Hi everyone, from some research the flashing m and s lights have been discussed in many forums but I couldn’t find one with the not starting issue too. Over the last month or so my 1999 Land Rover v8 petrol has not wanted to start once warmed up. Happens intermittently (usually in an awkward spot like the gas station), I sit in the car for 10-30mins and it will go eventually. I have tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery but that doesn’t fix it. There’s no click or other noise when trying to start and all the dash lights come on as usual so not a flat battery. This happened again yesterday but it fired up after sitting there for approx 20 mins. Driving to work this morning I had the m and s lights flashing and the D for drive flashing too. Wondering if anyone else has had this issue and if the great minds in here think the two things will be related. Cheers, Tim

 

I think you’ve already figured out that the most common cause of flashing M&S lights is not enough electrical power. My first suspect is poor main electrical power connections, ie battery positive and negative cables, both ends. Also, a weak battery might have enough power to light your lights, but not enough for starting. But the fact that it sometimes starts probably indicates that your battery is okay. That’s why I’m suspicious of the connections.

 

Do the electrics work when the car wont start? Other than electrical issues it could be the XYZ switch not allowing the car to start because it thinks it is in gear. You can also try starting in neutral.