Land Rover Repair: 95 Disco hard starts, spark plug wires, starter solenoid

Question
My rover unexpectedly doesn't start at times.  I've had the battery changed
and still encounter the same problem.  I have noticed that after putting water
in the coolant resevoir it starts.  I've spoken to professionals about this and
they all say this adding of water has nothing to do with my problem.  whats
up.

Answer
Hi Jill,

I too have a '95 Disco.  When I was having trouble like yours, it turned out that the HT lead wire to the started had so much oil, grit and dirt saturated within that not enough electrical current was able to feed the starter solenoid.  Eventually, the solenoid shorted out from all the difficult starts.

I suggest you have the starter wiring cleaned and/or replaced.  You could also have a local auto electrician clean and inspect your starter motor and solenoid.  Would cost you less than a new one from the dealer.

By the way, the solenoid is also used on Volkswagen Jetta's (same year).  VW dealer charged me $65 for a new one - one LR dealer wanted $650.  

Other than that, you could replace your spark plug wires, spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor - if they are old and have not been replaced within the past couple of years.

Best of luck,

JohnMc