Car won't start!

[Bohica]

My son, drove the car to work. 5 hours later all electrics are dead. Door unlocks by putting the key in. The car will not start. Headlights do not go on. The battery came with the car, bought, in Sept 2015. The car has an auxiliary battery and a battery isolater. I will go to the car tomorrow with jumper leads. Hopefully that will get it started. It does seem odd that a perfectly healthy battery would go belly up in a matter of hours.
Any ideas?

[Graeme]

The battery is 6 years older than it was when the vehicle was purchased. How did you conclude that it was a perfectly healthy battery, especially considering that another battery is fitted that may have been masking the condition of the starting battery?

[onebob]

My son, drove the car to work. 5 hours later all electrics are dead. Door unlocks by putting the key in. The car will not start. Headlights do not go on. The battery came with the car, bought, in Sept 2015. The car has an auxiliary battery and a battery isolater. I will go to the car tomorrow with jumper leads. Hopefully that will get it started. It does seem odd that a perfectly healthy battery would go belly up in a matter of hours.
Any ideas?

I read somewhere on the forum that the ECM doesn’t wake up if the detected battery voltage is below a certain level (ie somewhere down around 10V from memory) check your battery connections and earths for starters - oops [emoji21] the pun was accidental[emoji4]but i left it in[emoji48]

[Tombie]

I’ve seen a battery go from functional to fault in 2 minutes.

[Bohica]

I conclude that the battery is healthy as it has had a good voltage. Interesting about the aux masking it. Well, a new battery is an easy fix for this.

[sharmy]

Batteries can fail very quickly in cold weather

[Bohica]

I'm from England. It's not cold here. I'm still in shorts and a tee shirt!
I do remember the aux batt with a low voltage a few months ago, even after a good drive.
Now to find a battery.

[V8Ian]

I'm from England. It's not cold here. I'm still in shorts and a tee shirt!
I do remember the aux batt with a low voltage a few months ago, even after a good drive.
Now to find a battery.
No brain, no pain.
No sense, no feeling. [tonguewink]

[Bohica]

I went to remove the positive terminal. It was loose. I tightened it up, the car started. I could not lock or unlock the car. The the car would not start. I pit in the new battery same story. Tightened up the positive terminal and twisted it to get a good grip and could lock, unlock and start the car. Can the terminal be fixed? The old battery will go on the charger/recondition box, see how that goes.

[RobMichelle]

I went to remove the positive terminal. It was loose. I tightened it up, the car started. I could not lock or unlock the car. The the car would not start. I pit in the new battery same story. Tightened up the positive terminal and twisted it to get a good grip and could lock, unlock and start the car. Can the terminal be fixed? The old battery will go on the charger/recondition box, see how that goes.

Can you get some solder into it?
Or a big pair of vice grips, is it terminal on cars wiring or terminal on battery?

[Bohica]

It is the terminal on the car cable. wrapping solder around it is a good idea, gentle lick with a blow torch. Thanks for the idea.

The 'old' battery is up to 80% charge! Looks like the car will have 2 aux batts

[Bohica]

Hmm, charged up to 100%, down to 95% a couple of hours later. I'll charge over night and observe.

[RobMichelle]

Hmm, charged up to 100%, down to 95% a couple of hours later. I'll charge over night and observe.

The charger could be in float, so might have dropped a bit. If you can load test battery would be good.
They can show good volts but be no good.

[Bohica]

The charger could be in float, so might have dropped a bit. If you can load test battery would be good.
They can show good volts but be no good.

I charged it over night. 4 hours later battery at 77%
What does charger in float mean?

[RobMichelle]

I charged it over night. 4 hours later battery at 77%
What does charger in float mean?

So once charger has charged battery to 100% it basically stops charging or drops it’s charging right down to a trickle or float then when battery drops down to a predetermined voltage charger will kick back in.

[Bohica]

Then yes it was on float. Battery is at 73% today. After charging up over Sunday-Monday night I'd expect the voltage to stay higher for longer. The indicator window is mainly black, i.e. charge, with just a very faint smidge of green. I thibk 6 years plus is good for a battery, now it can go and help make more batteries.

[jonesfam]

I thought, am sure, the window has to be all green.
Black is buggered!
Jonesfam

[Bohica]

On this battery, green is good, black means charge and white means buggered. In any case it is at Autobarn to be recycled.

[Tombie]

On this battery, green is good, black means charge and white means buggered. In any case it is at Autobarn to be recycled.

If it’s been on charge - black means buggered [emoji41]

[trout1105]

6+ years out of a battery is a pretty good effort and it is one of the Cheapest items to replace on a D2[thumbsupbig]

[350RRC]

I thought, am sure, the window has to be all green.
Black is buggered!
Jonesfam

ALL the batteries I've ever had with the 'magic eye' have lasted 4 yrs max.

