Battery/Wiring problem - 03 Disco 2 TD5 in a coma

When you test the battery with the multimeter.
Check the voltage with only the bonnet open, should be the highest voltage you read.
Then with the head lights on, it should be lower and slowly decrease.
Then finally turn the lights off and check the voltage while trying to start it. (might need two people) This will be the lowest voltage.

Post those 3 voltages on up here. You will soon confirm if it is a battery problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trolley

Hi all,

having a lot of trouble with my 03 Disco 2 TD5.

Last night, while adding de-mineralised water to the coolant expansion tank I spilled a little around the back of the tank on whatever loom is on the other side of that. Also a little splash went near the fuse box. Now I am having some SERIOUS issues. I tried the car immediately after and it failed to start, and I now have the three amigos. I used to be able to hear the fuel pump quite loudly, now it is whisper quiet. I can hear the starter firing rapidly but nothing happens - I guess no fuel in the lines. Sometimes when I try and start it the alarm goes off. I have done my best to dry up all the cables the water may have spilled on, to no avail. In fact, today when I tried to start it the dash lights aren't even illuminating - completely dead, as if the battery were gone. However, I can hear some sort of bizarre humming sound from the ABS area when the key is completely out of the car.

Where should I go from here? It seems more like a wiring problem to me - and not a battery/fuel pump problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

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How did you go?
Is it all up and running again?

Hi all - thanks so much for your help here.

Ran a multimeter over the battery today and found the voltage was at around 10, and dropped down to about 5 with lights on. Couldn't check the voltage while attempting to start it, as nothing would happen when I turned the key. I used a large marine battery from a friend's Landcruiser to test the car and it started flawlessly with none of the warning lights or alarm issues it was having on the old battery.

Suffice to say I went to Autobarn and bought a new battery.

Car is working as before, perfectly.

This thread was pretty sad given it was merely a bad battery.

Anyway thanks for all the help guys - hugely excited to have the disco in working order. Now on to the headliner for a Safety Certificate.

Thanks
Aaron.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trolley

Hi all - thanks so much for your help here.

Ran a multimeter over the battery today and found the voltage was at around 10, and dropped down to about 5 with lights on. Couldn't check the voltage while attempting to start it, as nothing would happen when I turned the key. I used a large marine battery from a friend's Landcruiser to test the car and it started flawlessly with none of the warning lights or alarm issues it was having on the old battery.

Suffice to say I went to Autobarn and bought a new battery.

Car is working as before, perfectly.

This thread was pretty sad given it was merely a bad battery.

Anyway thanks for all the help guys - hugely excited to have the disco in working order. Now on to the headliner for a Safety Certificate.

Thanks
Aaron.

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Hi mate,

Sound like a dropped cell in the battery. Just to be sure it would be worth checking the voltage across the battery while the engine is running. Should be around 13.5-15V.

This way you know you alternator is also working. Often people replace dead batteries without checking, sometimes the battery was flat because the alternator was not working. If this does happen you dramatically shorten the life of your brand new battery.