uytter

New Member
Me and my dad are trying to restore a series 3 109, ex-Dutch military 24v. When we bought it, it was running, not great but running, a lot needs to be done, we did the break but now the car won't start and it's causing the battery to spark. I tested it and I got a short when turning the key. I'm not an electrician nor a mechanic, I tested to see if any other button of the dashboard was when turning the center knob, which I think is related to light, and when turning the center knob, I tried to see if it was related to the fuse box, but no, I still get the short even though all the fuses were removed. I have no idea where to start diagnosing.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
 

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I do have 2 new batteries and a multi meter but I'm lost to where to test, i already tried on some of the electrical but noting cause a short
 
Good, batteries wired correctly.

Now, your machine doesn't have standard Landrover wiring, it has lots of continental fuses, and this I can only assume lots of split out circuits on top of the Landrover loom.

However there is most likely to be two main paths into the circuits.

1) permanent live

2) switched live

Suggest you follow the positive wire from the battery all the way along. Draw the route on a piece of paper. Each time there's a connection, draw that connection, note the main colour and the tracer colour, and what is connected to.

Take it slow and photo as you go.

The wire should go to the starter, and have another wire from the starter to the ignition switch.

Find that and report back. With photos, please.
 
so I try to follow the wire, starting with the cable connect to the plus side on the batteries, it's leading under the car and connection to an intersection, there are 5 cables, 1 coming form the batteries 1 going to the starter, 1 going to some sort of plug inside the cabin, a small one going into some small motor or similar and a longer one passing the side of the engine going into the radiator or near it and on the way it's connected to a sort of fuse box itself connect to the side front wing.

the negative side of the batteries is a little weird, but maybe it normal, it start by splinting in two, the first half is going to some sort of valve form there the cable continue side by side to the plus side and going directly to the cabin plug . the second cable is again getting split 1 half is getting connect to the frame and the other half is going to the other side of the valve form there another cable is connect that lead to under the car, this cable is connect to nothing but I suppose it need to be grounded.
 

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I will try and confuse help.

Your second pic looks like a starter solenoid (not a motor). From what you have said I will say it is negative earth car.
The wires to that solenoid look a bit on the "weedy" side, but that said.
Your two loose wires need to go somewhere.

the negative side of the batteries is a little weird, but maybe it normal, it start by splinting in two, the first half is going to some sort of valve form there the cable continue side by side to the plus side and going directly to the cabin plug . the second cable is again getting split 1 half is getting connect to the frame and the other half is going to the other side of the valve form there another cable is connect that lead to under the car, this cable is connect to nothing but I suppose it need to be grounded.

Connecting to the frame tells me negative earth, But your description of where they go is a bit confusing.
Got any pics of the starter motor wiring. Maybe the loose lead needs to go to the gearbox (cant tell position from pic).

To get the starter to turn you need a simple curcuit. Usually its battery to solenoid, then to the starter, then to earth(chassis).
The small wires give a signal that switches the solenoid (from the starter switch)which connects the 2 big terminals.

More pics and investigation needed.

But I will say your solenoid (valve, motor) looks like it could do with a clean of all terminals and connections.

J
 
That's good work @uytter . Well done.

This is all from your photos so I'm not 100% on any of this advice but.....

The valve looks like an on-off switch. An electrical isolation valve, if you wish.

Keep the positive terminal of the battery set isolated, don't attach the positive cable for now.

Move the lever on the valve/switch and see if it's working, then check for continuity across the terminals in both positions. You should get that on one position, and not the other.

The plug in the cabin is a socket for accessories, like a primitive cigarette light socket/USB socket in a car.

Check for continuity between the socket terminals and the positive cable, still disconnected.


Follow the wires from the solenoid/relay to the starter, and also to the ignition/key switch.

Add to your map, with cable colours!!!

This is ex military, so might have had a lot of equipment removed when it was sold out of service.



That might explain the unattached wires. We'll see.
 
So after following your advice I clean up every connection and attaching the lose wire to the frame I got the car to startup nicely but the car struggle to stay running idling. Giving a bit of throttle make the car idle better, I don't know if it the wire that need to be tighter or if related to hand control engine speed, currently it's rusted and not connected to anything.

Next I'm going to do the light but I can't find any diagram for 24v military with a 24 fuse box.

I'm also doing the brake, the piston were leaking a few month ago we change those and try to bleed the system but the brake pedal didn't felt good, I had to pump 3 to 4 time before the car were stopping, the car is equip with a dual system brake failure could this impact the procedure of bleeding and that why I'm having a hard time stopping. I don't thing the rubber line of the braking system have been change since production could old line make the stopping hard, do i need to change those. Another thing that could cause sloppy break is our vacuum system the servo is connected to a T intersection going to a vacuum reservoir and to the vacuum pump and from there we have a cable going to nowhere.

Any solution for these problem is welcome.
 

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Another thing that could cause sloppy break is our vacuum system the servo is connected to a T intersection going to a vacuum reservoir and to the vacuum pump and from there we have a cable going to nowhere.

Glad you are running even if lumpy.

So is it a cable or a pipe?
If its an open ended vacumn pipe it either has to go somewhere, or for the case of helping the brakes, needs to be blocked.

J
 
It's an open end vacuum pipe, and I didn't see anywhere to connect it to.
 

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