2012 Defender randomly not starting - ideas?

[pureredcordial]

Hi,

Hope someone might have a suggestion....my 2012 Defender has started randomly not starting. First about 2 months ago, then the Thursday before Easter, then last Friday, Sat morning, and Sat night. Sometimes it will just "fix itself after 10 minutes. The last time I had to leave it at a dinner on Sat night, it still broken Sunday, but then on Mon when I was going to meet a tow truck to take it to the dealer it fired straight up.

I have locked / unlocked, used both key fobs, plus it's happened in 3 different locations including my driveway twice and an underground carpark so I don't think it is radio interference. The LR breakdown service couldn't get it going in my driveway and suggested it might be the immobiliser but 20 mins after he left it just started and was fine for another week.

All the dash lights come on as per normal but when you turn to engage the starter I get nothing.... no click, no slow starter just nothing. Battery is tested and prefect. The immobiliser dash light goes out when you unlock as per normal. I've pulled, checked and reseated every fuse under the seat and dash that looks like it has something to do with starter or ECU.

Defender no start - YouTube

The last time it happened I could hear a weird beeping---it was somewhere in the engine bay. I have you tube clips of it not starting and the weird beeping. Now my Defender has always made a short high pitched noise from the engine bay for a few seconds after you turn the engine off (I have found threads on what this noise might actually be but have not found and answer yet it seems reasonably common). The pitch of the beeping sounds like it might be that same high pitched noise with an intermittent earth or similar.

Defender weird beeping when won't start - YouTube


Anyway, of course it is with the dealer for the 3rd day now and they can't reproduce it so they don't know where to start. No faults logged on OBDC either.

If I do an search on the web for Defender not starting unfortunately it seems to find half the internet but being more specific on puma problems it seems the immobiliser ECU is a common culprit - even if it says its off it sometimes isn't. I might have to just get the defender back and ask for the immobiliser code if that door open/close procedure is real. I've have no problems for 12 months since now this problem with no apparent cause (no new radios etc fitted)

Thanks!

--matt

[muddymech]

Do u lock the car. If we leave ours unlocked it imbolises itself. To reset need to lock wait 30sec unlock. Then its fine. May be try new battery in key fob.

[LoveB]

I get the noise when turning the car off... Which I think is some sort of cleaning procedure or something? egr dpf maybe?

but that sounds like an immobiliser problem. Definately something related to the electronics of the crank.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/138345-puma-defender-2.html

theres mention of dirty fuses and such there. And sometimes apparently weak batteries?

[BilboBoggles]

I'd bet it was the ignition barrel, or ignition switch. They are made of old blue cheese.... If the locking mechanism is faulty it may not be turning enough to engage the starter switch in the ignition switch. Or the ignition switch is loose or broken.

I had an annoying issue that did not reproduce for many years whilst it was under warranty (2009 110). It would leave the car stranded, and exactly the symptoms you have. Then magically the damned thing would start and be fine for weeks. Of course the dealer never found a fault int he three years this happened for. Until one day the lock stuffed up completely and you could not get the key in or our or start or anything. Well managed to get it to jiggle around and work after 4hours, but had to leave the key in the lock for several weeks until the dealer could look at it. luckily they carried out a lockectomy under warranty even though it had expired.

[newhue]

gee that's a blast from the past

Matt, get you dealer to call Bruce Lynton LR on the Gold Coast. Ask them what the did to fix rego 240RDU. 3 days Matt, common, try 8weeks.

[pureredcordial]

Thanks for the suggestions. I ended up picking it up last Thursday morning drove it all day on errands without fault and wouldn't you know it.... Friday morning the fault was back. I rang the dealer and to their credit they came out within 30 mins (though I had left by then) and wouldn't you know it.... it started straight up. Grrrr :)

And it's been fine since then. I've now got a bluetooth ODBII dongle that talks to my Nexus to do my own monitoring / logging (although the dealer already said no faults are logged) He did suggest it could be the ignition barrel which I'll ask them to replace if/when it happens next.

[newhue]

Mine would intermittently fault.
I'd call road side assist and they couldn't get it going, so it would get flat bedded. But in the process would joint itself back into life and go. The boys at LR were frustrated because you cant fix a car that doesn't fault. So they give it back to me after a while and hey presto and it would start all over again.

In the end they replace a lot of stuff, from the starter side of things to the immobiliser side of things. Seems to have fixed it though.

[LoveB]

btw if it konks out again and youre needing help in canberra I can help! lol

[jimsteele]

Matt

I'm with BilboBoggles on this - ignition barrel/switch. I had a similar issue with my 2012 D90 when I was out the back of Bathurst. Had it flat bedded to LR Orange, who did a great job with the diagnosis - faulty ignition barrel. Two weeks wait for the part and no problem since.

Jim

[pureredcordial]

This was how Monday started......
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/04/632.jpg

Of course as soon as it was pushed into the dealer workshop.....brooom brooom :mad:

I get it back tomorrow with a new ignition barrel...most likely culprit as folk have suggested (but technically still no fault found).

--matt

and thanks for the offers of help btw. At the moment I am getting by because I own too many 4wds - a slightly different take on self-recovery :)

[LoveB]

haaaaaa so you're the red one I saw at Belco I think. I remember pointing it out to my wife saying the red looks the goods

[Yorkshire_Jon]

Just another thought to throw into the mix...

You havent stuck it in a load of mud / goo and clogged up the starter motor solenoid have you? Its amazing how a bit of crud between contacts will mysteriously stop it starting, only to magically start sometime later without actually doing anything...

Jon

[dullbird]

Muddymech also forgot to mention that we had this trouble with ours and I had the same thing happen that it got put on a flat bed and when it got to the other end the bloody thing started up and drove right off it....it did keep happening on and off without knowning what was triggering it...

Im positive we had the immobiliser changed because I remember they forgot to put factory extension back on the radio wire receiver (they did rectify that though) and we never had an issue after the that.

The other thing to be aware of is making sure you dont have both sets of keys to in the car close to the iginition at the same time the remotes dont like it.

[pureredcordial]

Latest mod to the Defender
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/04/411.jpg

Got the Defender back last Friday. Saturday morning = no start in my driveway. Tugged on cabling and connectors for 10 minutes and it started. Went down to Bateman's Bay for a weeks family holiday....all good until last night. After dinner at the Catalina club, no start in the car park. Allianz service tech - can't start. Flat bed came an collected it and took in back to Canberra.

But the best news....it made it back to the Canberra dealer still broken! :) And they found the fault [bigsmile] - as described by the service desk it was some connector on the transfer case - a pin or blade was not fully pushed in. Probably always been that way since new I guess, maybe a bumpy trip made it an intermittent contact. I'll find out more details when I chat to the service manager. Anyway, I have a rather spacious Kia Carnival for the rest of the week till I get back to Canberra.

Thumbs up for Landrover Roadside Assistance. Call outs, tows, rental cars, taxis all taken care of.

[LoveB]

Nice body kit you got on the defender....


looks more aerodynamic now lol

[ezyrama]

Nice body kit you got on the defender....


looks more aerodynamic now lol

Yeah, but lets face it, no character!:D:D

[LoveB]

Were you on thw hume today heading towards melbourne??

[pureredcordial]

No that wasn't my Kia.

...oh not my Defender either ;)

[LoveB]

Passed by a golden rental kia so thought it might be lol good to know its sorted though