Land Rover Repair: 98 landrover disco wont turn over, auto wrecker, starter solenoid

Question
I have a 98 landrover disco 50 year anniversary lse and it has 107000 miles on it and it started to have problems turning over last week . It would crank slowly then start or I would turn the key and nothing for a second then it would turn over. Now it won't turn over or click or anything. I changed the battery and still nothing I want to be able to fix it without going to a dealer. Any thoughts??
Thanks
John L

Answer
Hi John,

you'll have to determine if its your starter solenoid:

Make sure all wires are firmly attached to the starter.  

Pull the lead wire from the solenoid and attach a multimeter probe to the wire.

If there is a 12 volt reading on the end of the lead wire, the problem is your starter motor.  

IF there is no 12 volt reading, it could be your 'spider' immobiliser.  

I've been told that the spider is serviceable by DIY'ers but you'll have to gain access to it via the dashboard.  Once your dashboard is disassembled, you can check for soldering failure on the spider, a common problem.  Re-soldering has been known to work.

My logic is that if the cause is NOT the starter, you have to take a step back an look at what directs the starter to function:  ignition switch; spider and ECU.

If it is the starter, you could save yourself a bundle by looking for a replacement from reputable auto wrecker.  If you need advice with that, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

Best of luck,

JohnMc.

NB:  nice Disco.