Hi all

I went out in my TDV8 tonight and when i started it up i got a suspension failure for the second time in a few days since having it serviced and software updated done last Friday.

The error message went away quickly so i thought nothing of it but soon noticed that my heated steering wheel wasnt warming up even though the light was on. Everything else seemed fine at this point. I drove a few minutes to my girlfriends work car park and turned her off to see if it was a temporary glitch. Big mistake, it died on me and wouldnt start (and i was blacking her work colleagues in aswell).

Anyway, Green Flag to the rescue half an hour later and jumped it off (correctly) first time and on the button but straight away the recovery tech noticed that his battery pack was drained of power. He checked my battery and it was 10.1 volts instead of 14 and he stated that there was no charge from the alternator. Is that correct or will it take a drive out to re charge the alternator?.

When having the software updates done i recall the garage saying the first attempt failed because the battery voltage had dropped below a min level so they attached a battery pack and reloaded the updates, the second time it worked.

Ive used her for Monday and Tuesday work, a 30 mile round trip each day so i assume it would have charged the battery up today, so why dead as a dodo tonight?.

Before i give the garage what for can i ask the advice of those who know on here please?. Is it likely the 1 hour update with the ignition on has caused the problem and is it a likely alternator fault or just the battery in need of a charge again?.

I have a trickle charger in the garage and was going to boost it in the morning but the recovery tech suggests i get it to a LR or specialist dealer for diagnosis.

Help please

Carl

Hi Carlos,

go into the diag/service mode and check the voltage from the battery under the "vehicle signals" screen. Check it while the car is running too. With car off you should get between 11 and 12 volts indicated under normal conditions, and then with the car running you should see anything above this, depending on the condition of the battery. I would expect about 14 to 14.5 volts being reported. If you get a reading above the voltage while it was off, then the alternator is charging as it should, but I would suspect that your battery is kaput! You should not see more than 14.5 volts, or alternator could be damaged too.

Cheers MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

SAppie

How do i get into the diag menu, is it something to do with the secret code?. Please remind me

When it was running the recovery man checked the voltage to be 10.1 but that was after it was too low to start, should it improve after use?

Hi,

Go to the home screen, hold your finger in the top centre for about 8 seconds, then lift finger and
Press and hold the navigation hard key for about 3 seconds.

A pop up key pad will appear.

Key in 134679, enter

The diag screen will appear.

I fitted a new battery a year ago, and it is already a little suspect...... I Bought a ctek charger and once a month I give it a good 24 hour charge, since this I have had no issues at all.

The car is power hungry, especially in the cold weather...... MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

Thanks, i will take a look tomorrow, may charge it first then check in in the pm, or will that provide a false perception of the battery condition?.

It just seems too coincidental that its done this after being sat with the ignition on for an hour (or more) on Friday, having previously been faultless for 7 months of every day driving and using all of the electrical items in her.

Would it be feasible to say that the garage have flattened the battery, possibly even killed it?

It wouldn't surprise me if the garage wrecked the battery . batteries when old get a sort of memory and if taken below this threshold they never recover....... It is important to keep it charged properly.

If I were you I would buy a new battery and a ctek charger, then simply charge the battery once a month properly, and I guess that you will never have another problem.

I know that your thinking that all other cars can handle batteries properly and never have issues. the FFRR has more CPU power than most not to mention all the other gadgets, so it sucks the juice like nothing else. MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

I'm just concerned that i buy the battery and the alternator kills it. I will boost it tomorrow and check the voltage.

Yes for sure, you obviously should make sure the alternator is doing its job. My guess is that it's perfectly fine.

I say this because I went through a very similar thing to you with all sorts of funnies, etc and had the battery tested ok even though it would not start the car ???? that was by the landrover assist guy.... We would charge it and it would be ok the next day, but a few days in and would have to get them out again because flat battery. In the end, after reading all sorts of similar battery issues on this forum, I simply replaced the battery and all has been great since, except for the addition of the ctek mxs 7 charger. MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

Cheers SAppie

It seems from the Bosch website that the petrol and diesel FFRR use the same battery from their range, assuming the AGM is the best. Is it correct or does the diesel have a different cold crank, the Bosch site doesn't list by specific car, only petrol or diesel Range Rover from 01>

I think they take the same battery. I actually bought an original battery from Landrover. I seem to recall that it was only about £115 a year ago. I think that it is only 95Ah which is the correct one for the car, but from reading another thread on the forum, it may be better to get the larger capacity 110Ah battery, although I'm not convinced that the fitting is a straight swap as I think the terminals are on the opposite end....?? I think too that the AGM technology is better. MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

I will ensure its a min 95Ah (with 800CCA) with the correct fitment. It seems lots of them online are the same battery even though advertised for petrol or diesel models.

Good luck, let us know how you get on!  MY2007 Vogue SE TDV8 - Tonga Green / Sand
MY2005 Discovery 3 - Silver / Biege

Carlos you need one of these puppies http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Land+Rov...amp;000020

its a tight fit but works a treat no issues with errors on cold mornings etc and comes with 5 year warranty.

95Ah (with 800CCA) THIS JUST WONT CUT IT!

 Present :2008 TDV8 HSE
Gone Audi A5 2.7TDI
Gone Discovery 3 HSE
Gone Mercedes CLK
Gone Range Rover 2.5 DSE

Quick alternator check:
Start the car, then disconnect the POSITIVE lead from the battery.
If the engine dies, the alternator is suspect.

You only need the battery to START the vehicle.
Well, OK, this particular vehicle sucks power pretty much all the time, but generally speaking, the battery is for starting the engine; the alternator provides sufficient current to power all the systems AND charge the battery.

If it starts fine when run on a regular basis, but cannot start (or has difficulty starting) after not being run for several days, the battery is the more likely culprit.

And "revving" the engine doesn't "help". Amazes me how many people, after jump-starting, will rev the engine.
Not familiar with the concept of voltage regulators, I guess.

I can give you a handful of steps to follow if you're handy with a voltmeter. Jim
2000 NAS HSE
2005 NAS HSE

Went out this morning and she was dead, enough to open the doors but not to start. Its on charge now so will leave it this morning and check again later