Electrical problems

[JSalyer]

Just a couple of notes on Electrical problemsThese are simple fixes for alot of the issues on these cars)

Stay on top of Battery cleaning!! I clean my posts and cables about 4 times a year!! Put any of the anti corrode pastes on to keep good connection.

Rovers are very bad about poor grounds!! Check all of the multiwire grounds in and around the engine compartment, unbolt, clean thouroughly with wire brush(I keep one of those cheap NAPA 4 brush sets in my tool box) and again coat with anti corrode goo. There are other grounds in passenger compartment, underbody etc., you will need to order a factory electrical schematic from Rovers North (the best investment you will make!!, you can take it to your mechanic if you dont do your own work and he will love you and save you money!!) to locate all of them.

Many of the irritating "blinking lights, running/driveability issues etc" come from corrosion.

Another big issue was water invading the dash(RR classic early Disco)and getting into the major elec junctions and inturn these corroding out.
You will find real horror stories under there and LR had Service Bulletins addressing these(I know cause I did a lot of these in my LR days!!).

Hope this helps,
Remember Rovers are a Maintenance heavy vehicle and time invested in PMCS(a military term for preventitive maintenance) will pay off big time!!

Cheers from Bavaria
Jack

[TSR53]

Jack, very good post, thank you! This is the first sticky on the new forum .

- Don't forget to have a good dielectric grease on hand. I've found that Würth makes the best. Here is a direct link to the catalog page.

[Mudley N. Grimey]

Electrical problems, Tachometer

Speaking of electrical problems.....the tach on my Disco I is intermittently disfunctional. This usually occurrs when the car is cold. Maybe the ghost of Lucas needs warming up. Any idea where to look first, i.e., where does the signal for the tach come from?

[cyansunday]

Tach

There is a connection on the alternator, they seem to come loose, from time to time, mine was intermittent for a bit, then stopped altogether. When I had to replace the alternator, I discovered this plug was loose. It is a small plastic clip with one or two wires coming from it (I can't entirely remember how many) anyway it clips onto a metal tab in the back of the alternator.

Hope that helps.

[msggunny]

Put any of the anti corrode pastes on to keep good connection.

We use felt washers impregnated with the anti corrosion stuff on the 6 batteries in our tanks. works great. I cant remember what they are called, we just call them "Bloody A##holes" (red with a hole). That or just some grease if we dont have anything around. the grease shouldnt stay long as it attracts dirt and gets messy, but good for a temporary fix.

[alligatorfoot]

Jack,

Thank you fo the advice on purchasing a ground schematic of where all of the grounds are (I will add it to my existing purchase order today). In the meantime, any insights on if a grounding issue may be causing the top light on my drivers side rear tail light from working? (All of the other lights work on that side and the passenger side tail lights all work).

I tested the bulb and bulb holder, and put in a new tail light in case it was the circuit board without any success in resolving the problem?

Thanks in advance for you help and insight.

Mark

[lovely09]

The Rover's battery is a storage device,currently 12 volts used to start the engine and help operate the electrical accessories installed on your Rover. The battery consists of six cells of stacked positive and negative lead plates, separated by insulators and immersed in electrolyte which is a water and sulfuric acid mixture.Each of the six cells "produces" 2.1 volts for a total of 12.6 volts (although it's actually stored energy not produced). The chemical reaction created between the lead plates and the electrolyte creates dangerous,explosive gases that vent through the battery cover vents.Care should always be taken when charging or jump starting low batteries and whenever working under the hood of the car.Always keep the battery clean to allow proper ventilation.

[C.L.Rowe]

Charging Woes!

I'm having an intermittent problem with the charging system on my 94 Disco. Needless to say, very frustrating! The charge warning lamp works fine when the system tests itself, but the lamp doesn't stay on even though the charging system isn't working. The first indicator of a problem is the tach stays at zero. I cleaned the contacts on the alternator, and the problem briefly went away but returned the next day. I have the big Workshop Manual, but I don't see a diagram with the ground points. Is this a separate item I need to buy from RN? Is there a particular ground point I should check first for this particular problem?

I'm pulling my hair out over this one, and at my age I don't have much left.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Charlie Rowe

[1996trek4]

I second the PMCS... My 98 with 205k has never stranded me but I know this is not the norm. Be regular with every fluid flush including brake fluid, keep an eye on everything and if something becomes marginal-replace it. Deferred maintenance costs a lot of money on these trucks as with any European car. I've never had bad grounds though (knock on wood) and I am not in an arid area. Still worth checking if you ever find mysterious electrical issues.