300tdi battery terminal broken?

beetroot4000 · Jun 22, 2016

After resurrecting my 1998 Disco from a certain death, it has given my a good 6 months of driving and I am slowly starting to fix all the small things that I missed when I first fixed it up.

I recently came across this wire that looks like it should be connected to the positive battery terminal but isn't, and hasn't been for the past 6 months of driving. I looked through the RAVE manual and Haynes manual wiring diagrams, but have no idea what it's for.

Can anyone tell me what it does, and how important is it? Considering the vehicle runs fin and everything appears to work?

Thanks

Zed. · Jun 22, 2016

Okey, I'm gonna take a guess (my Discos are '200's so slightly different)

If you trace it does it feed the glowplug relay?

Engine will still state without gloplugs even in cold weather so you'd probably not notice if they wernt energised on start-up

Rich. (Probably wrong but heyho)

Seffy · Jun 22, 2016

If you can wait 'til tomorrow I shall pop the front of mine and have a check for you

Gazbo · Jun 23, 2016

beetroot4000 said:
Can anyone tell me what it does, and how important is it?

Sorry I can't tell you what it does but I know that our '98 Tdi has the same thing, though it is connected into the head of the clamping bolt for the terminal clamp, I would suggest it is indeed necessary for some purpose, because it was originally fitted, it may be the original +ive feed to the alternator which could have been replaced sometime past. Do you have any way of checking it for power feed back on that line, hopefully the other end is not connected otherwise you might burn your Disco.

jonathanp · Jun 23, 2016

Hi I think it is connected to the main circuit fuse box under the bonnet, or at least that is where it goes. It is that black plastic box next to the expansion tank, near the battery.
There is a bit of info in the Drivers handbook about what circuits are protected by the fuse box, and supplied by that wire
Open it up and have a look at what it powers, you need to fix the wire back to the battery.
Regards
Jonathan

beetroot4000 · Jun 23, 2016

It looks like it disappears under the fuse box by the expansion tank, but joins into the loom that comes out of that fuse box.
I had thought it was the glow plugs at one stage, but because the glow plug light came on I didn't think it was them.

I had tried to check the current draw though the between the broken terminal and the positive terminal, but I don't think I managed to get anything from it.
I'll have to try again testing the current draw switching different things on and off.

Seffy · Jun 23, 2016

Just checked on mine, it goes to glow plug timer relay. Not important really as I find they start easy enough anyway on all but the coldest morning

brian47 · Jun 23, 2016

beetroot4000 said:
It looks like it disappears under the fuse box by the expansion tank, but joins into the loom that comes out of that fuse box.
I had thought it was the glow plugs at one stage, but because the glow plug light came on I didn't think it was them.

I had tried to check the current draw though the between the broken terminal and the positive terminal, but I don't think I managed to get anything from it.
I'll have to try again testing the current draw switching different things on and off.

The little tell-tale light dosn't indicate that the glow plugs are actually operating and heating. All it shows is that the temperature/timing circuit is sending the signal to activate them.

Zed. · Jun 26, 2016

brian47 said:
The little tell-tale light dosn't indicate that the glow plugs are actually operating and heating. All it shows is that the temperature/timing circuit is sending the signal to activate them.

+1

Rich.

300tdi battery terminal broken?

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