Thread: Slight whine noise fom engine bay

Isn't the fan mounted on the 3.6's water pump?

I'm not sore Graeme, I'll have to have a closer look.
Maybe it's a power steering pump or AC compressor or something.
It must be a very slight bearing noise or something?

So could this be the alternator?
I just drove to Nowra today from Sydney. Parked all day and went rock climbing.
Got back to the car and drove to Batemans bay.
Parked and went in for 20 mins to buy food.
Came back and tried to start the car.
Car went bonkers and reset the clock and blinkers on constant. Wouldn't start.
Check the voltage and its down near 11-11.5.
Managed to get a jump start off a newish Disco 4 that was near by.
I wasn't going to ask the landcruiser near by. ;-)
Took a few minutes to get enough power into the car to actually start it.
Drove to Broulee where we are staying a few nights but the voltage got all the way down to 7.5 as I had to use my headlights.
I'm amazed the car made it at this voltage.
Everything was going off with warnings.
It's now parked in the driveway and I cant lock or unlock it. The tailgate won't open.
I'm assuming the alternator is ****ed.

As a side note I have a second battery connected via drivesafe's dual battery kit.
So it's flattened both.
I'll try and charge it tonight and tomorrow.
I'm not sure how far I would get during the day with everything turned off that I can???
Should I risk driving it home?

Mines a 3.6.

I was in a similar situation last year and hoping to be able to drive home which was 4 hrs away. After fully charging the battery for a day it lasted about 5 min of driving before the voltage dropped below 12v. I had a multimeter hooked up to the cig lighter to keep an eye on voltage.

The local Land Rover dealer quoted me $2300 from memory. Extra care towed it home at a cost to them of about $950. I got it fixed by my local Landy specialist for about $1200.

Hmmm.
I was thinking of pulling a fair few fuses. Eg stereo, interior lights, AC, heated seats etc.
It has a 95ah battery in the front and a 55 ah in the back giving a total of 150ah.
Not sure how much power gets consumed running the motor and the instrument cluster.
I might pull a few fuses and take it for a short drive.

Others will know better than me. However it seems a knackered alternator actually sucks the most power out of the system. I'm not sure reducing power consumption elsewhere will help. However give it a go and let us know how it went. I'd encourage you to drive on a road where you can pull over quickly and set up live voltage readings so you get some advance warning the car is about to stop.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, how far away from home are you?

If, once back, you have the time, you can get a fully rebuilt Denso 150amp with warranty Alternator for about $200 +postage from the UK.

I have one as a back up, and recommended to me by the guys who prepped my car (no relation to them I just asked the question).

May save a quid.

Cheers, Jerry

Thanks Rar & Jerry,
I managed to drive it yesterday 50km round trip and it seemed to not loose too much power.
This was what iid tool was showing in live values.
Approx 3amp draw which isn't drastic.


image-760262777.png

Then I charged it overnight to try and do the 260km trip home today.

Today once I started it the dash came up with an electrical fault.
The iid tool showed it using a constantly high approx 30amps. I managed to get to Batemans Bay and pull over.
I think the alternator is completely dead.
We got a tow from a local tow service in Batemans to to Graeme Cooper.
$770 bucks for the tow was a bit depressing but happy to have it with mechanics that know what to do. Plus they picked us up within 30 mins of calling.
Will keep you posted what they find and what needs changing.