Hi Land Rover 3.9L Vee 8 Owners,
I think I've done something very stupid to my '94 Defender 3.9L, and am asking for advise from these who understand electrics better than I or who have had prior experience. I had a jumper cable connected to the positive battery terminal and the other end inadvertently touch the body while the engine was running (at least this is what I think happened) because the engine just stopped running and will not restart. All I've done so far is confirm that it cranks well, I hear the fuel pump priming and I've confirmed that the 4 fuses next to the brake booster are good (2x 60amp and 2x 30amp), my biggest fear is that I might have damaged the ECM, but before I get to that I'm wondering if it might be the ignition amplifier? Or some thing else relatively simple in the ignition system? Any help, suggestion's, direction would be greatly appreciated. Thxs Ian (If you do think the amplifier is a worthy part to check - can it be removed with the Distributor in place? Maybe remove the cap for better access to these tiny little hex heads!?) Thxs again.

 

I had a similar issue with an lr3. I removed a heat shield for a fix, thought I could run a quick errand in the vehicle. Unfortunately the engine heat melted the jacket on the positive cable. When I got back to work and inspected it, the raw positive cable touched the exhaust manifold. Lots of sparks and it wouldn't start. I got the rig running again with a new battery, new battery cable, and a new alternator. Might have been overkill to replace all 3, but they were due anyway. Batteries don't like being shorted out, I'd start there. Good luck!

 

First disconnect your battery positive cable from the battery, then disconnect your alternator wiring, and insulate it with tape, then connect your battery positive terminal and attempt to start it. Your alternator is most likely toast if all is well during that test a cheap fix just replace your alternator.