should be a single thick earth cable that runs from battery to gearbox and then on into chassis, incorporating the earth from the starter, so made a change and got a new earthing strap that now goes from battery to gearabox mount and directly on to the chassis, and a thicker earthing cable to go from starter to the connection at the gearbox.
The battery has been on charge all day, and she's starting up and throwing much quicker. I'm tempted to also change the glow plugs now to cover the fact that even when warm, she needs a few seconds on heating them up, to get the max throw. If not she simply acts like the battery is dead as already mentioned.

She's being left overnight now and see what she's like from stone cold in the morning, but with a bit of luck this will have cracked it.

Can anyone tell me the best glow plug make to get?? I know you can get a set for £10 odd on fleebay, but would rather get a decent set unless these are just as good even though cheeper.

Will let ya know how things go in morning.

Thanks so much everyone for the suggestions.

Hawky :monitor_punch::clap2:

Delphi, NGK, Bosch or Beru are good as long as you don't get Chinese clones on Ebay.

you shouldn't need glows yet for a tdi.

as above, take jump leads to get her going (neg bat to engine earth) then sort it out at home. if you've flattened the batt, then jump fro the car you went in. (stating obvious)

She's already home. Done the earth straps today and now looking to glow plugs as part of a service. Will do oils etc aswell.
Just get her sorted ready for winter.

excellent

On my 300 tdi 90, I noticed a few weeks ago that every now and again, when starting, the starter would just give a click. I,d turn the key round to its off position again and then try to start it again and away it would go. The battery sounded low but a check showed just over 12 volts there or thereabouts.
Anyway, last week went to start and nothing other than a heavy click. The lights would all go out in the dash/radio etc so I hit the starter solenoid a tap with a hammer and it started. I had then had the starter checked and reconditioned. Apparently The solenoid was knackered and the brushes in the motor were also past their sell by date. The reconditioned starter was refitted and it now starts 1st turn and no more laziness in the motor. I,d have been betting that the battery was on its way out but the guy who reconditioned the motor says that the slow turning was down to the worn brushes.

Thanks Sam.
If my problem persists after all this, i will have the starter out next.
I'm fitting carpets for a man who sells and re cons starters and alternators, in the morning.
Will have a chat with him, although the starter is less than a year old, it's another good place to start failing all else.

hawky666 said:

Thanks Sam.
If my problem persists after all this, i will have the starter out next.
I'm fitting carpets for a man who sells and re cons starters and alternators, in the morning.
Will have a chat with him, although the starter is less than a year old, it's another good place to start failing all else.

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try the starter with jump leads if it spins fast its ok leads often break down even though they look good ,its not just the cleanliness to the lead ends

Thanks James.
Looking at the starter, i'm not sure if i will get leads on it whilst on vehicle, so ik take it i would have to do this off !! is that correct??

that aside, how are you mate. All well i hope.

hawky666 said:

Thanks James.
Looking at the starter, i'm not sure if i will get leads on it whilst on vehicle, so ik take it i would have to do this off !! is that correct??

that aside, how are you mate. All well i hope.

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Managed on mine from underneath just about

On a 300, 15 minutes will take it out. Only 3 bolts and the 13mm holding on the leads.