Hi it’s a brand new alternator. There is a wire on the back which feeds the rev counter. The fact the rev and Speedo fluctuate indicates it’s not an issue with the rev counter feed. Voltage whist running is 14.4 v
Range a rover P38 Gearbox power solenoid fault
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Used a red lead for the earth strap to the engine as the black I had was too shortRed and black to both battery terminals!?
Have you been watching @lrtime??? Red is black and plus is minus!?
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Can you get a voltmeter on pins 1 and 39 of the gearbox ECU connector to see if you do actually only have 9.5 supply. I'm sure the Nanocom gives a false reading for this voltage. If you're seeing 12volts plus at those pins, and least you can rule out low voltage to the gearbox....It's also fed from Fuse 3 and 6 at the BECM, so you could check it from that end if it's easier to get to.
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V8 rev counter comes from engine ECU via the BECM. 4 pulses per revolution.
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The speedo and tacho don't appear to be connnected... You did mention the ABS light coming on.... the speedo gets it's signal via the ABS ECU, so maybe it's worth a look there? That doesn't really explain why the fans would be intermittent though does it? The one thing that is common is the "alternator charge signal" that informes the ABS, the HEVAC, and other things that the engine is running. I know it's a new alternator.... but are you 1000% sure the signal is good and connected?
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Did you also check the earth post on the A-pillar behind the RH kick panel ? It's used for lots of things in the dash.
Hi I have now tested voltage at fuse 3 & 6.
without key in ignition Fuse 3 = 12.4v, ignition on 11v, engine running 11v
without key in ignition Fuse 6 = 0v, ignition on 11v, engine running 11v.
Does this show anything strange.
Yes all clean
Tested voltage again today.
At battery after all accessories for 30 secs then off 12.28v
At idle no load 14.54v
at 2,000rpm 14.56v
at 2000,rpm full load 14.54v
at alternator 2,000rpm full load 14.57v
at alternator to alternator housing 14.57v
minimal voltage loss on all new positive cables and earth cables 35mm2 240Amp
Datatek
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The battery dropped to 12.28v a bit quickly. Not the source of your problem but the battery may be lacking capacity.
It’s a brand new and fully charged Hancook 019 100ah 850cc so should be fine.
Datatek
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Sorry, that's quite small for a P38 diesel. Good make of battery though. Recommended battery is MF31-1000
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They are becoming scarce slowly.
Elliott's has a yuasa 3000.
925cca 110ah.
It's done well so far as an alternative to the mf31.
Datatek
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Yuasa make good batteries.They are becoming scarce slowly.
Elliott's has a yuasa 3000.
925cca 110ah.
It's done well so far as an alternative to the mf31.
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Hi i have a P38 4.0 Gems 1996 and have a random fault in my dash which comes up generally from the start. It show gearbox fault and goes into limp mode. With my Nanocom it shows power solenoid fault which I can clear but it does come back again.
The voltage at the gearbox is showing only 9.5v!
At the same time it often has flickering rev and speedo and the ABS light comes on. Other things occur like the blower fans cutting in and out.
It sounds like an electrical issue like a faulty connection.
So far I have done the following:
New battery
New alternator
New battery leads
Replaced TCM
Checked and cleaned fuse box
Checked and cleaned all connections I can find or think off.
Transmission fluid is nice and clean. changed 12 months ago.
When the fault is not present it runs perfect in all gears.
Can anyone offer some advise as I’ve run out of ideas and it ****ing me right off nowView attachment 307213View attachment 307212
Sounds like a bad earth. There's an electrical troubleshooting guide on RR.net which I think someone reposted on here somewhere.
Electrical Issues - Basic Troubleshooting Guide
Common symptoms
- fault messages such as alternator or gearbox failure
- lights flashing even when switched off eg headlights and indicators flashing like a police car
- windows, sunroof not working and/or cruise control not working
- these expensive batteries are not lasting as long as they should (eg one year instead of seven)
- lots more examples of electrical things not working, fault messages, strange behaviour etc
- most of these tests apply equally to all 12 volt cars but details have been specified for the P38 RR.
P38 Range Rover electricals are very sensitive to voltage. You need a good strong alternator, clean earth points, healthy cables and a very strong battery. Testing takes about five minutes.
Battery Test
- Turn the ignition key to the on position but DO NOT start the car.
- Turn on all electrical accessories (max heater blower, high beam lights, demister etc)
- Leave accessories on for 30 seconds
- Turn off all accessories and turn key switch to the off position
- Within one minute, measure battery voltage.
If the battery voltage is less than 12.5, the battery is not healthy. The battery may need to be replaced, however there is no point doing this before you are certain it is being charged properly. Weak charging circuits kill batteries pretty quickly. If you do need a new battery get a really good one (I no longer recommend Optima BTW)
Charge the battery with a good 3 stage or better charger. A cheapie standard charger won’t do. This charger will more than pay for itself in battery replacements. I use a 16 amp 7 stage Projecta brand charger on 8 amp mode to charge my RR battery.
Check the charge circuit with no load
- Start the car
- Measure the battery voltage at 2000rpm (not more, it is not good to spin an engine or a ZF automatic transmission with no load)
- Voltage should be 14.2 to 14.4 volts. Anything less provides only a partial charge. If it is 14.1 or less volts, it needs to be fixed.
You can repeat the test at idle voltage should be similar.
Check the charge circuit under full load
- Start the car
- Turn on high beams and demisters
- Hold at 2000rpm (not more)
- Voltage should be 14.2 to 14.4 volts. If it is, your charging circuit is fine and your battery should be charging properly.
