I am unable to start the car. Put the fob in, press brake and push the start button and relays click away (below the gear lever housing?), the dash shows the usual icons, messages etc but it won't crank at all. No fault message on the display. To remove the fob I have to push the start button again without the foot on the brake just as though I was stopping the car for real. RACQ tested battery and found no fault and towed to my house. I tried disconnecting the battery and touched the red and black leads together to reset; no such luck. I violently jerked the steering wheel to help the lock engage but no luck.

Three things I have noticed:
1) The steering lock doesn't make its usual noise when inserting and removing the key fob. The lock is permanently off.
2) The trip computer resets every now and then when I try and start the car now.
3) My cheap OBD reader shows no codes.

My questions:
1) Is there a particular fuse I should check?
2) Any relays I can check easily?
2a) Any easy way to test the solenoid?
3) This brown CJB plug others reportedly pulled apart then reconnected, how do you get that thing undone?
4) Can just the solenoid be replaced? Any pointers on the process?
5) Is the best way to diagnose the problem a dealer or should I put faith in my local, small LR independent mechanic?

Many thanks,
Desperate (aka Whytey) 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

No ground breaking ideas but if it was me I would also use the spare key at least once to rule out any key fob issue.

Ooops, should have mentioned I tried the spare key too. No luck  1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

Lots of years since I worked on cars for a living and all the new electronics have me a little foxed now. In the good/bad old days at this point I could see me knocking/tapping the side of the starter motor with a hammer after giving it a liberal spraying of WD40 just to see if it would free off or if a manual even put in gear rock the car a little backwards and forwards to free off a sticking starter before taking further action. Good luck and post the progress so we can all learn

Its not normally necessary to be extremely violent with the steering wheel like someone possessed to get the steering lock to release or engage, in fact it doesnt need to be fully engaged as long as its energised to engage, ie part way there but not into the slot in the column, and just slight pressure in the opposite direction should suffice to ease the pressure on the lock to allow it to withdraw from the column, but you say yours isnt engaging at all so why were you trying to be violent with the steering wheel, Im sort of imagining a Basil Faulty moment here?
The lock is like a solenoid so I suppose it could eventually burn out and pack up, you might need to remove the steering cowling and have a check around?

OK this works for me
Put key in press the start button, don't put foot on brake, wait until the initializing message on the dash clears
Press the brake and then the start button, it will probably fail to start
Press the start button again to switch off the ignition
Leave the key in the dock
Remove the RED live lead from the battery, count to ten
Replace the red live lead you should here some whirring etc
Jump back in press the brake and then the start button.....should start.

If this procedure fails then it probably is the steering lock solenoid as I'm sure I read on here that the lock disables starting


HTH

Landiroamer wrote:

Im sort of imagining a Basil Faulty moment here?

carlsson wrote:

OK this works for me
Put key in press the start button, don't put foot on brake, wait until the initializing message on the dash clears
Press the brake and then the start button, it will probably fail to start
Press the start button again to switch off the ignition
Leave the key in the dock
Remove the RED live lead from the battery, count to ten
Replace the red live lead you should here some whirring etc
Jump back in press the brake and then the start button.....should start.

If this procedure fails then it probably is the steering lock solenoid as I'm sure I read on here that the lock disables starting


HTH

. I thought I followed this exactly, but I skipped the first bit about not putting the foot on the brake the first time I press the start button. I did notice the whirring this time (fuel pump???), which I haven't noticed in the past. It didn't start though

Will try again... 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

No difference following the procedure exactly.

Pretty certain it is the solenoid. Just need to work out how easy it is to access and repair/replace. Topix doesn't seem to be too much help! 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

There is a bit of build-up on the battery terminals, like a blue-ish 'fuzz'. Despite the terminal leads being put on/off a few times over the last few days, could this be a bad connection? Might it be the equivalent of a bad-earth? 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

Yep typical bad earth and needs to be pristine, then use some vaseline on termial when reconnected to cut down its return. Not sure if there is a earth cable elsewhere to the body as old minis etc had.

Dunno, looks pretty poor to me.



I think I am going to complain to the RACQ and get them to come pay the car a visit again and do a proper job. They should help rule that out before I get it towed to the repairer. 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

That was easier than expected, they are on their way here now. It is 8:30pm :\ 1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

He came and spent a good hour on the car!

Checked the battery and cleaned the terminals. He was surprised by the amount of gunk on them and thought that could have been an issue - it wasn't.

Checked fuses and relays - no issue.

Tried his hardest to locate the starter motor - but couldn't. How have some people been able to give theirs a 'tap' as reported on these forums if two of these guys can't even find them?

Anyways, he noticed a pool of engine oil leaking from an end plate on the top portion of the engine on the RHS. Very visible when the air-filter was removed. He speculates that this might be dripping onto the starter motor causing grief.

Or he agreed, it could be the steering lock solenoid.

Luckily, since this was another call-out, I am eligible for it to be towed again now...to a mechanics

And apparently I can get a limited courtesy car given the level of membership I pay for  1st time FL2 owner. 2007 SE i6 in Tambora Flame.

The starter is easily accessible on the TD4, which is what most people here have, but yours is the i6 and so different.

On the i6 it appears that the starter is down at the bottom of the engine "in a recess at the rear of the exhaust side of the oil pan". It does look as though it might be pretty inaccessible from the top.