Thread: Electrical woes - cranks but won't start/run TD5

Hi All,

My seldom used 99 TD5 Auto has (all of a sudden) developed a serious glitch which has rendered it inoperable. It sounds like a dud connection through a relay or an earthing problem.

Symptoms are:
* some lights will come on the dash but not all when you turn the key to 'on'
* most significantly, the glow plug light will (sometimes) flick on for a second but then flick off again (relay noise under bonnet)
* if the glow light comes on and stays on (seldom), car will start and run but then stall later
* transmission lights (M&S) flash before I even start the car
* temp gauge haywire (up, down, overheat light on, etc) - nothing to do with overheating (honest!)

Now, I don't have a service manual or a RAVE CD, but instinct tells me that all of these things are controlled by the computer. It seems that either the computer is flaking out due to a dud connection or it has a bad earth, etc.

Of note is that 1,000 or 2,000 km ago, I had a 'chipped' ECU (from TRS, but installed by Rovertech in Perth) put in. I had had absolutely no problems with it until now. I wonder if that's the problem?

Any thoughts? Otherwise the disco is going on a flat bed to get some surgery. I am half tempted to douse it in petrol and set it alight, that would solve all the problems in one hit!

Cheers

Owen

i second what JC said,
i think the critical battery voltage is around the 11v mark.
LRH had an issue of the M&S lights flashing, it ended up being a dud battery.

if your going to let a battery sit it needs to be attached to some sort of trickle charger.

cheers phil