Defender 300tdi Starter Motor

300tdi Defender

Went out this morning all ready for work, got in swung the key.... nothing.

Removed dash and checked connections on ignition switch, everything seemed in order. Didn't have a meter so couldn't test battery but given it's only two months old and lights, horn etc work fine I ruled that out.

Switched starter motor relay with an identical one and swung again.... nothing. No sound except what I assumed to be the relay for the starter motor.

By this time I was beginning to suspect starter motor but couldn't locate it. A friend swung by and found it immediately and after giving it several taps with my breaker bar I swung the key once more and lo and behold it fired up.

So I take it that the solenoid assembly on the starter could be jammed, hence the reason why the tapping caused the starter to work.


In the last 2 months I've had to replace the battery, rebuild the alternator (after several days of trouble-shooting) and now a faulty starter motor. At this rate I'll soon be a LR electrical specialist.

I take it these solenoids are replaceable, correct? The brushes in the motor itself as well? Bosch 12v I believe, will confirm when I get it off.

When you try starting and it doesn't turn over can you hear a good loud clunk from the starter itself? If not it could be the solenoid but could also be a poor / loose connection on the thin wire which goes to it. Its a spade connector and can get full of crud so worth a quick look before you pull the starter. If on the other hand it does make a clunk then it could be brushes, don't think there is too much hassle in getting bosch spares (as long as a previous owner hasn't changed it for a no-name cheap replacement)

Following your advice Kwakerman I removed the thin wire connection from the starter solenoid, cleaned it up and reinstalled it securely.

It's been two days now and no issues so far. I have consistently been starting on the first try, even after long periods of the vehicle at rest.

I will continue to monitor and see if this was indeed the issue. As I always say: "when trouble-shooting it's best to start with the basics first then move up to the bigger stuff".

Good call.

No probs, hopefully that will be it sorted