Hey guys,

this is my first Disco, and it has, so far, been horribly unreliable and a money pit.

OK... I ordered a rebuilt alternator, the premium one with the heavy duty parts. It is on the way... as the battery did not appear to be charging correctly after I installed a new one already.

However, now I have a new problem.

I had been successfully buying myself a couple days of starting the car by jumping it with other cars, however today, we tried to Jump the car and NOTHING happened.

The battery was weak, and didn't even try to turn over.
Could this be:

1) the starter is bad?
2) the alarm system kill switch to the starter did not disengage for some reason and so the starter wasn't even engaged?

The strange thing is that even with the jump, the lights on the car did not light up to max like normal...

Could a bad alternator prevent the other electrical systems from functioning properly (ie. why was the dash lights, etc. barely lighting up even though we were jumping the car!)

help on this would be much appreciated!
-John Paul

 

Does not sound like a starter issue if it cranks. Very likely an alternator issue.

If you allowed the battery to be fully depleted, you may need the wallet for that one sorry to say.I wouldset it on a slow charge to possibly salvage.
NOTE: I have killed more than one alternator with a bad battery (putting more work on the alt). If you need a new one, many may disagree but the red tops suck, the yellow tops are pricey if you don't have bunch of extra lights etc. I chose to save the bucks last time with a regular group 24. You might get a 27 in it which would be better.

The alternator unfortunately sounds like the culprit. These trucks are very sensitive to low or undervoltage, and your symptoms don't sound unusual from your description. Just sit down and go to that happy place before you look at the bill for the alt (it aint a chevy).

START with checking all the cables for corrosion. You can have the battery and alt checked at any parts store. That is not always a reliable assement but it is free..

How much have you driven the truck, miles etc?

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

I do appreciate the ideas.

I was fooling around with it tonight as I had a suspicion that the alarm system may have something to do with it... I've had issues with other brands of cars where if the alarm isn't properly un-set the starter can be left dis-engaged which won't allow you to start the car...

So... to try and test this, i put fresh batteries in my clicker... went out to the car, and it didn't seem to do anything that I could tell, so I got INTO the car by unlocking it manually.

Then, I tried starting it, no good, no good, no good.

I gave up. Frustrated, I get out of the car, and shut the door.

then I click the clicker. It doesn't push the locks down, BUT I do hear a sort of "whirring" sound that repeats... I think this has something to do with the alarm but I'm not sure... maybe the window motors... again not sure...

at any rate, I go ahead and I lock the door manually, but notice that the passenger door is unlocked still...

so I walk around, and I hear the whirring sound coming from under the hood, so I OPEN the passenger side door, and sure enough, after a few seconds the alarm gives one chirp before I shut the door, and then lock the passenger side door to get the alarm to stay off...Next thing I know, the light inside the car comes on stronger than ever before!

I figure, hey... maybe it will work now!

so i get back in the car, i can't remember if i manually opened the door or used the clicker to get back in... i think I used the key, to unlock the driver's side, and whoala!

the car fires up again!

Although it does not stay on with out riding the throttle...

So... I still think that the alternator needs to be replaced, however, maybe your concept about the wiring is correct....
maybe it is lose, or bad...

How many wires are on the alternator? Do you know of any diagrams I can look at to test your suggestions?
Any theories about how the alarm comes into play?
again I apprecaite all the help I can get in trouble shooting this thing...

-John Paul

 

-Now your issue is starting to sound more like a bad cable or ground. When you started the truck this time, did you jump it, or was the batt enough to get it to start?

*Just need to start by following the cables coming from the battery. Look for damaged, loose connections, "fat" or swollen wires and generally any sign of corrosion. Blue/green/white "ish" discoloration or almost a fungus looking "growth" if you will is not welcome.

Typical area of concernis the battery ground cable. Follow it down until you find a metal block attached to the vehicle. This is a ground lug which I had an issue with in the past (any part of the cable not protected by insulation is morelikely to corrode). Also check the Terminals on the little black fuse box located under the hood next to the coolant tank - not far from the battery. Lift off the cover and inspect the terminals there. I think they terminate toward the bottom of the box below thefusible links (little colored/fuse looking blocks). May want to disconnect the battery for grins...


In response to your last post,

-Your alarm system has a engine immobilisation system that prevents the truck from starting if the alarm features are intruded. (Mine, a 96 with electronic ignition allows the starter to turn, but no spark) Yours I believe will inhibit the starter itself. The alarm looks at all the doors,window, sunroofsand the hood or "bonnet".
*If you are curious and have battery power you can unlock the doors with the key and hold it in the unlock position for atleast 5 seconds. This will disable your alarm features. If you do have problems with the alarm, youmight be able touse this crazy EKA code which is a series of locking and unlocking the doors with a sequence specific to your VIN. (and you thought this was just another alarm system)!!

**Again, I don't think this is your problem. Get a good light and check the cables first.

-If you changed the batteries in your handset, you have to unlock the doors with the key, then press the unlock button I think atleast 4 times to syncronize the remote.If you have your owners manual, there is a lot of specific info there to help with your year.