Member Since: 28 Oct 2014
Location: Hereford
Posts: 39
Battery charging issues - need to make a trip
I’ve got a 2010 D4 HSE 3.0 Turbo Diesel that I bought in June.
Soon after I purchased it I had a few occasions when the orange light came on indicating a low battery. I found that this soon went away if I drove the car more frequently, it often sits on the drive for a week at a time without me driving it.
This pretty much stopped happening for a couple of months as I was driving more frequently and started a commute.
Then last Monday my commute changed and it sat on the drive for a week again.
Then on Saturday I started it up and after about 30 seconds the ‘Charging System Fault’ message was presented with the red warning triangle.
Here’s the events in a timeline
June/July Orange warning triangle occasionally
October No more warnings driven more frequently
Nov 10 Red warning triangle ‘Charging System Fault’
So having searched the forums it seems that the most likely problem is probably around the alternator, though there could be other issues. Some have suggested I’d only get a few miles if that goes before the battery is dead.
I found the battery was low (connected to a charger and it was showing 6-7 amps draw) so I left it on for about 8 hours and its fallen to about 2 amps draw. My thinking is to wait a bit longer and see whether the same charging fault occurs when the battery is fully charged.
Here’s the problem, I need to drive 180 miles to where my mum is seriously ill in hospital later today. If I take the D4, what’s the chance I would get there? I guess I might need to take advantage of a recovery service, but at least I guess I’d get there that way and could have the car repaired over there.
Any thoughts about this conundrum, anything that I, a non-mechanical person, can do to further diagnose if this really is an alternator about to fail.
Could the fault be caused by the low battery because of sitting on the drive unused like the yellow fault? In that case is there a way to clear the fault and ‘reboot’ to see if with a charged battery I can see a cleared fault. In that case I’d be more confident I could get to my destination.
[edit - removed what I now understand to be an irrelevant image].
12th Nov 2018 11:03 am
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 4668
There are a lot of possibilities which might account for your symptoms. Proper testing and diagnostics would be needed to resolve. That said, it could be the battery is on the way out (is it original?)
Poor earths can also be a culprit. If the battery does die its likely it will take the alternator with it.
So you could take your chances with the journey and hope for the best, if no other means is available to you. Or, you could fit a new battery by someone like Halfords et al, which would at least imbue you with a little more confidence. Especially if its the original LR one still in there.
Ultimately though you need it checked out properly.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
12th Nov 2018 1:22 pm
free1000
Member Since: 28 Oct 2014
Location: Hereford
Posts: 39
Don't know how old the battery is.
I'm tempted to get a fresh battery fitted at Halfords and make a run for it. I have found an indy garage at the other end who can then fix things properly.
If it costs a battery then at least its saved the cost of a car hire and I have a fixed car a few days from now.
Do you think theres a chance I'd be getting the Charging System Error if the alternator was OK but the battery was dying?
One funny thing that I'm not sure is important is that the radio button is stuck 'on', the hard button in the middle of the volume control. I've assumed that because the radio is off when the car is off then this won't be draining the battery overnight.
12th Nov 2018 2:06 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 4668
If you do replace the battery go for the best quality they have, but do not give your car to any garage unless they are experienced LR independent. You will not have to look far on this site to find members who've either been ripped of, or had their car banjaxed by some Muppet that would find a bicycle pedal challenging!!
These beasts are notoriously susceptible to elec power fluctuations. Without testing I can't advise on whether your alternator is the source. I can say that a battery that starts, and seems OK is not always the case. As a general rule of thumb, if the mileage is low, then its likely the alternator is not the source of the problem, and is perhaps more likely to be the battery. As I said earlier, testing is the only sure way to know. You could just take off the battery cover and have a look to see if its the original LR. If it is then its time you replaced it anyway!yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
12th Nov 2018 3:04 pm
free1000
Member Since: 28 Oct 2014
Location: Hereford
Posts: 39
My trusted local garage is going to fix it, the problem is the alternator they told me after testing with a multimeter. I'll be delaying the trip and taking a different car.
Best to get it fixed properly.
12th Nov 2018 5:20 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 4668
yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
12th Nov 2018 5:25 pm
Bardley
Member Since: 02 May 2018
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 442
Don't forget it needs to be told it has a new battery fitted to reset charge rates etc..2011 MY D4 HSE
Previously 2001 D2 TD5, 1996 D1 300Tdi, 1985 90 2.2 petrol.
Bikes! KTM, BMW, British, Classics and others.
12th Nov 2018 8:49 pm
Globetrotter448
Member Since: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Londonderry NSW
Posts: 1783
Don't forget it needs to be told it has a new battery fitted to reset charge rates etc..
Who do you tell, most just change the battery
20th Nov 2018 8:39 am
Hot Tub
Member Since: 15 Aug 2017
Location: Milton Keynes
Posts: 1071
It needs to reset it via IIDTool the garage diagnostic kit should be able to do this for you. Welsh Collie Chauffeur Service To Barney & Rooney.
20th Nov 2018 8:49 am
Globetrotter448
Member Since: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Londonderry NSW
Posts: 1783
Now I'm confused, which is not very hard to do. If you disconnect both terminals to do a reset and wait 5 mins, how does it know that you have not swapped batteries.
20th Nov 2018 9:34 am
DiscoJeffster
Member Since: 27 Feb 2016
Location: Perth
Posts: 204
Disconnecting a battery does not imply you replaced it for a new one. Workshops will do that all the time for various repairs. This is why the ecu tracks the battery and it’s health and needs to be told it’s a new one.
Saying all that, with how rubbish the Disco is on batteries, I question if the battery monitor is worth the effort. My Audi has only started having a battery issue after 11 years on the original. Disco managed two years and every three since!
21st Nov 2018 12:03 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8119
It only needs the CCF changing if the battery type is being changed, MY2010 will have a wet cell battery if still on original(which I doubt), later models are fitted with AMG batteries which are now recommended for all D4s.
Look what type is already fitted and fit a AMG regardless.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
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