| Are my battery woes over? | |
I have had, like many other FFRR owners, had my fair share of flat battery events. Recently I have mitigated the problem by occasionally hooking the car up to a a battery optimiser.
Last Friday heading up the drive I noticed a new whining noise at low revs. It continued on the way to work at 1000 to 1300 rpm. I pulled up in the car park at work, lifted the bonnet and got a distinct hot electrical smell whiff.
On the way home I dropped in to Guava Godalming. They took it straight into the workshop and declared the alternator on the way out. I was advised not to drive the car as there is a risk of a fire, they have been known to over heat in the past. Oh well, I got a drive in a 6 month old 4.4 Vogue to get me home.
Apparently the alternator has a smart charging function (a known failure item), where it freewheels to save engine power consumption if the battery is above 12.3V. As soon as it drops below the alternator engages and takes the charging system to 16V. The failure of the smart charging system could well explain my battery woes for the past couple of years - lets hope they are now resolved! £474 cost to fix, under Land Rover warranty.
Here is the blurb on the smart charging system - it only last 62,000 miles in my experience.
The Land Rover Range Rover's Intelligent Power Management System ensures the alternator is charging the battery (and drawing energy from the engine) at the most efficient times, such as when the vehicle is coasting rather than accelerating. The electrical system is scaled such that the battery only needs to be charged to 80 percent, reducing the workload on the alternator. It also moderates the charge rates in cold weather when the battery is less able to cope with high charge rates, increasing battery life for lower cost and environmental impact. 2018 Range Rover Autobiography
2010 Land Rover Freelander XS
1959 Series II
1950, 1952, 1954. 1955, 1957 Series I
1952 Minerva Ambulance
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19th Jul 2011 8:04pm
