Help Required - Won't Start

[RichardR]

Just went to nip out at lunchtime and the S won't start...

The immobiliser appears to disengage ok (get a beep and the light goes green, and then correctly extinguishes when I turn the key), but the engine just turns over.

I subsequently noticed that I'm not getting the ignition light showing, and that none of the ignition fed circuits are coming live e.g. boot, fan, headlights, gauges etc.

I've taken the bottom of the steering column off, but everything seems to be connected ok in there, and I'm not sure where to look next...

I'm on customer site in Leamington Spa today, so I'd really appreciate any suggestions as it'd be great to be able to resolve this without having to call the recovery people out.

Thanks, in anticipation (!),

Richard

[Podie]

Knackered battery, or lose connection there? (guessing)

You tried a jump start?

[z_chromozone]

This happened to me, and turned out to be the fuel pump not getting any power. I have not had the time to fix the thing properly, but I did manage to rig up a work around that got me mobile. If you wnat to know how I fixed it E mail me off line, it involves going around the immob' and I don't want scrotes getting any ideas.

Z

[RichardR]

Cheers for the suggestions Podie - I've pretty much crossed the battery off my list as I'd still expect all the ignition fed stuff to work, but probably not have enough power to turn the engine over or raise a spark.

I've just been doing a bit of searching on the forums, and a few others seem to have experienced these exact symptoms caused by the ignition multi-connector, so I think I'm going to have another fiddle with that.

[Colin Blues2]

Hi

I had a similar thing after installing a new bulb for the interior light outside Halfords. Engine would turn over but wouldn't fire. Turned out to be one of the fuses in the fusebox, must have blown when I changed the bulb. Changed it and all was fine again.

Regards

Colin

[RichardR]

Thanks for the input guys.

I drove all the way up here this morning without any incident, and then didn't do anything else before getting back in the car at lunchtime to find it wouldn't start, so there's no obvious culprit to have blown a fuse etc.

It did do something similar the other morning i.e. not start, but I let the immobiliser reset and then tried it again and it was fine (didn't notice if the other ignition fed items were working or not), so that might be connected.

Anyway, I've decided to take the easy way out and call the recovery company. If they can't fix it and have to take me home, at least I'll have a full set of tools and a meter there to check it out properly.

[Podie]

Best of luck chap..

[Le TVR]

If the starter motor turns you've got power to the ignition switch ok.
If headlights, dash lights fans etc are all dead then there is probably no return feed from the ignition sw (black wire that become 2x white wire?)
Either the ignition switch or connector is burnt or (unlikely) they wired the immobiliser to cut out the main power from the ignition sw. If they wired it that way its probably burnt the relay in the immobiliser.

Do you have a piece of wire handy? (20cm should do?)

[haggishead]

There's a connector in the wiring just 3 inches from the ignition switch, that's too puny for the job, and burns out. Mine did, with exactly the symptoms you describe.

You'll find photos of how I fixed it at www.haggishead.myby.co.uk/TVR/aug03.html under August the 3rd, if that's any help.

[RichardR]

Thanks for the well wishes and advice. The recovery guy had a bit of a poke around the ignition switch and got the engine running by supplying a live feed to the ignition circuit. This is where all the wiring's been hacked around to tie in with the immobiliser, so it looks like that could be a culprit, but everything seems to be behaving itself again, so I think I might have to wait for it to give up the ghost again before I can do any more diagnosis.