After sitting in a good rain for a few days, my 97 Disco (5-speed manual SD) will not start until it has dried out. It cranks strongly, but never fires up. Pressing or pumping the accelerator has no effect. I suspect fuel is not getting to the engine, perhaps due to water affecting one of the electronic components. I am hoping someone might have a good suggestion on whether this might be true; and if so, which components might be causing this.

 

Does the '97 use a solenoid near the left front headlight? I have a '95, and ended up putting new spade contacts on the 5 wires running to it, as they had built up resistance due to corrosion. Only bothered me during rains or rapid temperature drops, where I suspect I was getting moisture condensing.

You may also want to check the distributor cap for cracks and look at the rotating element for excessive pitting.

The other thing you can try is to apply a blow dryer to these two areas next time you have the problem to see if it gives you insight into where the problem is--If using it on the solenoid takes care of the problem, replacing the contacts may help. If drying out the distributor cap takes care of it, replace the distributer cap and element is the way to go.

Finally, you may have bad plug wire leads. Carefully misting the plug wires while the car is running should identify if this is an issue. If you see sparking or corona, you need to swap out the wires.

 

97' Disco uses A different fuel system than the 95'. Check the fuel pump connections @ the pump. Prone to corrosion. Updated pump and link harness available.

Bait

 

I may have found the problem. I suspected the theft control unit (TCU) might be at fault. I found it behind the glove box and noticed a small screw just above the TCU had slight signs of having been moist. I put a plastic cover over the TCU and so far I have not had that problem any more. However, to be sure, I'll wait a full year before I pronounce the problem fixed.