Land Rover Repair: none starter, starter solenoid, jump leads

Question
Hi, my disco will not start but the battery says it has loads of charge, there is a new symbol of what looks like a B with a line though it, tried jump leads, and checked the volts, they are at 19.5, it normally beeps 3 times at start up but is now beeping 6-7 times but not clicking over, any ideas on what my next move would be? thank you

Answer
Hi Caroline,

I'm not sure what the symbol is but I can tell you that here in N.America, a volt reading of 19.5 on the battery is not good.  Overcharging a battery can lead to an explosion (hydrogen is released and a simple spark can ignite it), damage to the battery, damage to the alternator (generator) and some nasty damage to fragile electrical components within the ignition system.

Best bet is to swap in a new fully charged battery and see if it works.  Do you have AAA over there?  Would that be UKAA?  If your battery was reading high voltage, I wouldn't take the risk of trying to jump it.

Would you be describing the chimes when you turn the ignition key?  Continuous chimes could be another component that is having a fault - I know that the HDC has a chime warning like that...

Usually, when you turn the key and your engine does nothing, it's usually the starter or starter solenoid that's at fault.  Unless you have an ignition switch short that has affected other components (perhaps the ECU itself).

See if a new battery clears things up.  Measure the output from your alternator (generator) to see if it's charging the battery correctly.  

I hope this helps,

Regards,

JohnMc
Quebec, Canada.