D3/D4 Forum to the Rescue!

[jonesfam]

So, I had to drive home from work for a week-end with SWMBO & the kids, about a 900k trip. Left at lunch time hoping to be home 10 or 11pm.
I get to the dirt section between Burketown & Normanton when, of course, it starts to rain in the middle of the Dry Season. No problem just a lot slower across that section & 1 very muddy D3.
Get into Croydon just on dusk & stopped to clean the lights & wind screen singing the D3's praises to some bloke who asked "How's that go?"
About an hour latter I have 50 or so k to go into Georgetown when EVERYTHING goes into FAULT! The suspension drops, the gearbox goes "F", the dash lights up with more colours than a rainbow, the Message Centre scrolls through millions of things that no longer work or go.
The D3 resonates to the sound of much swearing, I think I came up with a few new swear words, & I crawl along at 35kph till I find a place to pull over.


Now I remember talk of this very thing on the good old AULRO site.
I let the car sit for 5 minutes, restart & off we go.......................... for 5km when it all goes pear shaped again! 5 times in that 50km drive into Georgetown I have to stop & restart.
Finally get to Georgetown, stop to refuel (Jerry Cans) & have a bite to eat & a smoke.
Set off, cross the bridge, maybe get 2k when POOP, it does it again. Now I'm getting really annoyed, I have no tools, I'm 500km from LR service, it's the middle of the night, I'm getting tiered, I want to get home, the car is being stupid & I still have over 250km to go.
I phone SWMBO to tell here I may be sometime. She promptly calls my D3 some very disgusting names then says "I'll see ya when I see ya."


So I restart yet again, 100km latter we are still going well, 50km after that & it's all good, 1km after that & "Boing!!!!" It does it again.
I pull off & have 2 smokes! Start again, it goes well, I'm 15km from home, I relax a bit, "BOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yep, again!
Restart, get home! Amazingly it's only 10:45, not that late at all.


So the next morning I remember reading AULRO about the Hard Reset.
So I jump on the site & read up on it. Half an hour latter I have done a Hard Reset, only thing is there is no way of knowing if it worked or even if you did anything at all, we shall see I guess.


Monday, off to Cairns to take 1 of the boys to a specialist, car goes perfectly all the way down & back.
Tuesday, off back to work & another 900k, the car runs perfectly all the way again.


So, thanks to this sight & the great depth of knowledge on it I have probably fixed my D3. :D
Yes, I will get it to service when I get a chance to see why it all went silly.
This is the first time in 5 years the car (& not an after market acc) has let me down so despite the stress caused I'm not upset with her.


Jonesfam

[Graeme]

Did you use the headlights on the Cairns or work trips? Just wondering if there's a voltage issue with the lights on, perhaps from a failing battery or alternator.

[tiddy]

Excuse my ignorance, but a hard reset?....is that more than a battery disconnect?

[Graeme]

A battery disconnect equivalent to have waited the required 30 seconds or so to allow capacitors to fully discharge. I couldn't attach a meter across the cables soon enough to detect any voltage or current flow whatsoever and that was disconnecting only 1 of the cables, let alone taking the extra time to disconnect the 2nd then getting them together.

[jonesfam]

Did you use the headlights on the Cairns or work trips? Just wondering if there's a voltage issue with the lights on, perhaps from a failing battery or alternator.



Yes, I always drive on the highway with the lights on.
The battery was new just before X-Mas last year & my Scanguage is telling me that I'm getting between 13.4 & 13.6 volts which is normal so I think the alternator is OK.
Jonesfam


Tiddy, Have a look in "Facts & Answers", tells you all about a Hard Reset.

[Graeme]

It would probably be good if the cause was just a s/w glitch but I'm more inclined to think it was a real electrical fault, perhaps temporarily caused by mud getting into the alternator.

Do you have driving lights fitted?

[nat_89]

That's a damn shame but atleast it still got you home!! And one fault in 5 years that's awesome can't complain about that. I think we all love our discos through thick and thin they are an awesome car!!

[jonesfam]

Graeme
Yes I have driving lights, ARB extreme 600's I think. They were fitted by ARB when the car was new, 2009. They were on every time this happened as it was night, bush roads & I find the give me more light range for the Roo's, cattle, pigs, dogs, horses, & pot holes.
Jonesfam
BTW I'm looking at getting an LED light bar as well + some after market LED daytime running lights.

[RoverLander]

Im not sure is this applies to the D3 but check that ARB ran the negative wire for your driving lights to an earth point and NOT to the negative terminal of your baterry. I know in a D4 that would cause low voltage and the problems you describe.

Peter

[Graeme]

Those extra lights could be the proverbial straw for your alternator.

[Rich84]

Echo what the others said, mine has done similar silly things with a loose battery terminal. Another time when the alternator and battery both were dead. Sounds like intermittent voltage drop. Could've been caused by moisture ingress to alternator?


The good news is 'cascade' faults are usually easier to pinpoint.