TD5 - Relay buzz & not starting

Season's Greetings All,

Hoping one of you electrical wizards might be able to help me sort a self-inflicted electrical issue. I have a 2002 Def 90 TD5. It's started first time every time since I bought it and despite lots of the usual oil leak issues it's not had any electrical gremlins...until this evening...

While stripping out a CB radio fitted by a previous owner I inadvertently shorted the +ve and -ve feed to the CB before completing the isolation. Having then completed the isolation I went to start it only to hear a loud buzzing from one of the relays in the under-seat ECU/Fuse/Relay area as I turned on the ignition.

Wiggling the relays has stopped the buzzing, but turn the key and the engine warning light remains on and the engine doesn't turn.

Does anyone out there have a series of tests that could help isolate the issue or a good old simple solution?

Many thanks!

have you done the basic's and checked the fuses and links ,was the CB wired to the radio circuit more info would help

Hello Mystery,

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.

I've worked through the fuses and found, slightly surprisingly, that the interior light fuse had gone. I've replaced that but it didn't improve the no-start. Working backwards I then worked out that the only other light not working was the immobiliser indicator in the speedo, so I figured it was an immobiliser issue. The car came with a slightly dodgy (as in, unpredictable and not exactly reliable) key fob and do what may, I could not get the immobiliser to activate, and suspected the car had effectively locked its ignition out. Having bought a new CR2032 battery for it I took the fob apart only to find that the battery clip was only held in place by a bit of old sellotape and one of the 3 solder points. Out with the soldering iron and 3 mins later, with both the other pin-to-board joint re-soldered and a new battery in I now had both central locking and unlocking and...a working immobiliser. First turn of the key and it fired straight away. So, the buzzing relay was a blind alley and wiggling it must have quietened it down but wasn't the root cause in the end. It was the immobiliser. I probably got away lightly and only with a bit of help from Lady Luck!

Worth noting this simple fix for anyone else who has a similar symptom. Won't work for everyone but these early immobilisers are pretty flakey bits of kits and have that ever-so-Land Rover lack of logic to them.

Best, J

i would not blame Land Rover most of the electrical equipment is either German,Italian,french and now who knows when most of the manufacturing takes place in China and India but with European branded names ,
the rave drawing seem to be German hence the backward descriptions glad you have sorted your problem out there are quite a few Land Rover bodgers out there SOLD AS SEEN covers it well