Other Alternator test/ AC

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
sierrafery said:
isnt the D3/4 waking up every 6 hours to relevel suspension? ... that thing corroborated with the normal drain makes me think that in more than 2 weeks it's quite normal for the battery to go weak especially if it's not in the best shape or the vehicle was used for short journeys
Click to expand...


That I dont know but the car was parked up Friday 6am and started again Sat 8pm, it sat for longer before with no issues.
To be fair my 5 mile commute probably doesnt help but every couple of weeks its goes onto the trickle charger to combat the lack of miles.

My 90 tdi one just started to go weak but thats 7 years old and can stand for weeks at a time so that I can understand but 15 months aint good bearing in mind its probably the most expensive battery they do for the car.
 
gstuart said:
blimey , it’s came out in sympathy, still got mine on charge, i have however bought a 12S socket so i can then charge it through that and save me messing around with lifting the bonnet up

for some reason if there not used for around 2 1/2 weeks they go flat , indeed an exide from tayna ,

wonder if it can be calculated that the D3 is suppose to use up to 22ma ,assume they work it out over a 24 x hour period

spoke to the company ref my t max faulty solonoid and there sending a replacement out monday , so will have to undo a good bit of my wiring to get the new one in , at least then the aux battery system should work better and be good to see how much longer it holds its charge with the extra battery

also see the ctek charger has a battery drain test built in at it cycles through the 8 x steps , to see if it holds charge or not and comes up as a fault if there’s a problem with the battery , very clever

was reading the other day that even the diode pack can be changed in these alternators , suprising how many people have saved a lot of money rebuilding that bit , didn’t release they were 150 x amps

assume urs just needs a charge and is all ok , can’t remember what the warranty is on the exides
Click to expand...



Warranty is supposedly 4 years, Ive contacted Tayna to see what the have to say but reading their warranty gruff I dont hold out much hope.
New one from Tayna is 150 quid exact same item form ebay 100 quid!
 
A starter battery to last needs at least two full charges a week which would not be a problem with longer journeys every day but with only short journeys it will go weaker and weaker every day without getting to full charge and that's not good for it's "health"
 
I reckon thats what they will say, I have told them exactly what it does short trips/recharging etc and Im sure they will say I have killed it, I kind of already knew that but had to ask, will stick spare in boot and see how I get on next week then just buy a new one.
I hate throwing good stuff away and Im sure in any normal car the battery will be fine and dandy.

Just checked my invoice, battery cost in Oct 2016 was 77 quid delivered and now the price is 150 plus delivery.
I was always told an engine has to run for 30 minutes to put back what starting the engine took out of the battery and my commute takes a max of 15mins but normally 12 minutes
Looks like batteries are going to be consumables for me!
 
interesting , ref these batteries , didn’t realise how power hungry these vehicles are

indeed when u hear where other D3 owners can leave there’s standing for at least 3-4 weeks and are still fine , exactly the same battery as @lynall and myself

maybe i should also write to Tayna to see what they say

am hoping that once i get the fully working solonoid replaced in mine it will improve matters, aux battery being a deep cycle one which is designed to take over when i turn my engine off and preserve my main starting battery

however may i ask which out of the two would u say are better plse , the t max or traxide systems , as the traxide works when the voltage drop then it switches between the two batteries

but surely neither can actually disconnect the main battery just allows voltage to pass from the aux battery to the main one and therefore in theory help preserve the storage capacity

surely this is one of there design factors, to preserve the cranking battery , i have with the aux battery a total of 170a/h

or another idea would be to install a quick disconnect clamp on the main battery , to then use it when the vehicle is off so that then the aux battery will provide the vehicles power

also read about these battery to battery chargers and believe the D3 have a smart alternator, which run up to around 15.5Vdc

i’ve used varta batteries before , is it a simple case that exide are rubbish

thks again
 
Last edited:
sierrafery said:
It all depends on how much they drive as the battery to get charge
Click to expand...

