Fossicker
Hi everyone,
I have been thoroughly warned, but I just didn't listen. I bought a Discovery. So to prove them all wrong, I decided to learn about my 1994-300TDI and maintain it as best as I can. For a while it looked like problems appeared quicker than I was able to fix them (faulty door locks, bonnet not opening, radio broken, indicator not working to name just a few) but by reading posts in forums like this one and with the help of Google, Youtube as well as the Haines and Rave manuals I now have the number of problems down to a handful that I simply can't get my head around. So here I am, humbly asking for your support.
1. Both courtesy lights not working.
The research I've done so far suggests this could be one of the following: faulty multi function unit (MFU), bad ground, light bulb broken, on/off switch broken. I have removed the whole front courtesy lights assembly from the car and when I connect my voltmeter to the two relevant cables, it shows 12V. I have then hooked up my 12V battery charger to the removed assembly and confirmed that both the light bulb and light switch are working. The strange thing is that when I remove the bulb from the assembly and connect it directly to the wires (which showed 12V on the voltmeter), the bulb doesn't light up. I have a similar problem on the cigarette lighter in the boot. If I connect the voltmeter, it shows 12V but as soon as I insert a device like a GPS, the device is not working. It appears that as soon as a load is applied, it's not working. I'm not sure if the courtesy light and cigarette lighter problems are related or are on the same wiring. Some more background information: the light in the boot isn't working either (bulb is ok) and the MFU test sequence also indicated that there is a problem with the courtesy lights. Could it be a faulty MFU despite the 12V on the courtesy lights wires?
2. Tachometer not working
It's not moving at all. Research I've done so far says it could be the alternator on it's way out or a bad wire connection. I've tested the alternator with my voltmeter, i.e. I have 12V without engine running and 13.something with engine running. So I figure the alternator is ok. I then had a look at the wiring to the alternator, but I'm not sure which wire to look at. Besides, there are two unconnected cables hanging in mid-air in the vicinity of the alternator (see attached photo) and I'm not sure if they have come loose and are supposed to be connected to something. Maybe that is the cause of the problem? Another question I have is regarding the alternator. Does it simply die at once or does it so to speak slowly fade away over time. If it is the later, could it be a first sign that it is on its way out?
3. Coolant overflow box.
I discovered that after driving the car, there is coolant leaking out of the overflow box. I checked the coolant level and it is already below the little X indicator inside the overflow box. The overflow box seems to be made out of two halves. And the coolant leaks out in the middle where they meet. I initially thought it might be a seal between the two halves that needs replacing, but I can't get the two halves separated. Is this possible? Or is it simply a normal function of my Disco that the coolant leakes out of the overflow box when the pressure inside becomes too much? The manual says something about a closed cooling system and I shouldn't have to top up coolant a lot (which is what I'm doing at the moment).
4. Strange fuse, relays and plugs.
I have attached another image showing a fuse suspended in mid-air, a relay bolted onto the chassis but not connected and another relay hanging in mid-air. All in the vicinity of the battery, none of which I can find in any of the manuals. Any ideas what those could be good for (or bad for)?
Also close to the fuse box inside the car there are two disconnected plugs (see photo). They don't seem to fit anywhere.
5. Not sure if this is normal or a problem...
... but when I turn the key (not starting the engine) I get this gurgling water sound from somewhere (goes away after a while). Also some sort of pump or fan is starting to run under the bonnet (doesn't go away after a while). All without starting the engine.
6. Central locking
Being the gentleman that I am (who else would buy a British car), I like to hold the door open for my partner. At the moment the procedure goes like this: I run around the car, open all doors via central locking from the driver's side. I then run around the car again, to open the door for her. I then run around the car a third time to get behind the wheel. Besides me getting some well needed exercise and her getting some undeserved laughs, I can't see the logic behind all that. I initially thought this was a fault, but the manual says this is how it's supposed to be! Is there a way around that? Is it possible to retro fit one of those remote key-less unlocking mechanisms? Manual says some versions of the Disco have this already installed. Is it possible that mine has it too, but one of the many pre-owners has lost the remote and I simply need to buy a new one? Or is it possible to somehow unlock all the doors from the co-pilot's door?
