Defender TD4 1997. Has had occasional starting problem for years but would go months without a problem. Turn key, complete silence, no click, nothing. All other electricals work fine. Sometimes starts after 2 or 3 tries but has taken up to an hour (aaaargh). Starter motor renewed last year - no better. Ignition switch changed 2 weeks ago - now worse if anything. Starts from cold in the mornings no problem but issue seems to crop up when cooling down or after a short run e.g to get fuel - embarrassing to get pushed off the pumps! Any ideas?
ratty
I'm not special I'm limited edition
Are you sure it's not a 300tdi?
Are you getting power at the end of the fly lead to the starter motor when the problem occurs?
Mine was doing that last summer. It turned out to be the spade connector where the low current wire from the ignition switch goes to the starter solenoid. It needed pulling apart, cleaning and squeezing back together with pliers. I spent ages puzzling over the symptoms too. Could it be an immobilizer fault? a confused ECU?I wondered, but it turned out to be something really simple.
