I have a 1994 Land Rover Discovery (3.9 liter V8) that won’t start. I don’t get a click, a turn over, or anything. Here’s the exact story:
My dad bought this car about a month ago, and we had minor problems from the get go. All of it was minor, or at least a cheap fix (including the gas tank recall), but we recently came accross something new. We had just finished putting gas into it and were ready to leave the station when something horrible happened. It wouldn’t start. No click, no engine response whatsoever. We fiddled with everything we could for an hour before we managed to somehow start it. To this day, we have no idea how or why that happened. We drove it home, parked it, and proceeded to watch it not start again. After searching, we found the key was stuck in the ignition, so dad broke it off. After having the ignition re-done, we managed to start it. Solved? Hold on… A day later, we had the same problem. No starting. Here’s a rundown on what we’ve been able to rule out:
1. battery is fine
2. fuses and relays are fine
3. ignition system is [by and large] fine.
Is there something I’m missing? Also, could it be the neutral safety switch? We’ve narrowed it down to that or the starter…
we found the key was stuck in the ignition, so dad broke it off. After having the ignition re-done
Describe exactly what “re-done” means. repaired or replaced cylinder, replacement of entire lock?
We had the entire ignition mechanism rebuilt (largely because the key was broken off inside the cylinder). The guy who worked on it told us it was working fine because the contacts were still all in working order and the cylinder turned smooth.
I might be wrong here, but if it’s the neutral safety switch, can’t you test that by shifting into neutral and trying to start the vehicle?
Attempted, and it won’t start in neutral either. We’ve found two things: originally, the steering wheel wouldn’t lock into place when the car was off, and we have to unplug a little doodad (no idea what it is) up next to the ignition column to get the key out.
The ignition lock may be “fine”; but, that doesn’t make the ignition switch “fine”. The ignition SWITCH is a distributor of electrical power. Power (12 volts) comes in, and the ignition SWITCH sends it hither and yon; IF, its kar-ma is “fine”. If not, you get things like no-starts (or, intermittent starts), and other no’s.
Okay, I think I’ve left out vital information. In the “on” position, all the electrical components work. radio comes on, lights work, windows work, etc. The only problem we have is a no-start.
The START position uses different contacts inside the ignition SWITCH. To check the circuit, attach a electrical multimeter to the wires coming from the ignition switch with the ignition key held to START. The voltage should be the same OUT as IN. If not, there is high resistance within the ignition switch (which is not unheard of).
Would all of that have some correlation or another with the little doohickey that, when plugged in, won’t let my key out of the ignition?