At idle, the voltage with such a high load will be less and this test may not tell you much
Check the alternator directly
You can repeat these tests to measure the output of the alternator directly. Hold the negative multimeter probe on the alternator body and the positive on the terminal on the back. Measure voltages as above. Be careful as there are spinning belts, large currents (potential for the probe to short things out etc).
Check your cables for voltage drop
- Start the car
- Turn on high beams, demisters, max heater blowers, heated seats etc.
- Prepare to measure the voltage between the negative battery terminal and the alternator body. Yes, I know they are both earth points and you may think there will be no voltage but in fact there will. What we are measuring is the health of your earth circuit.
- Hold at 2000rpm (not more)
- Voltage should be less than 120mv (0.12 volts). If it is higher, clean earth points and/or replace cables.
For more details on this test, you need to read TSB 860396. This can be found on RAVE 11 (NOT 16) viewtopic.php?t=6299 see point 1 and download RAVE 11. Install and navigate to technical service bulletin section, electrical, 1996.
Perform the same test on the positive cable
Note that alternators don’t always just fail, the can become irregular. They can test perfectly sometimes and not others. If you suspect this, rig up a cigarette lighter plug to multimeter adaptor and check it as you drive as often as you like.
As far as fixing it all, I’d start at point 1 and if that component tests bad replace it. Stop working down the list when all tests are good
1. clean earths
2. replace cables
3. replace alternator (non OEM units reportedly can give a lot of grief so genuine is recommended)
4. finally replace battery
Worksheet
This is a cut down version of the tests, see above for detail on how to complete each test.
1. Engine off, all accessories on for 30 seconds, then off. What voltage ______
2. Voltage across battery at idle (no electrical load) ____________
3. Voltage across battery at 2000rpm (no electrical load) ________
4. Voltage across battery at 2000rpm (everything electrical switched on) _________
5. Voltage at ALTERNATOR at 2000rpm (everything switched on)___________________
6. Voltage drop between alternator body and battery negative (YES negative). Measure at max electrical load and 2000rpm ______________ (millivolts please)
7. Voltage drop between alternator positive and battery positive. 2000rpm, max electrical load _____________
8. Check Voltage drop from Battery Negative terminal to 1st groundpoint on vehicle______________
9. Check voltage drop from 1st ground point to block__________
10. Check voltage drop from Alternator Housing to block__________
11. Voltage from alternator positive to alternator housing
What are your symptoms
What have you done to fix it so far
If the rest of this document doesn’t give you the answers you need, start a new thread and include the results for each of the 11 tests in your post. Detail your symptoms and work done so far. Don’t skip any tests.
How to Interpret Tests
Don’t ask if X volts is OK when this sticky already tells you the range it must be in. Voltages MUST be in the specified range to be OK and if they aren’t you have found at least part of your problem. Eg where I say you need 14.2 volts, I mean it! 14.1 volts is not acceptable. Where 120mv is specified as the maximum acceptable voltage drop, I mean 121mv or more is NOT OK. (120mv = 0.120 volts). It is possible to get voltage drops down to 30mv or so for example and 120mv is the WORST allowable not an approximation.
How to fix it
There are 10 tests above. Here is how to fix each step
1. If less than 12.5 volts, charge with a really good 3 stage charger. The find out why the car isn’t charging the battery itself. Complete the rest of the tests.
2. Keep doing other tests
3. Keep doing the next tests
4. If this is 14.2 volts to 14.4 volts your charging circuit is currently working as designed – if you are having problems rig up a volt meter to watch while you drive or try a different battery.
5. If your alternator is producing 14.4 volts but your battery is receiving less, then you have a voltage drop problem in one or more of your cables. Keep completing these tests to find out where
6. If this voltage is less than 120mv (eg 70mv) it is acceptable. 120mv is the worst result that is acceptable and it can be improved by cleaning connection points or replacing the cable with a bigger one. 121mv or more (eg 206mv) is NOT acceptable and should be fixed. The fattest possible cable is best.
7. Same as point 6 except you are now testing the positive cable. The fix is also to clean or replace with a bigger better one.
8. There are two earth cables between the alternator and the battery and either or both could be part of your problem. This test helps you find which one has the problem. There is no harm in cleaning all connections or replacing all cables with bigger ones.
9. As above.
10. As above
11. This test tells you if your alternator is producing 14.4 volts or not. Strictly not essential to do this test as the numbers above let you work it out mathematically but it gives you a quick idea. For example if your alternator is producing 14.4 volts but your battery is only seeing 13.8 volts then you can see there is a voltage drop somewhere that needs fixing. However, if your alternator is producing less than 14.4 volts, fix all other issues above before replacing it as there is probably nothing wrong with your alternator.
It’s a v8
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It shows that your Nanocom is giving the wrong voltage at the gearbox ECU (9.1v) so you can disregard that.
11v is still too low though.... After I had cleaned and replaced all my earths, I got 12v on the Nancom, but 14.4 at fuses 3 and 6 with the engine running. Have you cleaned and reseated all the earthing points for the BECM? In fact any and all earthing point you can find.
Hi yes all earth points at BCEM cleaned. Plus the one in the right and left kick panels. All battery leads replaced and contacts points cleaned, additional earth line from engine to negative on battery, additional live from alternator to battery positive.
Which others should I look at? Are there any secretly hidden ones
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To be honest, I think you've done them all that I can think of.... But your voltage is still low.... and I think that's the most likely cause of your problems I'm afraid. Is there a way to test the quality of the earthing between earthing points? Whereabouts are you? I can send you my spare gearbox ECU to try if you want!
Hi thanks for your help it is much appreciate. I have tried another gearbox ECU from eBay but the problem is still there. Maybe it was another dud one!
im in Harwich in Essex. If you have one spare I can test it on the car and return it if it does not fix the problem. Thanks Neil
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