Boxer

Active Member
So got into the defender (300tdi) started no bother drove up the road and the interior light came on , phone buzzed it was tracker telling me the power to the device was dead. Engine stopped coasted to stop in the clear. Immobilizer light is coming on and off ok but everything else except interior light, which comes on with ignition even with doors shut, the side lights on the light switch and what's left of the alarm sounder which has a dead backup battery which sort of made a fan sound till I reached in and killed it. Help!
 
Sounds like a main power supply (check the big fuseable links in engine bay fusebox) has gone for some reason, to kill off all this stuff it needs to be a primary feed early in the system. Do things that should work even with the ignition off still work? You say the interior light came on, almost like you had turned off the ignition and the cab light illuminates? Could just be the ignition switch fried - but where does your tracker take power from (don't answer that on the forum) I assume a permanent supply so that casts doubt over it being the switch as the tracker should be on another supply - unless when the ign. switch died it took a fuseable link.

So, I would check fuses first, and try and work out just what does have power, if your tracker lost power then you will know where it gets it's feed so that will also help you to diagnose this. Check the back of the alt for solid connections, wires can corrode at terminals and can eventually simply snap.

If this isn't helping, or there is no obvious big wire/fuse off/broken/melted then you need to look deeper. I doubt it will be anything complicated, it really is a simple system.

Do you own a multimeter? If not, go and find a cheapy £10.00 one for this job. Set it to a range that includes 12V DC that's the solid line and the dashed line not the tilde, wavey symbol (AC). With the black probe on a good earth point (metal of the engine, alternator body, earth point etc.) you can then start to probe with the meter to check the back of the alt has 12v, then go to the main engine bay fusebox, every fuse on both sides should be live (with fuse fitted) then go from there.
 
Sounds logical I just parked it up and had to go away on business so will take a look later today thanks again for the comprehensive reply
 
Thanks it was the mAin fuse replaced and holding. Next question: any tricks to successful rocker gasket renewal
 

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