Thread: Starting Problems V8 Disco

Sounds like the starter cant get enough current. Damaged cable / poor connection between battery and starter perhaps?

Most likely a poor earth between engine block and battery. Did you jump start directly to the engine block with the neg lead? or on the batt termiinal?

Try attaching an extra earth lead to the motor from the neg terminal, and see if this helps.

Also, while cranking, do any of the battery terminals get hot? This is a sure sign of excessive resistance and will help you in which direction to look.


JC

I reckon its the old DIRTY TRIGGER WIRE.Find the trigger wire slip it off clean the contact surface with sandpaper and all is fixed
I will shift these posts to tech chatter.
Andrew

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll give those a go this week.
The battery is actually earthed to the chassis. I've been told that I should earth it to the block as well. Maybe I'll do that too.
I wouldn't have thought the trigger wire would give these symptoms. I know that checking the voltage at the starter it's the same as the battery.
Sean.

Originally Posted by Disco95

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I'll give those a go this week.
The battery is actually earthed to the chassis. I've been told that I should earth it to the block as well. Maybe I'll do that too.
I wouldn't have thought the trigger wire would give these symptoms. I know that checking the voltage at the starter it's the same as the battery.
Sean.

The block on the V8 Disco is earthed from the chassis by a mesh woven strap attached to one of the starter bolts. These will degrade over time hence the suggestion to add an extra earth directly from the batt neg to a convenient threaded hole on the RH cylinder head or similar. There are plenty to choose from, even an AC bracket bolt will do. I have had earth straps in stock , I ge them made for this problem in Tdi's aswell. I use a 600mm long one with a 8mm lug at battery end, and a 10mm lug at the other to suit some of the bigger threads on the engine/ heads.

JC

Cheers, so that strap is the main earth from chassis to block. As I said, when Iput the meter on the bolt that that starp was attached to and the positive to the starter, I got the same reading as on the battery terminals.

Originally Posted by Disco95

Cheers, so that strap is the main earth from chassis to block. As I said, when Iput the meter on the bolt that that starp was attached to and the positive to the starter, I got the same reading as on the battery terminals.

Thats OK, but under actual load during cranking, the ability of that strap to flow current may be absolutely useless.

JC

On the above mentioned batteries, what is the CCA(cold cranking amps)
these motors take a big batt to turn over, cold whether destroys batteries.

When charging the batteries, what is the charge rate? Big batteries take a while to charge. remove caps when charging and check acid level.

I always make sure my battery is new every two years and has a rating of at least 550CCA.

All the best and double check all earth cables and also the positive as mentioned before.