danrjm
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 70
  
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| Electrical problem... maybe? |
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I have a 57 plate Disco 3 HSE fully serviced on about 160k miles. It is running well but occasionally develops what I think is an electrical problem. It has a few power-hungry extras like xenon headlights, a built-in TV, amp with subwoofer, etc.
Occasionally, after around 30 miles of driving, a message will pop up saying that there is a transmission fault, followed shortly after by various warning lights coming on and the car going into limp mode. If I pull over, switch the car off and back on, it all goes away and everything is fine until it happens again, which can be minutes later or not at all. I drive a particular journey fairly often and it will usually happen on cruise control at either 50 or 70 mph with air-con off and lights off (but has sometimes happened when the automatic lights come on). The hidden menu voltage readout usually starts at 14.5V but drops to around 13V. I took it to my local land rover specialist who said the warnings / limp mode was a classic sign of low battery voltage and they checked it all through. The alternator was working fine and the battery is only 18 months old, but they did find a damaged ground cable from the battery, which they replaced, and found the battery to not be secured properly meaning it may have been moving around a little. It has made the problem less frequent, but it still happens.
The thing I don't really understand is why, after leaving the car off for about 30 minutes, the battery voltage is back to 14.5V and it can be driven again without issue. A fault with the battery or alternator would not really explain this, or am I missing something?
There are a couple of other things which may be relevant:
- About a month ago, my daughter was watching the TV with the engine off for about 10 minutes while I popped into a shop but, when I got back, the car did not have enough power to start and I had to get a booster to get it going. The hidden menu readout was 12.5V but, after about ten minutes of running the engine, it was back up to 14.5V.
- The car occasionally flashes up a 'suspension fault; normal height only' light and message within minutes of starting which disappears when I restart the car. The garage looked into the error message and said it was due to the air pump speed occasionally being too low. It's not the original pump, maybe five or six years old, and they say could either just be the pump being on the way out or it's unable to draw enough electrical power due to maybe to this mystery electrical problem.
So, I was wondering whether there was some wiring I could check or should I just assume it's a bad battery and invest in a new one, maybe one with a bit more capacity?
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 12th May 2020 6:22 pm |
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cfcjim
Member Since: 22 Jun 2010
Location: Munich
Posts: 65
 
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It's probably the battery.
If it's been discharged and over eighteen months old there may be some damage (to the battery).
These type of intermittent problems almost always lead to a failing or under powered battery.
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| 13th May 2020 7:48 am |
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Ivan
Member Since: 01 Mar 2011
Location: Malvern Worcestershire
Posts: 688
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Also replace your brake switch. Cheap and easy job to do. They can cause all sorts of electrical Gremlins.
Ivan 2013 RR Vogue SE SDV8
2013 Freelander 2 HSE Luxury SD4
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| 13th May 2020 8:06 am |
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Gareth
Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26702
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Some fault codes would help. If you have a diagnostic tool, clear them and next time it happens read the codes.
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| 13th May 2020 8:10 am |
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Globetrotter448
Member Since: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Londonderry NSW
Posts: 1783
 
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Sounds like a battery problem, as its only 18 months old it may be under warranty. When replacing it make sure that you get one with around 900 CCA as this is what these vehicles need.
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| 14th May 2020 8:08 am |
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lard
Member Since: 07 Jul 2018
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 143
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Gareth wrote:Some fault codes would help. If you have a diagnostic tool, clear them and next time it happens read the codes.
This above - I've been replacing mine about every year! - now have a CTEK to attempt to eek out a bit more life by keeping it trickled charged, as it takes quite a long drive to bring it to full on alternator alone, but the faults you describe would point to a failing battery and they are consumable parts!
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| 14th May 2020 10:26 am |
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danrjm
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 70
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I'm not using it much at the moment but, when the shops are all open again, I'll get a new battery and see if it fixes it!
Is it worth looking into a dual battery system? I have space for it and could be useful when we go camping?
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| 14th May 2020 2:28 pm |
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lard
Member Since: 07 Jul 2018
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 143
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I'm also considering this (as I now have a couple of spare batteries anyway due to pre-emptive replacement that I'm recovering with my CTEK!)
btw have a look at Tanya batteries as they sell the much loved EA1000 Exide Premium Car Battery that a lot of forum folks (including me) now run - quick delivery too!
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| 14th May 2020 2:46 pm |
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L319
Member Since: 14 Dec 2013
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 2080
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My EA1000 failed after 3 years , but Tayna did replace it with no hassle
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| 14th May 2020 5:58 pm |
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RW
Member Since: 28 Jul 2012
Location: South Leicestershire
Posts: 35
 
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I agree - Battery problem - but probably worth trying a hard reset first.
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| 15th May 2020 8:40 am |
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