Member Since: 08 May 2012
Location: London
Posts: 33
Battery problem, please help
Hi, I had a flat battery last week and had the cables to jump start the car. Since then I have been driving for 60/70 miles and a couple of days after the car wasn't starting again, same issue, low battery.
The car is a 59 plate and the battery has never been changed. I have checked the water inside and I have topped it up with some distillate water but I don't think that's the issue.
How do I know if the battery needs to be replaced or if there is a problem with the alternator not charging correctly.
Do I need to drive for longer to charge the battery, do you suggest to buy a battery charger?
Many thanks for your help
17th Jan 2013 9:00 am
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
Need to check the battery voltage (in the morning after several hours parked) and the voltage when engine running, to see the alternator output.
Once you know these are ok then you can look for other faults.
It takes a long time to charge a Discovery battery by just driving - LR quote in excess of 8 hours of continuous driving with no additional load or extra starts. It could be the case that your battery is never getting a chance to recover to a full state of charge. Many of us use Ctek chargers or similar to achieve a full charge.Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
From a D3 but this bit of the D4 is essentially unchanged:
Robbie wrote:
Good battery is around 12.5v and the D3 alternator peaks at around 15.8v (which is higher than most). You should always see over 12.7v when the alternator is running but it seems to settle around 13v+. Alternator goes to full output not long after start (a few seconds) and pushes out almost full power at idle.
Reasonably new battery in rude health:
About 10 seconds after starting:
About 40 seconds after starting:
Apologies for the poor photo but about 60 seconds after starting as shown on a cheap 12v cigar socket voltmeter rather than a Fluke:
The above are pretty typical for a D3 with a good battery and good alternator. Car had not been driven for a day and temp was about 9 deg C, although it was a little colder overnight. The voltage is regulated by the cars engine management system according to load, charging rate and temperature.
Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Member Since: 08 May 2012
Location: London
Posts: 33
Hi Robbie, many thanks for your prompt reply.
Unfortunately I haven't got any instrument to check the battery voltage, is it possible to use the hidden screen for this purpose, has anybody ever tried it if it works?
I have decided to buy a Ctek 5.0 charger as you were right saying that I might not drive long enough to let the battery charge
17th Jan 2013 11:22 am
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
Multimeters are pretty cheap tools and very handy to have. Perhaps someone you know can lend you one?Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
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