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benniferj

Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

Dead alt / Dead starter - coincidence?

Took my 110 TD5 15P out on the plains yesterday. Put it in quite a deep muddy hole that it got stuck in. Water in the footwells. Winched myself out all good... But knock on problems are as follows:
- I hadn't turned the engine off for ages. When I finally did for lunch it wouldn't start itself again. Just a single loud click from the solenoid. Im assuming the solenoid is dead but normally these gradually fail? On my 200tdi when the starter was dying you had to keep trying a few times and it would click in and just start eventually. This doesn't do that. I had to get bump started by a mate and all good.

- A couple of hours after the stuck in the mud hole, the battery light came up on dash while driving and both of my volt meters were now running at only 12.2/12.4ish. The alt briefly kicked back in on the motorway home and then stopped charging again. Back at back put a jump cable from starter body to Battery Neg and made no difference to anything.

It's easy to replace these parts which is not an issue but I am wondering if there are any subtleties to a TD5 that are worth looking into? I will be checking my grounds (gearbox to chassis rail?), Alt sense wire for 12v, starter trigger wire voltage and clean terminal, starter relay (I have recently installed the LRD switch relay isolator mod) - anything else to check before a new Alt and a new solenoid?

EDIT: Also will clean out ECU under seat box and check all plugs and harnesses clean

Cheers!

Ben

Click image to enlarge

6th May 2019 8:29am

4RF RDS

Member Since: 19 Jul 2015
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 930

2000 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Epsom Green

Td5 starter solenoid is quite a common failure and super easy to rebuild. $20 kit available almost everywhere. Alternators are also rebuildable but not so easy to get at and remove. Best to replace then rebuild the old one once it is out and keep as a spare.

Good luck.

2010 Range Rover MkIII Autobiography Super Charged (Idris)
2003 Range Rover Mk III (Desmond FitzWilliam)
2000 Defender 110 CSW TD5 (CTX)
1992 Range Rover Classic (Lizzy)
1972 Series III 300 Tdi (Stanwood)
1967 MGB GT

Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

6th May 2019 12:12pm

roel

Member Since: 08 Aug 2009
Location: Lelystad
Posts: 2039

A starter soleniod works or doesn't work. It are the contacts that burn and it suddenly doesn't work anymore.
It is an easy job changing the contact points as said before. If you have the starter motor off take it apart and clean it. Also open the gearbox and get the old grease out and put new in. I used multi purpose grease that might not be the right grease but it works. You don't want to know how much resistance old grease can give. Turn it by hand before and after. You will see.

I hardly could turn it by hand and after assembling it again I have a feeling that the td5 turns over faster.

Your Altenator brushes are probably worn and were stuck a bit. And came loose so it started working again.

Take it off and clean it. take the back cover off and sheck the brushes. There might still be enough life left in them.
Having the engine running in sandy water is hard on your altenator.

I take my startermotor and alternator off almost once a year to clean them.

For your ECU you have a 110 so it is a bit more difficult to find space but I have everything that was under the seat now between my seats at the bulkhead. It takes a lot longer to get wet. Roel

1984 90 2.5 na Diesel - RR V8 (1994-2001)
1997 Camel Trophy Discovery 300TDI (2001-2009)
2005 G4 Discovery III 4.4 V8 (2008-2018) It's gone but it still hurts.
2003 90 Td5 (2009-now)

6th May 2019 2:25pm

diesel_jim

Member Since: 13 Oct 2008
Location: hiding
Posts: 6090

Were you in the mud hole that's on the byway just to the east of Westdown camp? (at SU05394759)

6th May 2019 2:41pm

MadTom

Member Since: 10 Sep 2013
Location: Olomouc
Posts: 616

Just remove both starter and alternator and clean them from mud. It is not uncommon for alternator to fail after mud bath. "Drobek" = The Small One - Discovery 2, "Blufínek" = The Blue Thing - Defender 130, and for me at least Ford Mondeo

6th May 2019 6:08pm

benniferj

Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

Ok cool... I have a spare Alt and Starter from a friend who is a breaker coming tomorrow. Once they're off I'll rebuild the originals as my spares

Can't find any earth or trigger wire issues so it must just be that horrible plains silt that it sat in for too long!

7th May 2019 4:56pm

roel

Member Since: 08 Aug 2009
Location: Lelystad
Posts: 2039

Clean the "new" ones before fitting.

Roel

1984 90 2.5 na Diesel - RR V8 (1994-2001)
1997 Camel Trophy Discovery 300TDI (2001-2009)
2005 G4 Discovery III 4.4 V8 (2008-2018) It's gone but it still hurts.
2003 90 Td5 (2009-now)

7th May 2019 5:01pm

jst

Member Since: 14 Jan 2008
Location: Taunton
Posts: 8006

2011 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 USW Stornoway Grey

Clean the old starter when off and leave it in bucket atf. When new one fails swap them. Cheers

James
110 2012 XS Utility
130 2011 M57 bespoke Camper
90 2010 Hardtop
90 M57 1988 Hardtop

7th May 2019 8:56pm

benniferj

Member Since: 20 Oct 2016
Location: Basingstoke
Posts: 361

All fixed up with the spare parts. Really good condition stuff off of a breaker. Will certainly refurb the old ones as spares shortly. Cheers guys!

- oh yeah, starter super easy... clearly been replaced before... had no top nut so came off with zero hassle. More than can be said for the Disco TD5 I had to pull the replacement off of!!!

10th May 2019 6:39am

blackwolf

Member Since: 03 Nov 2009
Location: South West England
Posts: 17344

2007 Defender 110 Puma 2.4 DCPU Stornoway Grey

4RF RDS wrote:
... Alternators are also rebuildable but not so easy to get at and remove. ...

Really? I have a stack of TD5 alternators (well, at least 3, maybe 4) now that need rebuilding (eg new slip rings, etc) but cannot find spares for them anywhere! Any pointers?

10th May 2019 12:11pm

4RF RDS

Member Since: 19 Jul 2015
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 930

I used to go to a local alternator shop here and they would rebuild my 300Tdi alternator for $100. They have no idea what the Td5 alternator is like so I searched for rebuild kits. I got the parts off ebay a couple years ago. There were rebuild kits for about £50 sold in the UK. I just looked and cannot find them again. Only brush kits seem to be available. 2010 Range Rover MkIII Autobiography Super Charged (Idris)
2003 Range Rover Mk III (Desmond FitzWilliam)
2000 Defender 110 CSW TD5 (CTX)
1992 Range Rover Classic (Lizzy)
1972 Series III 300 Tdi (Stanwood)
1967 MGB GT

Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

10th May 2019 1:30pm

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