The ones I'm using now are old school, same as the one I replaced that went for 10 years and it wasn't new when I got it.

DL

[superhet]

ALL the batteries I've ever had with the 'magic eye' have lasted 4 yrs max.

The ones I'm using now are old school, same as the one I replaced that went for 10 years and it wasn't new when I got it.

DL

The trouble with those 'magic eyes' is that they only monitor one cell out of six. I've had a few batteries die where the magic eye showed the battery was ok.

[Tins]

I’ve seen a battery go from functional to fault in 2 minutes.

Especially in a D2!

[RANDLOVER]

The trouble with those 'magic eyes' is that they only monitor one cell out of six. I've had a few batteries die where the magic eye showed the battery was ok.

That is because they are a float like in ye olde battery electrolyte tester, and show different colours depending on the SG (specific gravity) of the cell they are floating in.

[AK83]

I went to remove the positive terminal. It was loose. I tightened it up, the car started. I could not lock or unlock the car. The the car would not start. I pit in the new battery same story. Tightened up the positive terminal and twisted it to get a good grip and could lock, unlock and start the car. Can the terminal be fixed? The old battery will go on the charger/recondition box, see how that goes.

Best option for the battery connector on the D2 is to remove the silly connector and replace with a proper connector that can clamp properly.
In the mean time if the connector doesn't clamp the battery post tightly and you can move connector by hand, you can wrap a small sheet of folded foil around the battery post to 'fatten' it up a little to get a bit more clamping force on the battery post.

Then organise a proper connector for the cabling which excludes the original type! Just about every other connector type is better(long term) than what LR thought was a good idea.

If you have an Aux battery, then you have an dual battery isolator of some type. Which type(brand/model).

Some allow for a switch connection that will allow you an easy over-ride method to jump start a dead main(starter) battery ... in future.
Works a treat say if you forget lights on, or some other reason that the start battery simply dies on 'ya.

And don't trust those magic eye doodads either. Like one reply mentions(superhet) they only monitor one cell, and it's always a different cell that dies.
If main battery dies such a death, the over-ride jump start feature of those aux battery manager devices can help(but not guaranteed too).

Also, don't assume your alternator is charging at full whack too, with all the tools you have recently acquired in having entered the LR world ... x2!! [biggrin] ... it's unlikely you don't have a multimeter to check charge voltage whilst you're at it.

When you did all that and car didn't start, did you at least hear the starter relay click on when you tried to start and it wouldn't.

I'd say for now(the quick fix) is use the folded foil around the battery post method to keep the connector and battery post both secured to each other tightly. You shouldn't be able to twist the lead by hand.

ps. if you require help to replace the positive lead connector, I have the hydraulic tool to attach proper connectors if you want. It'd just be a matter of arranging a time to meet to do the job.

[Bohica]

Best option for the battery connector on the D2 is to remove the silly connector and replace with a proper connector that can clamp properly.
In the mean time if the connector doesn't clamp the battery post tightly and you can move connector by hand, you can wrap a small sheet of folded foil around the battery post to 'fatten' it up a little to get a bit more clamping force on the battery post.

Then organise a proper connector for the cabling which excludes the original type! Just about every other connector type is better(long term) than what LR thought was a good idea.

If you have an Aux battery, then you have an dual battery isolator of some type. Which type(brand/model).

I have a Traxide.



Some allow for a switch connection that will allow you an easy over-ride method to jump start a dead main(starter) battery ... in future.
Works a treat say if you forget lights on, or some other reason that the start battery simply dies on 'ya.

No switch on the Traxide




And don't trust those magic eye doodads either. Like one reply mentions(superhet) they only monitor one cell, and it's always a different cell that dies.
If main battery dies such a death, the over-ride jump start feature of those aux battery manager devices can help(but not guaranteed too).

Also, don't assume your alternator is charging at full whack too, with all the tools you have recently acquired in having entered the LR world ... x2!! [biggrin] ... it's unlikely you don't have a multimeter to check charge voltage whilst you're at it.

I've had multi meters for decades. I also have a Nanocom. The alternator puts out 14V plus.




When you did all that and car didn't start, did you at least hear the starter relay click on when you tried to start and it wouldn't.

Nothing, no lights on dash. The battery was as dead as a dodo. Although twisting the connector did get it to start, once.




I'd say for now(the quick fix) is use the folded foil around the battery post method to keep the connector and battery post both secured to each other tightly. You shouldn't be able to twist the lead by hand.

I am hoping that there is lead foil at work.



ps. if you require help to replace the positive lead connector, I have the hydraulic tool to attach proper connectors if you want. It'd just be a matter of arranging a time to meet to do the job.


Thanks, I have to chase up a connector.