November 2026
This month Debbie needs to improve her connections!
I have to admit that things have been ticking over nicely here. While this is all good from a motoring point of view, it’s not great for writing articles. Car drama is what makes writing easy, and without that, I was at a loss for what to talk about. Of course, I drive Land Rovers, so one of them was bound to oblige sooner or later.
I was not disappointed.
Everything had been going so well. It was Larry who broke the silence. Not with the usual Three Amigos, though they do intermittently show up due to an earth connection that needs to be cleaned.
This particular challenge came when I was trying to get home from college. I’d had a good day, all was well, until I got into the Disco and tried to start it. All the electrics came on, so I knew the battery was good. There was nothing on the turn of the key. No clicks, no nothing, not even the spin of the starter motor trying to get us going.
As I have had a previous issue with a slightly leaky injector, I ran the bleed procedure just in case. Ignition on, pump the accelerator pedal until the engine management light flashed and then try again. Nothing.
Thankfully, when a car refuses to start in the carpark of an Automotive Training College, (North Humberside General Training Academy), there is no shortage of helpers around to lend assistance.
The complete lack of sound from the starter was deemed suspicious, and it didn’t take long for an expert to scoot underneath with a jump lead, remove the battery connector and fire the solenoid. Larry started immediately and I was able to get home without complaint.
It turned out the contacts for the solenoid plug had corroded and the connection wasn’t good enough for it to work. I have to remind myself that these cars are twenty four years old and over, and these are the sort of things I need to watch out for when doing maintenance. This time, it was a relatively simple fix, however I do need to have a look at some bits before the cold, damp weather sets in and I am left stranded somewhere less convenient!