Hi all,

I'm after a bit of help please. I've tried searching the forum but not managed to find an answer. On cold mornings, my l322 2009 tdv8 3.6 is doing a few odd things.

1. When the heated front windscreen and rear screen are switched on, they are slow to work and sometimes show as being on but don't seem to be working. If I switch the rear screen off when this happens I can't switch it back on for a while. But after a while it normally starts working.

2. Heated steering wheel, light comes on but it doesn't seem to heat when first started and if other things like heated seats are on and heated screens. Then, once I'm driving and some items are off it heats up nicely.

3. Heated seats don't seem to work when other items are on, once car is running, it works fine after a while.

4. Fbh starts up with the remote fob then stops after a few mins, I'm suspicious it doesn't run when the engine is started to help heating either.

5. The engine sounds a bit sluggish when turning over in this cold weather.

I've done a multimeter test on the battery just now and it was showing 12.28 when the engine was off, i then started the fbh and the voltage dropped to 12.18. Not sure if that tells us anything or not! Sounds like it needs a proper drop test.

Does all of this sound like a battery that is on the way out?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Ant

Last edited by h18ant on 8th Dec 2022 4:14pm. Edited 1 time in total

what you describe suggests a new battery is required

get a drop test done on the battery..this test emulates a full voltage drain and this will show if the battery is ok or not...... ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

Or possibly a bad earth connection.

stan wrote:

what you describe suggests a new battery is required

get a drop test done on the battery..this test emulates a full voltage drain and this will show if the battery is ok or not......

havnt been to a kwik fit for ages so not sure...you could call them. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

How old is the battery? I'd say if it's older than 3 years on a FFRR, you're on borrowed time especially with all those symptoms. Skip the drop test and count the saving as a discount of your new battery, fit the battery yourself to keep the cost down to just the battery, check out the Tayna website.

Then get one of THESE for future use:

Battery Tester Automotive Test Tools Kingbolen Bm580 Car Health Exam Reversible Access Clip Voltmeter For Moto W650 Kw208 Bst360 - Car Battery Tester & Charger Tools - AliExpress
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3301566710...1802RClcZf

Price has dropped to £18.36 today, I paid nearly £27!  “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Thanks for the replies, the battery is just coming up to two years old

What is the system voltage with the engine running, 1 min after start and no additional loads, what is the system voltage with the engine running and 'defrost' button pushed?
The heated steering wheel is an odd one, there is no power management on that circuit, also, how long is your average journey - and is it free moving or stop/start traffic?
Do you have access to diagnostics that could read generator duty cycle?

h18ant:

A battery under two years old should still be in it’s prime, and hopefully, still under guarantee?

I’d follow the advice in the previous post, and start looking at diagnostics on the vehicle, do you have an iiD tool perhaps?
Maybe a good local auto electrician will be cheaper for diagnostics than a JLR Dealer or Indy.
It could be an alternator or voltage control issue, but an hour with a good auto lekkie would probably be money well spent.

In future, a cheap battery tester is still a worthwhile investment, since it can help you decide if something is fixable yoursel, or you need expert help. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” -where’s the fun in that?

Thanks for all of the advice, appreciated!

Sooo, before i went out for an adventure in the snow this morning, i started up the engine. It started fine but i had the same thing where it seems like if i put too many things on like the heated front screen, heated steering wheel and heated seats. None of it works. If I switch everything off then I can't put the heated screens back on for a while then after a few minutes, they will start up and actually demist and work.

The heated wheel doesn't feel very warm, but once I'm driving it gets toasty after a couple of miles, is this normal also?

The FBH will start and run for a brief amount of time from the remote but the light on the auto climate button flashes slowly then quickly, then it all shuts off.

It seems like the FBH is not running when I start the car to help heating.

I will get the battery checked out as the first thing. Does all of this sound like a battery on the way out?

Could be or it could be the alternator, follow phoenix's guidance above.....

What is the make and spec of the battery? a cheap undersized battery could well be US after only 2 years and there's plenty to suggest it is the battery.
As others have said put a new battery on, it's easy and relatively cheap - For the extra cost I would fit an AGM even though it doesn't "need" it. No doubt others will disagree but I found putting an AGM battery on a 07 TDV8 solved all manner of seemingly random electrical niggles.

dingg1 wrote:

Could be or it could be the alternator, follow phoenix's guidance above.....

h18ant wrote:

Sooo, before i went out for an adventure in the snow this morning, i started up the engine. It started fine but i had the same thing where it seems like if i put too many things on like the heated front screen, heated steering wheel and heated seats. None of it works. If I switch everything off then I can't put the heated screens back on for a while then after a few minutes, they will start up and actually demist and work.

The heated wheel doesn't feel very warm, but once I'm driving it gets toasty after a couple of miles, is this normal also?

The FBH will start and run for a brief amount of time from the remote but the light on the auto climate button flashes slowly then quickly, then it all shuts off.

It seems like the FBH is not running when I start the car to help heating.

I will get the battery checked out as the first thing. Does all of this sound like a battery on the way out?