andys2472

andys2472

New Member
Can anyone help please

I've been having a starting problem with my td4, its been running fine for the past month since i bought it.
It had a brand new heavy duty battery when i got it. when i went out to start it yesterday it wouldn't start all dash lights came on but on turning the key it just clicked.
i was told it might be the starter motor sticking, so when i got home last night i rolled it a few feet and it fired up.
But this morning i found the same problem tried jumping it from my wife's car and it fired up again. I've given it a good run this morning and all seems to be ok.
any ideas please battery or starter motor????:(

cheers.
 
Hi Andy,

While there is always the possibility of a faulty battery I would be looking elsewhere first for a more simple reason. It sounds very unlikely to be the starter.

Number 1 is accidentally leaving an interior light on.

If you make lots of very short journeys with lights, heater etc on then the battery will run down quite a bit, heavy-duty, or not.

Get out your battery charger - charge the battery overnight - a short run will not be enough, to fully charge it.

It'll be OK to start a warm engine - but will probably fail again tomorrow when the engine is cold, especially as it's forecast to be frosty everywhere in the UK tonight.
 
Further thoughts.

Get a digital volt-meter, even a cheapy one.

Test the battery voltage at rest (no load), then with the headlights on and engine off, and then finally with the engine running at a fast idle with the lights on.

This will give loads of diagnostic info and you will be able to judge the condition of the battery and the alternator, which is another possibility for the battery running down.
 
Hi Singvogal,

Many thanks for your advice i think i'll do as you say and get a volt meter and see how i get on. i'll keep you posted.

Andy.
 
andys2472 said:
Hi Singvogal,

Many thanks for your advice i think i'll do as you say and get a volt meter and see how i get on. i'll keep you posted.

Andy.
Click to expand...

Check out Chasers thread as well - I had a similar intermittent starting issue with my Disco TD5 and it was worn contacts in the starter solenoid
 
Mantamad said:
Check out Chasers thread as well - I had a similar intermittent starting issue with my Disco TD5 and it was worn contacts in the starter solenoid
Click to expand...

I agree with that - chaser may well be right - just I would get the easy fixes checked first.

If the battery and alternator are OK then the solenoid is next on the list, for sure.

Let us know what readings you get once you have a voltmeter.

Good luck. :cool:
 
Hi Guys,

It started fine this morning after a thick frost, i gave it a run and then took the battery out and put it on charge.
the voltage it started at was 13.2 and showing low on the charger, so i'll leave over night and see how i get on. what voltage should a healthy battery show.

thanks for your help.
 
12.5v upwards is ok after standing for a bit after being charged. Betterer still is 12.8v. As batteries age they loose their ability to hold their charge. Also in colder times a batteries abilty to hold its charge is reduced. Hence why so many get replaced during winter. They were probably on theor way out, and the cold made it worse. Measure the battery terminals when the engine is running. This will tell you the charge voltage. Expect a bit over 14v.
 
Thanks Hippo,

Do you think i could have a defective battery as this was new about a month ago?
or could the problem be something else?

Andy.
 
andys2472 said:
Thanks Hippo,

Do you think i could have a defective battery as this was new about a month ago?

or could the problem be something else?

Andy.
Click to expand...
There’s different things to look at here. May not be the battery at fault. But they can fail early.

Check battery voltage after charging it wiv the car, and disconnect it. Leave for an hour or 2 to settle, then measure. This will tell you if the battery is holding it’s charge. Disconnecting means the car won’t be draining the battery. It could be the car is drawing too much power when stationary. Like heated mirrors or heated seats staying on.

You could charge the battery whilst not connected to the car, wiv a charger. Just make sure it’s the correct type of charge applied. Some chargers can be set to charge gel type batteries as well as normal ones.

If it’s a battery which is top up type then it may not have enough water in it. Fill wiv deionised water until the water is up to the water level – usually plastic marker. 1 cell low will corrupt the whole battery as the cells are in series. Now charge.

Measure the battery while the engine is running. This will tell you the charge voltage orf yer alternator. Should be a bit over 14v. If not then there could be a bad connection, or your alternator int charging as good as it should. This could also be down to yer auxiliary belt slipping.

To understand this betterer have a look at this. It shows the voltage across a batteries terminals wiv engine orf, engine starting, engine initially ruining and battery charging.

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/freelander-1-starting-charging-voltage-160533.html
 
Great God, Hippo,

What a piece of kit in your link! :eek:

Back in post #3 I suggested the OP get a cheapy digital voltmeter - gulp. :(

He should still be able to come up with some meaningful readings if he waits a couple of hours after charging before taking the first one.

My, my, an oscilliscope to check the battery voltage ............

What a man you are Hippo! You never cease to amaze me. :cool:
 
Was talking wiv someone some time ago on another forum about engine starting un charging. Fings got technical and this gave the easiest explanation. Borrowed the scope from werk. Copied the fred over ere so LZ could have it too. A multimeter will give the same sort of reading on the analogue bar at the bottom of the display, but the digits won’t be fast enough to update as the voltage moves. They're good enough for home fixing stuff. Cheap enough to get an auto ranging one these days. In me last job I had a 4 channel colour scope which was ace. Had an optical head too so ter could measure the eye of a laser. Yer could see the transmission modulation etc.
 
Had the very same problem with my 2005 TD4. Suspected that the battery may be past its best and considered fitting a new one. Turned out to be a poor connection from the alternator which did not allow the battery to charge correctly. Cleaned the connection up, secured tightly and "Hey Presto" - job done. Worth a look in your case. May save you unnecessary expenditure. Good luck!
 
One last thing guys, don't really know my way around a td4 engine does anyone have any pics or know of any threads with some pics of the engine bay so I can find the alternator and starter motor please?
Thanks in advance.
 
Still think it's the solenoid contacts because your either getting a normal start or just the click of the solenoid throwing in but no starter motor turning/engine cranking.

If it was low battery it would crank slowly.......
 
andys2472 said:
One last thing guys, don't really know my way around a td4 engine does anyone have any pics or know of any threads with some pics of the engine bay so I can find the alternator and starter motor please?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Download free Rave manual or go buy a haynes FFS :rolleyes: :D
 
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