Thread: Disco II TD5 will not start SOMETIMES...not battery or alternator

Its a weird problem that is not very persistent. Sometimes it will not start and sometimes it will. The battery works, but the engine will sometimes not crank. It doesn't seem to be the battery or alternator because RACV came out and tested them both, the battery is good and the alternator appears to be putting out more than 12v. RACV suggested it may be a drawing issue where something is still running in the background even after everything is shut off, but this does entirely make sense because i was able to start the car without any problems after 3 days of not using it, and had a problem starting it after driving it for about 1-2 hours later that week. It seems to be a "ghost" issue as they call it; I'm just wondering whether there are any possible suggestions in diagnosing this problem?

Thanks

Originally Posted by Barefoot Dave

G'Day mapa.
I would check the solenoid contacts in the Starter motor. Symptoms can range from silence to a clacking sound.
Replacements should be around $15 and 30 minutes work.
Cheers, Dave.

Started getting the clacking sound when I was trying to start the car again so I ended up changing the solenoid contacts and wallah everything's fixed! I assume the old worn out contacts also managed to drain the battery sometimes to the point where the car could no longer start. Thanks for the help Dave!