Hi,
This is my first post although I have been reading the forum for a few months. My son bought a 2008 3.6 Tdv8 a few months ago and we have done quite a bit to get it right. Today it's had an unusual problem and I'm looking for advice.

When the ignition key is moved to poison two there is a clicking noise and the voltage drops considerably. This is before you press the start button. He put the battery on charge but I actually have a monitor on thr battery and the battery was 100% charged first thing this morning and had the same voltage all the way up to when he moved the ignition switch to position 2.
The battery was replaced about 4 weeks ago, the one it came with was not the correct cranking rating. I will check the battery connections tomorrow. My question is, has anyone seen anything like this before..... Could it be a short on a glow plug etc?. Is there a master fuse that I should be checking? On my experience I've only see this kind of thing when trying to crank a car.

Sorry, not the way I intended the first post to go......
Neil

This might help?

I’m no expert at all, but am aware that the glow plugs do their thing when you attempt to crank the engine (you sometimes have to wait for the cranking due to the glow plugs when you turn the key) although I have the keyless start so my experience may be different…

What I believe that does happen is the fuel pump primes at the ignition on stage. Could that be somewhere to investigate the battery draw and clicking?

These cars do make some clicking and whirring noises when switched on or off!!! Currently driving: 2012 L322 SE Overfinch 4.4 tdv8

Past rides:
2014 Audi Q7 3.0d (good riddance)
2010 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged
2011 L320 HSE 3.0 sdv6
2014 Jaguar XF-RS 5.0 supercharged
2007 BMW 535D
2005 Mini Cooper S

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic59478.html

Actually as I think about it, past diesels I’ve had would engage the glow plugs at ignition on. Not when you crank.
Before now I’ve had to turn the ignition off and on a few times due to poor performing glow plugs… Currently driving: 2012 L322 SE Overfinch 4.4 tdv8

Past rides:
2014 Audi Q7 3.0d (good riddance)
2010 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged
2011 L320 HSE 3.0 sdv6
2014 Jaguar XF-RS 5.0 supercharged
2007 BMW 535D
2005 Mini Cooper S

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic59478.html

Hi gents,
This is a little embarrassing as it was rather basic. Went out this morning in the baltic weather and did a few simple tests. First was to hold a volt meter across the battery terminals whilst the ignition was turned to position 2 and see if the battery voltage was dropping a lot. It didn't. Then repeat this with the voltage across the battery clamps and it did. This meant (we'll to me anyway) that one of the clamps was not making good contact when there is reasonable draw on the battery.
Cleaned the negative terminal and all is OK. Cleaned the posative terminal for good measure as well and applied terminal protector grease.

I probably confused the question originally, with quite a few cars I thought this had a start button. It doesn't, it's a standard ignition with position 1, 2 and then 3 (crank). The glow plugs come on in position two and you wait until they go out before you move to position three.

Anyway, a rather embarrassing easy fix. The fear of a complicated electrical system got the better of me....... Sometimes things are just as simple as my 1969 Triumph TR3A.

Thanks for the suggestions
Neil