Help!! 99 Range wont start

[DanielMendez34]

Can any one help me i have a 99 range rover 4.0. i recently installed i custom air intake in my range. I took a two week trip to san antonio tx the car performed beutifullyyyy :lol: . about a three weeks later i go to home depot lock my car and come back out 10 min later and it wont start every thing  works (radio) but it wont turn over.

I hear the relays clicking  The car has had excellent maintenace and every thing has worked great. I checked all the rellays and fuses bought a new battery and nothing works  :?:

Can it be the alternator or the starter moter? I live in laredo texas and the only mechanic charges an arm and a leg. Please help any input would be awome. My baby needs help

[skucera]

Without getting too deep into the intricacies, have you checked to see if maybe the neutral safety switch is a factor?  Sometimes the switch will wear a bit in the Park position, but will still engage just fine in the Neutral position.  Try putting the shifter in the N position and give it a try.  If that works, see if can start it while applying forward or backward pressure to the shifter lever while it is in the P position, that will confirm the diagnosis.

If you still don't get even a click of the starter Bendix in either Neutral or Park, I would suspect that you need a new starter solenoid.  I have only owned a Range Rover for a few days, so I don't know if it is integral or separate (Noob warning!), but if it is integral to the starter then you'll need to get your starter tested, then maybe get it rebuilt, or buy a rebuilt starter and put it in.  If the starter solenoid is separate, like on Ford cars and trucks (that's the only common modern example I can think of that still uses separate starter solenoids), then you can buy just a new starter solenoid, fit it, and see if that fixes you.  Another neat trick with separate starter solenoids is that you can test them by bridging the posts with a screwdriver to see if the starter will engage and turn the engine over.  

Most auto parts stores have a starter tester, and will test your starter for free if you remove it and bring it to them.  Removing the starter isn't too difficult on most cars, often only two or three bolts and the electrical connector to disconnect.  

Oh, your starting problem is very unlikely to be caused by your alternator.

Good luck,
Scott

[Skibum346]

To make sure the starter motor is in working order, take a wire directly from battery +ve terminal to starter motor (making VERY sure it's in park as you'll be under the vehicle at the time!!). If it kicks in you know the starter motor is fine and can look at other components.

Good luck.

Skibum

[blueosis1]

had the same problem a few weeks back  :? ,cheked everthing.car would start and run fine if i took a live from the battery to the starter.proves all the electrics and everything was working fine . turns out it was the imobiliser playing up,cut it out from under the steering shroud ,fired up first turn :D


mark

[DanielMendez34]

i Ran a + to the starter and nothing worked. is there anything else i can do ?

[skucera]

Daniel, that should have bypassed all other systems and directly activated the starter Bendix and engaged the starter motor to the flywheel.  If that didn't work, you need a new starter motor.  You've diagnosed it.

The next step, if you have wrenches and a torque wrench, is to remove the starter motor, take it to the auto parts store, buy a new or rebuilt one, and put it in.  If you don't want to work on your car, almost any garage in America can change this starter motor as long as they have the torque table for those bolts.  If a professional mechanic wants to charge more than an hour of labor, I would question why.

Scott

[Skibum346]

Only other thing to check is to make sure the starter motor has a good earth. If it don't... then the +ve has nowhere to run to so won't turn the motor.

Might save an hours labour and the cost of a new starter motor.

Good luck.

[Range Rover Blues]

Whoa lads, the starter also has a relay mounted to the inner wing or firewall somewhere, depends on model year.  These are a lot less reliable than the starter solenoid on the pre-engaged starter.

So if it kicks up when you short the starter terminal with a spanner, then go look for the relay first.

Oh, and check the contacts on the wire down tot he starter are secure too.  Unlike a car starter the Rover V8 needs quite a large excitation current.