thks, appreciate the info as i know u have a considerable amount of knowledge when it comes to electronics

from what i’ve read it’s from a fully charged battery then not used it at all for 3-4 weeks and still been ok

i wonder if possibly it could ever be down to models of D3s as in if there’s much difference between a base model or hse having extra electronic ecus etc

bought one of these quick release clamps a little while ago, wondering if i fitted it to the main battery ,then if i used it to disconnect the main battery i would therefore assume the aux could then run the systems ecus and prevent the main battery from draining

however i’m not sure if it’s best to fit it on the pos or neg battery post , or if they can cause damage by keep disconnecting it , but in all fairness am really hoping the dual battery set once this new solonoid is installed will resolve the issues

many thks

C67AD622-4750-4FE5-B4DD-8704FA16FEDB.jpeg
 
sierrafery said:
If it lives outside just put a solar charger on it when it's left parked and that's all
Click to expand...

tried that first of all, was useless

think my first port of call is double checking for any parasitic drain anywhere

thks again
 
In the absence of sophisticated test kit, 'scopes and the like, the only DC checks you can do on an alternator, as far as I'm aware are the DC output voltage, DC output current and any possible leakage back through it.
The thing is permanently connected to the battery via a big fuselink, so the first leakage check ought to be to disconnect it and watch for any parasitic leakage.
 
brian47 said:
In the absence of sophisticated test kit, 'scopes and the like, the only DC checks you can do on an alternator, as far as I'm aware are the DC output voltage, DC output current and any possible leakage back through it.
The thing is permanently connected to the battery via a big fuselink, so the first leakage check ought to be to disconnect it and watch for any parasitic leakage.
Click to expand...

many thks and is certainally a steep learning curve, lol

the way i done the test so far for any diode feed back from the alternator was using a clamp meter on the positive lead of the alternator , reading through an article it said it should be below 5 and mine was zero , i tried setting my clamp meter on different settings, ie AC & DC amps and volts , all with the same results

i’ve currently been using a multimeter and using it on the back of the small fuses first , i’ve got to test the rest of the bigger ones next

this is the guide i’ve read so far , it in all fairness this is what i’ve been trying to understand of the different tests

http://www.disco4.com/forum/post1366423.html#1366423

may i ask is the clamp meter the same way of testing by using a multimeter in between the lead and battery plse ,

or do i have to put the meter onto the neg post

so sorry being dim here , just ensuring i understand it properly and learning along the way in order i get accurate results

i have done an output test with everything turned on it showed 15.5 VDC, which i found out is also controlled by an external controller

thks again
 
Last edited:
ah nuts

i think i’ve done the alternator diode test wrong

think i need to have the engine running , then set the meter to ac and put each probe onto the battery terminals and should get zero volts, i think

plus i can’t get to the connector on my alternator , due to access, so don’t know if it’s better using a clamp or meter

i better do some more reading, lol
 
Last edited:
IMO better not waste time by trying to check the aternator diode pack with multimeter cos it can be irrelevant anyway no matter what others think, it's relevant only if a whole side is shot... there are two p/n junctions in parallel on each side of the circuit 8 in total and if only one is shot you'll not see this with multimeter especially while the rectifier is connected but it can create parasitic drain...as i said the ONLY 100% accurate way to check the alternator's rectifier is with oscilloscope or as @brian47 suggested check the drain with the alternator isolated
 
Last edited:
Hi @sierrafery

Know u kindly spoke about Oscilloscopes back in jan and been reading up a lot more about these and see more and more D3 owners are buying them to aid diagnostics etc

May i ask is it better to get a stand alone 2 x channel one or something that works through a laptop please

Wondering if u wouldn’t mind having a look at the link and ur thoughts plse

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hantek-D...andwidth-1GSa-s-800x480-64K-LCD-/283029934916

Many thks as always and know it will be a steep learning curve and hope u didn’t mind me asking
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
Very strange smell
2
Replies
20
Views
2K
Stanleysteamer
Stanleysteamer
D
High Idle on Startup & O2 Monitor Not Setting – 2002 Discovery 2 w/ Secondary Air
Replies
0
Views
174
disco_nap
D
P
L322 Battery Drain
3 4 5
Replies
86
Views
4K
marjon
marjon
N
Strange 2.2 engine noise…
Replies
9
Views
3K
Nodge68
Nodge68
B
Freelander 2 (LR2) Rear subframe
Replies
6
Views
2K
GrumpyGel
GrumpyGel
Back
Top