Hi all,

There's been a few occasions now that if I go out and start my 07 FL2 I am showing as having a dead battery. All I can hear is the starter click. With a bump she starts fine, the problem then goes away for another 6months. RAC always say new battery etc, but I can't believe if the car is fine throughout winter that it's the battery.

Before I fork out £70 on a new battery does anyone have any ideas?

The back passenger door lock is faulty, and has been for a while. Boot lock was replaced years ago. Car is the very basic S model so no Bluetooth etc. Keys are getting knackered.

Other than a turbo module fault (where the actuator got sticky) it's been a great car.

What exactly does "with a bump" mean ? Have you done the second earth strap mod? Have you measured battery voltage etc? 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

a bump start off another vehicle. If I run a second earth using my jump lead it makes no difference, by then though I suspect the battery is flat. I think it is a drain somewhere, but strange it doesn't happen all the time.

Not a lot of information to go on.

What is the battery voltage after the car has been unused for 24 hours?

How old is the battery?

What capacity is the battery?

Does the car do lots of short trips?

Is the car in a cold environment?

Is there good electrical contacts on the battery terminals? Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I haven't checked any voltages yet, but will do

battery is over 5years old, standard Land Rover issue 096

The car does do a lot of short trips, and some longer ones. Typically it will do a 6 mile run into town and back out everyday. With a couple of 40mile round trips in a typical week.

The car is in the Uk so yes it's cold.

Battery contacts are good and well gelled.

I will try the earth lead modification first, as it seems a cheap "fix".

Have you considered the old favourites?
Include:
Always double-lock the car
Always double-lock the car after opening the boot, even if the car thinks it's locked
Don't leave the headlights or wipers in the "auto" position.

All these have produced these symptoms in the past.
Also check that the battery hasn't been flattened by the alarm going off. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

5 years is pretty good for a battery that’s done lots of shorter runs don’t thing anyone guarantee’s a battery for that long

Info here https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/le...ttery_life Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Personally, I wouldn't risk a battery beyond 4 years in the UK Climate

I had a Disco 2, same original LR battery on new ........... as when I sold it 10yrs and 96,000 miles later.

Battery in the FL2 is same original LR battery after nearly 11yrs. I did buy a spare OEM LR battery and keep it on trickle charge, for the winter.

I swear by them ......... not at them !


'Bump' = Jump ???

The jump leads I have have been modified, by me -as you would expect - to have a copper braided link between the two jaws of the crocodile clip (on all four ends). Problem being, any 'mechanical' link in a high current lead is it's weakest point. In order to reduce these each side of the jaws needs to make a good electrical contact.
Check your jump leads only one side of the crocodile jaw gets a good electrical connection, the other jaw is a mechanical connection, through the hinge and spring.


.

Have to admit I replaced the battery in our FL2 when we bought it because we had a starting issue, but upon replacement of the original battery which was THE original 2006 battery we still had the starting problem which disappeared after a reset of all codes (I suspect it was caused by the 300 miles run home on mismatched and unevenly worn tyres) and a new set of tyres the original battery worked fine.......12 years old!

I did after a month or so put the new battery back on just for peace of mind really, the old battery is in the shed and retains it charge when I test it occasionally  Regards

David

Lovely i6 has now gone, but not me......

Please let me know if anything in my post offends you, as I may wish to offend you again......

the rac do a full battery check which includes a drain check,the testers are a highly tech piece of kit,and will test different criteria ,ie reserve capacity .so if they say it needs replacing,it does .that does not necessary mean it wont start after being jump started.

Largered wrote:

The jump leads I have have been modified, by me -as you would expect - to have a copper braided link between the two jaws of the crocodile clip (on all four ends). Problem being, any 'mechanical' link in a high current lead is it's weakest point. In order to reduce these each side of the jaws needs to make a good electrical contact.
Check your jump leads only one side of the crocodile jaw gets a good electrical connection, the other jaw is a mechanical connection, through the hinge and spring.

Like me. 2mm thick solid copper clamp on welding cable.

Click image to enlarge

New clamp came with a link between each half of the clamp.

Click image to enlarge

The number of cars I have jump started over the years is ridiculous, including one when the owners were about to have a baby!

Number one road service call out in Australia is a flat old battery. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I've never thought of that jump lead weakness before Largered.
I will be modding mine tomorrow.

I had a similar problem with a customers car a few weeks ago. Diesel Zafira. Very sluggish turning over and seemed like the battery but the customer had just had a new battery fitted by the RAC recently. Battery tested okay and although the charge rate was low, it was just within range. Jump starting it (not 'bump' starting which is giving it a push start) made no difference so the starter motor was suspect. First thing was to disconnect the battery and as I loosened the positive terminal I burnt my hand - it was that hot. Turned out it was a bad connection where the main battery cable was badly crimped to the terminal clamp. Main battery cable would have been a nightmare and a major expense to replace as it disappeared into a loom then out of sight so I cut the clamp off and fitted a universal battery cable clamp. Spun over like a good 'un and the charge rate went up too. Had a similar problem with a Fiesta diesel main battery lead at the starter end many years ago. Solved that by removing the cable and flattening the crimp with a hammer. Could be worth checking the cable/clamp connections to see if they are hot, indicating a bad connection. Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.