Could anyone point me in the rite direction with my starting issue on my 1996 300tdi

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Disco87

Member
New to this so please bare with me I have a 96 300tdi disco had no problems with it then once I was at petrol station and wouldn't start left it 10min and started fine ran with no issues read on here about the immobiliser fault so I fitted a spider bypass thought all was good untill this morning when same thing happened again all ignition lights come on but turn the key and nothing but a click coming from the passenger side however as I was on a green lane last night I did notice the headlights dimming then coming back all the time if this is any help any advice would be great thanks.
 
Normally an earth from the bell housing to chassis and another from chassis to battery.

Starter normally earth's through the engine block (to chassis to battery).

Chuck some jump leads in and the next time it does it connect a lead from battery -ve to engine block and if it fires up then earth's are the problem.

Either that or take them off, clean them up and put them back anyway
 
Was only turning over slow when I did that not sure if that's the battery tho. Is it just a case of cleaning up the connectors to the starter then?
 
Also check/clean up the battery post connections, both +ive and -ive, did a car with that problem last week, battery was near new but leads had dirty connections.
 
Here's where I am at the moment been out having a look around and cleaning up some earths I could see. Still just the alternater clicking put on a new battery just to rule that out and still the same earthed it with a jump lead from negative to the engine block starter turned slowly but still wouldn't fire then noticed as I had turned the key a few times smoke coming out of the centre console where my handbrake is I'm guessing this isn't normal?
 
Well it has seized may cable whatever it was doing. I did get it started jumping it from the wife's car positive to positive then negative from car onto the disco engine block and fired straight up does this point to bad earth?
 
Sorry must sound dumb but new to all this lol guess it's down to finding the culprit then. Thanks all for your help wouldn't have had a clue otherwise
 
There is one directly from the battery on to the engine bay/chassis, then there is one on one of the starter bolts to the chassis... These are the bigger core cables...
What you also have is, on most, if not all the individual wiring harness's a earth wire comes out, and is bolted to the body, usually a M10 lug, there are some in the engine bay, and some behind the dash, and at the rear of the Disco. ..

What you probably have is a the stud on the body has rusted off, and the body is being earthed thru the engine and to the body via the handbrake cable...
Do an internet search for RAVE...it tells you where all the earths are...
Do a fix that usually works, put a new earth cable from the body direct to the battery ...
 
Sorry must sound dumb but new to all this lol guess it's down to finding the culprit then. Thanks all for your help wouldn't have had a clue otherwise

You may never find it ... it's rusted away ... ;)
 
Haha that was the case with my inner wings so had new ones welded in just a shame about the rest of the chassis lol
 
Sorry must sound dumb but new to all this lol guess it's down to finding the culprit then. Thanks all for your help wouldn't have had a clue otherwise
Sorry mate, didnt mean to come over as such an ar$e. if it starts with cables in place of earths it has to be an earth or two that have failed, remember they are quite simple beasts really so dont worry about making the old one good right now just bang a fresh one on somewhere that does the same job as the temp jump lead solution to keep you going then you can spend the time finding the shagged one and replacing it, more is better with earths
 

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