plasticbadger Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 My Disco Td5 (1999) has always been a slow cold starter, but the last week has tipped it through the balance to a non-starter! It cranks for ages, starts to cough and finally on full throttle starts up on 3 or 4 cylinders with loads of smoke. The last couple of days though it's run out of battery power before starting and then started up on jump leads fine - and that was the day after a 70 mile motorway run, so the battery wasn't flat. Once even slightly warms it starts perfectly. I'm getting a new battery for it today, I put new glow plugs in it last spring, it's been recently cleaned out in the intercooler, inlet etc. and I've checked that the fuse and relay for the glow plugs are working. Anything I should be checking - i.e. that the glow plugs are actually getting current, or anything else? Help! I had to drive to work in the ice in a fwd Peugeot, which is not why I own a Landrover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Morning PB my thoughts Fueling? Do TD5s have a lift pump? also did you check the sedimenter after the laneing trip where things got abit wet could be full of ice... if its any consolation my is 300 doing almost the same thing takes quite a few turns to get it to just catch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted December 21, 2009 Author Share Posted December 21, 2009 Hi Moose, the lift pump (which is electric under the rear floor in the Td5) is working, but I haven't checked the fuel sedimenter - things have been a little off since our little laning outing, when rumour has it that we did get a little wet at times... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Freezing EGR valve is one poss. Take it for a run, and when it's all working properly pull the multiplug off the modulator unit and see if it happens again. There was a tech bulletin about it on early Td5s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61a Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Sounds very similar to a problem I had with my 300tdi. Loads of charge in the battery but often slow to turn over especially in the cold weather. I read somewhere on this forum about poor earths so for a few pounds I added an extra earth lead to the engine block from the battery and hey presto , it spins over a treat even in the recent cold snap. No idea whether TD5's have the same problem but might be worth a try. Jules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QTdarren Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 poss injector seals???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Freezing EGR valve is one poss. Take it for a run, and when it's all working properly pull the multiplug off the modulator unit and see if it happens again. There was a tech bulletin about it on early Td5s The EGR has been removed, so unlikely I'm afraid. Sounds very similar to a problem I had with my 300tdi. Loads of charge in the battery but often slow to turn over especially in the cold weather. I read somewhere on this forum about poor earths so for a few pounds I added an extra earth lead to the engine block from the battery and hey presto , it spins over a treat even in the recent cold snap. No idea whether TD5's have the same problem but might be worth a try. Jules Low cold cranking amps, or not enough to run the electronics while cranking were my thoughts, so it's getting a new high CCA battery today. I'll check the quality of the earths while I'm replacing it. poss injector seals???? How do I check, or what other symptoms can I look for??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 A quick check of the engine earth is to clip a heavy jump lead between the battery negative and the engine block somewhere. Can be enough to get the motor running, and the battery might be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The EGR has been removed, so unlikely I'm afraid. Low cold cranking amps, or not enough to run the electronics while cranking were my thoughts, so it's getting a new high CCA battery today. I'll check the quality of the earths while I'm replacing it. How do I check, or what other symptoms can I look for??? I would check the battery, to make sure it's holding a charge. Do a drop test. Then check that the battery is being charged properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QTdarren Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 hi mate can you hear the fuel pump , more than normal , will it fire up after 3 or 4 turns of the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave.Pretorius Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Sounds very similar to a problem I had with my 300tdi. Loads of charge in the battery but often slow to turn over especially in the cold weather. I read somewhere on this forum about poor earths so for a few pounds I added an extra earth lead to the engine block from the battery and hey presto , it spins over a treat even in the recent cold snap. No idea whether TD5's have the same problem but might be worth a try. Jules Excellent advice. In my opinion the TD5 is even more sensitive than the Tdi to poor earthing. Amongst the many side effects of poor engine block earthing is radiator corrosion - every time the car is started some of the starter current can find its way to earth via radiator coolant and radiator itself - leading to radiator corrosion damage. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 Ok, so far I've replaced the battery (it was dead) which now means I can start it, but it still cranks for ages and smokes like a pig on start up (therefore must be getting fuel). I've checked that the glow plugs are actually working. I've checked the security of the engine earth, but it could be a problem as the rad has rusted out. How do I check? As above with a jump lead? Or is there any other way, eg. resistance check? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticbadger Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 So from the post above the weather started to get warmer and I started using the Peugeot more on the cold mornings and the issue kinda didn't matter any more. We had our first frost this morning and the Discovery struggled to start (I see I'm not the only one on here having problems today!). So to re-cap the symptoms are the engine turns over fast to start with, then starts to cough, then starts and runs rough with loads of smoke. After a couple seconds it runs fine. I've checked glow plugs, battery, security of engine earth, replaced the fuel filter and checked the fuel pump is running. Any ideas what to try next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Most likely voltage spikes from the starter upsetting the signal from the crank sensor.Try removing the battery cable from the starter and replacing it with a jump lead from the battery direct to the starter.if it fires straight up you have your cause.Or just bump start it if its a manual box - if it fires up straight away its the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Hi Dave, nice to see you here. I haven't been around much, though it is pleasant (?) to see that the problems people have haven't changed at all! You are right, a disconnected earth can destroy your radiator in a couple of days. It acts like a giant battery, so it seems. We had one on a Disco and the owner was most upset because it had just been 'reconditioned' at some expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.