Handbreak Stuck on / Battery Smoking

Hi All,

These problems could be unrelated, but as they both started at the same time, I'll list them both and let's see where we go!

So I have a 2012 Defender, ex Countryside Converation Trust, with a two battery set up, with winch.
Please see a video here of the set up: https://photos.app.goo.gl/w64eYyu2EoWEZQYV7

It's a larger battery, G3, and a smaller battery, let's say normal van size.

A few weeks back both batteries where flat and she wouldn't start, so I used a battery pack to jump the car.
I first put it accross the large battery and wouldn't start, then the smaller battery, wouldn't start. I then did Negative on one to postive on the other, also didn't start, but I heard a pop.. I then recharged the pack, did it on just the larger battery then she started, great...

Today the two new batteries arrived, I put the larger one in, no problems at all. Then I put the smaller one in and there was a fair amount of smoke. I 100% had postive the right way around. I looked under the car, and the smoke was coming out of the handbrake casing on the underside of the car.

My inital thoughts is that during the jumping I've perhaps melted or shorted out a cable from that battery to ground, if I had a meter I'd have measured the resistance or continity between that postive and ground but I didn't.

Does any reader here have provisional thoughts on what has happened, I also need to move the car forward one meter tomorrow as I need to access the garage of which it is parted infront!

Thanks in advance,

You need to check all the major earth straps/points, battery-chassis-engine block etc. Make sure they are tight and not corroded. Your handbrake cable has acted as an earth, melted the nylon outer and is now stuck!

Thanks for the reply, makes sense!!

Do you think there is a short somewhere, or more that the handbreak cable was acting as that earthing cable, at put too many amps through it, and melty melty

Poor earth leads are a common land rover theme.
Ideally you want an earth lead from battery negative to the chassis, then anoiher earth lead from the battery negative to the engine block near the starter.
Any winches should also have their own dedicated power and earth cable direct to the main/their own battery.

I would find a local mobile auto electrician for peace of mind.

You will need to chop that cable near the drum for a chance of movement, you will need a new one anyway.
Hope you disconnected batt real quick.

Thanks Tottot, Honestly I think it was on for a good ten seconds, the smoke came not from the battery but underneath and then up into the battery compartment.

Just found this thread too: https://www.defender2.net/forum/post871205.html

Lawis said:

Thanks Tottot, Honestly I think it was on for a good ten seconds, the smoke came not from the battery but underneath and then up into the battery compartment.

Click to expand...

In that case batt should have survived.