Land Rover Repair: 97 Land Rover difficult start in humid conditions, spark plug wires, high humidity

Question
After a heavy rain the car would not start. Had 1/4 tank gas and battery turning-lights working. Three hours later the car started. What could have caused this problem and what should I do to take care of it?

Answer
Hi Katie,

could be that the high humidity was causing your ignition to short out.  You can correct this by changing your spark plug wires.  You can also clean the battery terminals and make sure the main battery connections are clean and tightly attached.  If your wires are old - chances are your spark plugs are old too.  Change them both for better starting power.

If you want to test to see if your spark plug wires need replacement, one evening start your vehicle and open the engine hood.  With a spray bottle of salty water, spray a very fine mist of water over the spark plug wires.  You may see sparks 'arcing'.  That a sure sign that the wires have worn down their insulation and that's why you have a poor start in humid conditions.

You may also want to check and clean the wire leads to your starter motor and solenoid.  Be careful not to burn yourself - do this when the vehicle has been sitting without the engine running for several hours.

Another reason for hard starts on most vehicles is cracks in the distributor cap or on the coilpack (depending on which you have).  Early series I Disco's have a distributor while later models have a coilpack (including series II Disco's).

Hope this helps,

JohnMc