QuestionHi John,
My Land Rover is not happy with me evidently! I get into the start my 97 Land Rover Discovery SE (Series I) and it is a toss up. Sometimes it starts and sometimes it does not. It sounds like the starter is trying to kick over and sometimes it attempts to but doesn't. It sounds strained almost like there is not enough power getting to the starte,and then SOMETIMES the starter eventually kicks over after a lot of effort. I had the battery and alternator tested and they were fine. I also had the feed into the starter tested and the mechanic said it was a little low but not low enough to make the started stop working all together at times. I did have a leak of power steering fluid, and the outside of the starter was wet from the leak. I have since fixed the leak and I have no idea what to do, is it the starter, is it the ignition module or the coil. Please help me!
Thank you!
AnswerHi Samantha,
you are in luck! I just had my starter fail less than a week ago (lucky for you...no so for me).
With the help of some friends, we were able to remove the starter and throughly examine it for the problem. My Disco has over 320,000 kms on it and the starter was covered in thick oil and dirt. I was given the task to remove it and it was a real mess. It was also the original starter!
When we opened up the starter, we noticed that one of the parts, the bendix (a nasty-toothed cog that engages a larger cog to start the engine) was not moving. Amazingly, even under all that oil, the shaft that runs the length of the starter, had just enough rust to prevent the bendix from moving. Somehow, moisture penetrated the starter and caused the bendix to seize. So when I tried to start the engine, I only heard the tiny starter motor whirrrrrr (spin without engaging) while the engine did nothing.
In your case, you sometimes hear the starter motor connect (that the bendix engaging) and sometimes you don't. This usually indicates one of two things: the brushes on the starter motor are worn down and not giving enough current to spin the motor OR the solenoid is about to fail completely and nothing much will work without it.
Either way, the dealership would simply replace the entire starter with either a new one ($600 to $800) or a rebuilt (about $300 or so). Most rebuilts are done to factory expectations and you should have no trouble with them.
Don't worry about the leak on the starter, water is usually the starters worst enemy. The starter is a powerful motor that can take abuse. Our Disco starter is well placed and well made to last so long.
If your starter sounds under stress, its very likely that it needs to be replaced. I was able to rebuild mine for the cost of a pizza dinner and a great homemade lemon poppy cake! Unless you have some friends who are good with tools (and like homemade meals) you should have a local mechanic replace your starter with a rebuilt. It will cost you much less than the dealer...unless you prefer the professional care performed by your local LR dealer.
Samantha, if you have any other questions, just send me a followup and I'll do my best to help you out.
Best of luck with this,
JohnMc
