Thanks, I did wonder about that. Does it unplug in the boot on the right hand side?

I have already enquired about a replacement wiring loom from Dan and believe it is pretty much plug and play? Does this connect inside the car our is there a connector underneath?

Thanks for the help

The electrics harness is connected in the rear, rhs compartment just behind the rear lights.
Just un-plug it from the small box.
As far as I know they are plug and play but if I'm wrong, someone will correct me.
The wiring harness is one piece, no connector underneath.
Just curious, why do you need a new harness if a socket melted? I'd be inclined to cut the harness back 20-30mm and simply connect the new sockets, not a difficult job.
Just disconnect one of the battery terminals before you start.

I'm not sure if it did any damage to harness but was going to change from 7pin to 13pin whilst doing it. I presume the harness runs through the body in a grommet or similar somewhere.

The cable harness from the socket goes into the car via a large rectangular grommet just behind and above the sockets, behind the bumper. You can see it from underneath. The large grommet is presumably to fill the hole needed to get the plug end of the harness into the car.
I have a feeling a new grommet will already be mounted on the new harness.

Cheers.

I got a plug in battery monitor type thingy this afternoon. Unfortunately Maplins didn't have the one I have sen posted on here so had to elsewhere. When I tried it earlier it said the alternator was fine but I've just tried it one and it says it's overcharging. It also says the battery is weak although it started fine. I double checked with the multimeter and with the engine running it's showing 14.6v. I'm going to check it a few times over weekend but worry I am getting paranoid

I've been monitoring the battery level and have just tested it now. I opened the doors and the bonnet and checked it and it read 11.74v. I left it 30mins or so for everything to switch off and it went up to 12.1v

Is this still too low, although it is freezing temps.

I have been debating getting a booster pack just as a precaution but there are differing opinions on whether they work or not on a FFRR.

Is it worth doing a recondition with the ctek charger?

12.1v after the car has gone to sleep again after opening is definitely too low to be of any use and indicates a battery charge level of about 50%. Freezing weather does drop the battery voltage a bit but only in the order of 0.1 to 0.15V.
Using a Ctek to recondition the battery would not go amiss.

I presume at some point you have checked the tightness of the battery connections and also the +ve jump post connections (if you have one fitted).

I personally don't think much of most battery booster packs for use with a very cold FFRR, I shall let others comment on this.
Tbh a booster pack won't resolve the underlying problem you have.
Nothing wrong with putting the battery on charge overnight each weekend if you are able to do that whilst cold weather continues.

Thanks, I'll double check all the connections and do a recondition charge on the battery then check it again.

I'm also hunting down a strange charging/battery issue on my 2010 FFRR 5.0L.

I found out in a parking lot that the battery was too weak to start the motor, and while contemplating asking someone for a jumpstart a man approached me. He had a small plastic case and offered to give me a boost. When he opened it there was a smallish battery pack inside and a tiny set of jumper leads. I honestly doubted if would have the power necessary to turn over a 5 liter, but sure enough it did.

I bought one online that evening.

Not sure where/if they supply them in the UK - but I can definitely recommend this device - I have used it twice on one charge (although the instructions say it should start a car up to 20 times on a charge!).

PowerAll PBJS12000R DELUXE Portable Power Bank & Car Jump Start w/ Carry Case

This is the exact title on eBay from where I bought it, and it was just over 100 USD.

Thought I would share since there was debate as to the effectiveness of jumper packs.

Device available In the UK :

http://amzn.to/1GA5WHS Land Rover Addict
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2009 5.0V8SC Autobiography
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Latest update

I've been checking the battery with the plug in led thingy in the boot socket so I can check it before I unlock it without messing about. It's reading around 12.2v as a norm which drops to around 11.9v when the doors are unlocked and everything switches on. When running its showing 14.3v +

I've checked the connections and they are all tight.

Car has been starting fine but I've put it on a recondition charge today. I noticed when I connected the ctek the lowest battery level indicator was lit.

I'll see how it is when the cycle has finished.

Update
I've done the recon cycle and following a run out the battery is reading 13.6v after everything has shut down. I also unplugged the tow bar electrics until I fit the new 13 pin one in case that is having any effect.

I'll keep an eye on the voltages over the next few days

Update on mine:


I messed around in the engine bay and reached down to feel the connections to the back of the alternator. I noticed a strange noise when I moved the field wire - it was shorting. So tomorrow I am going to remove the belt, unbolt the alternator and check/repair the wire. I really hope the alternator isn't blown, I just put in last year (5 hour job).

My biggest wish for this car is that the alternator would be mounted in a more accessible place. For a car that is synonymous with electrical issues, you'd think they would not hide this essential component.

I didn’t want to start a new thread just for my woes with the parasitic drain, so I’ll post here:

My ’03 TD6 had a new battery (Bosch 110ah) fitted last August. I use the car on a weekly basis but the runs are short. During the winter I’ve had to jump start the car 4 times now, so I took the car to an independent LR garage. They confirmed that there is a parasitic drain of 160-180ma, which they compared to a 3w light bulb burning constantly.

1) The FSR appears to be fine
2) The front light wipers have been disabled (fuse out)
3) The alternator is working and does not drain the battery
4) The sat-nav is not the cause
5) The car goes into sleep mode (the red light next to the gear lever is switched off)

I was advised that there is nothing to do about this. One cause could be the instrument cluster, but since many units of the car are VIN-specific, it would not be worth the money to try and replace these units one by one. I was told that if the FSR would be the case, the battery would be drained in a day and the HEVAC-controls wouldn’t work properly.

Some years back my mother’s MB C-class had a battery drain problem and the cause turned out to be the adjustable electronic seat. I locked myself in my FF today and noticed that the seat adjustment works while the car is armed (did not wait for the car to go into sleep mode however) so I pulled the fuses out and locked/armed the car again. Let’s see if that has any effect.

I want to put together a check list of possible causes for drainage for the future generation (starting with FSR), so any help would be greatly appreciated!

1-5) Check the FSR
6) Sat-nav mkIII
7) Alternator
Front light wipers
9) ???

Guys!

I took the FF to an authorized "stealer". The invoice was 9,85 times bigger that what the independent garage asked, but they were able to solve the problem. The cause turned out to be an out-dated post-installed Nokia HF which had been tucked under the side panel behind the HEVAC. The draw is now down from 160-180ma to 60ma, mainly caused by the modified immobilizer which permits ignition at R and D. Why this mod has been carried out, they couldn't tell. The VIN is authentic and registrations in Belgium and Estonia are in order.

I replaced the towing sockets for a 13 pin one today and wonder if this was in fact the problem following the melting incident. Since I did a recon with the ctek and unplugged the towing loom it's been fine. This is what I found today. I had to cut the plug off as the screws on the connectors had rusted.

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