Any ideas to any of my problems would be much appreciated. I'm more than happy to provide further information or more photos. This is all new to me and I don't have a mechanical or electrical background, so please be kind to me. ;-)
Thank you!
Master
i can offer a suggestion on 2 and 3
the white wire that you show behind the alt on my 95 disco 300 tdi is connected to the back of the alt and is the signal wire for the alt, have a close look behind the alt use a mirror and you should see a spade fitting that this should slide on.
to
coolant leak replace the over flow tank, see the vendors list here on the site and they will be able to assist.
great write up very descriptive , you soon get the answers you need
cheers Andrew
I have a '97 300tdi and I can tell you that the relays near the radiator are not standard, they must be for aftermarket accessories ex. spotlights and by the sounds of it someone down the track has wired up some thermo fans to come on when the ignition comes on this could be something to do with these relays as well. I have rewired my air-con fans to act like thermo fans also but they are not wired to come on when i turn the ignition on, I just flick a switch when i feel i need to (in traffic or crawling around the scrub).
with the courtesy lights and lighters, might be a bad earth are you just putting the voltmeter probe on the + and using another - on the body or are you putting the voltmeter pins onto the + and - of the circuit?
because if you put a + on and the - on another part of the body it will show that the + feed is there only
Swaggie
That plug lying near the exhaust in the photo should be plugged to the spade terminal (Marked 'W') that is the tach output.
The other is someones attempt at a 12V supply possibly to one of the relays in the other pic.
JC
Fossicker
First of all thank you to everyone for the quick and helpful replies.
I spent the morning implementing the recommendations and will answer each reply individually to keep it more manageable.
Once again many thanks!
Fossicker
@ River:
That was excellent advice. There is indeed a spade fitting and the plug slides on nicely. It was fitting very loose (which is probably why it came off in the first place) so I squeezed it a bit with my pliers and presto - tight fit, tachometer working like a charm!
Also, I'll take your advice on the replacement coolant overflow box. They don't seem to be too expensive (compared to an overheating engine).
Two problems solved, thanks Andrew!
Fossicker
@ THEBORDERDOG:
Ok, that makes sense. The car has a bullbar with brackets for spotlights, so there were probably some installed at some stage in its life. I turned the ignition key into position 2 to find out where the fan-noise comes from. I looked under the bonnet and couldn't see anything. So I looked underneath the car, touching various parts with my fingers. The part shown in the two photos is the only one making slight vibrations, but I'm not sure what it does. Also, the gurgling water sounds seems to be related, as soon as this fan or pump springs into action, the water seems to be moving.
From what you are telling me, it sounds that the thermo fan installation isn't a bad idea, so I hope that whoever installed it in my disco knew what they were doing and leave it at that. Does it keep the engine cooler or why did you rewire your air con fans?
Fossicker
@ It'sNotWorthComplaining!:
I'm really sorry, I don't know how to test a + feed. I rerun the exercise this morning taking photos along the way, so you can see exactly what I was doing.
First photo shows removed courtesy light assembly hooked up to 12V power source (you can only see the back of the assembly, but the switch is in the on position)
Second photo shows me testing the cables with the voltmeter.
Third photo shows that the black cable is bolted onto the roof. I'm not sure where the other cables are leading. There are two plugs coming out of the hole. The first (which I'm testing on the photo) was connected to the courtesy light assembly, it has a purple/brown and a purple/blue cable. Regardless of which of the two cables I'm testing, I always get the 12V. The second plug that comes out of the hole wasn't connected to anything (it has two black and one white cables). Maybe that is part of the problem?
In the fourth photo I have attached two wires to the plugs and again measure 12V.
In the fifth photo I make contact with the bulb from the courtesy light assembly and it won't light up.
With the cigarette lighter in the boot of the car, I get 12V by making contact with the red and black terminals of my voltmeter. And when I swap the red and the black parts, I get the same number but with a - in front of it.
I hope this gives a better idea of what I have done so far in this regard.
Fossicker
@ justinc:
Thank you JC, that worked well and the tachometer works like a beauty now. So if it is someone's attempt to get a 12V supply, it is not harmful if I leave it like that? Maybe I can use it at some stage for spotlights? I put the voltmeter onto it, but there is no voltage on it. It disappears with another cable into that black protective cover (see photo) and when I trace it, it runs all the way to the back of the car where it eventually splits into three.
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