Land Rover Repair: Slow Start, starter solenoid problems, land rover discovery

Question
1997 Land Rover Discovery SD. v8. Usually starts as soon as ignition is turned. Last 5 days it has taken approx 3-5 seconds to start. It has been 95+ degrees each day if that matters.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Vinnie,

outside temperature should not affect the ignition - unless your wires are old.  Problem has to be either spark, fuel, air or Starter/Solenoid problems.

Could be not enough spark to ignite fuel/air, not enough or too much fuel to air ratio, or the starter or the solenoid is having problems.  There are other ignition fault possibiliites but these are the most common.  

I'd start by determining if the spark is good - is your battery fully chargd, how is the alternator working?  Most Advance Auto stores will do a quick check on the alt output to see if its doing its job - charging the battery.  When you start your engine, that battery has to be able to feed the necessary amperage to the starter.  

If you have good spark, next take a look at the starter solenoid - is the main battery lead covered in an oily grime/gunk?  Use brake or electrical cleaner and spray the main lead on the solenoid. I had problems like this and it turned out that oil, road grime, water, etc had coated the main lead and was causing some corrosion. I had to replace the lead (short piece) and my starting problems stopped.

Are you spark plugs and wires due for a change?  Only purchase top quality wires (I like Magnecor - magnecor.com) as your engine runs at very high temperatures.  In this case, outside temperatures could affect starting IF the wires are frail and the insulation is worn away.

Do you smell fuel after the difficult start?  Do a normal cold start - and when you have difficult (and spare time) stop the start sequence, pop open the hood, remove one spark plug and determine if it is wet (fuel). Could be some flooding (too much fuel or no air). At the same time, you can inspect the plug and determine if it is coated in carbon and how likely it will spark.  Go to this website for color chart : http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/tech_support/spark_plugs/faqs/faqread.asp

You could have your injectors tested and cleaned.  This would help improve fuel delivery and starting.  

There are various sensors involved in engine starts - best to have a LR mechanic attach a TESTBOOK device to see what sensor are working and how well they are firing.

Best of luck,
JohnMc