 | Home > Technical > Could a faulty alternator be discharging battery overnight? |
 
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| VeeTee Member Since: 06 Mar 2011 Location: Somewhere Posts: 1512  
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Yes, that is possible. There are diodes in de alternator (regulator), if one of them fails it can drain the battery. Cheers, Vincent
1959 Polynorm 1/4 Ton Trailer, Olive Drab Green (sold) 1970 M416 Military Trailer (Camping Trailer Conversion), Epsom Green (sold) 1975 Series III 88 V6, Light Green (sadly sold) 1996 Defender 110 CSW 300 Tdi, Epsom Green (sold) 2000 Freelander 1 TD4 3-drs, Silver (sold) 2006 Freelander 1 TD4 5-drs Facelift Automatic, Tonga Green (sold) MySite |
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21st Jan 2015 5:36pm |
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| chopcat Member Since: 11 Sep 2012 Location: Pembrokeshire Posts: 411  
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i shall investigate further with a bit of testing.
I have a 2000 TD5 120k miles is it likely that the regulator is replaceable or is it better to bite the bullet and get anew alternator completely? CC |
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21st Jan 2015 5:38pm |
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| VeeTee Member Since: 06 Mar 2011 Location: Somewhere Posts: 1512
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You can have te alternator (including regulator) tested by a specialized company. They also can revise the alternator or swap it with a refurbished one. Or buy a new one.
I just had mine refurbished last week, it had been in use for 5 years, approx. 100 k km. Cheers, Vincent 1959 Polynorm 1/4 Ton Trailer, Olive Drab Green (sold) 1970 M416 Military Trailer (Camping Trailer Conversion), Epsom Green (sold) 1975 Series III 88 V6, Light Green (sadly sold) 1996 Defender 110 CSW 300 Tdi, Epsom Green (sold) 2000 Freelander 1 TD4 3-drs, Silver (sold) 2006 Freelander 1 TD4 5-drs Facelift Automatic, Tonga Green (sold) MySite |
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21st Jan 2015 6:11pm |
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| munch90 Member Since: 26 Oct 2013 Location: guildford Posts: 3558 
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Quite common for alternator fault to cause battery drain
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21st Jan 2015 7:50pm |
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| chopcat Member Since: 11 Sep 2012 Location: Pembrokeshire Posts: 411
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am having second thoughts.
tonight i got back to it and both batteries were good. turn on the ignition and it seems to be draining huge current. so much so that the firs battery would not turn the engine snd only by linking the second did it turn over just. I will measure it over the weekend. but there certainly seems something linked to the ignition that is killing it. and maybe not a gradual discharge. we shall see. and thanks for all the suggestions so far. CC |
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21st Jan 2015 9:42pm |
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| Ken B Member Since: 17 Dec 2013 Location: Essex Posts: 106 |
Hiya chopcat,
I had a similar issue recently, it turned out in my case the alternator was caked in mud after some deep wading! It seems that it shorted the circuit in some way and caused it to drain.. A heavy session with the pressure washer and all was resolved... Check the voltage on the battery terminals when the vehicle is running you need around 14.7v, when you are all switched off you should have over 12v, test and take a reading then test in 12hrs to see what your result is the drop should be negligible if there is no drain. In my case It did in fact fully discharge my main battery but fortunately I have some conditioning chargers and was able to recover safely in the workshop. K.. Defender 90 TD5 County - You need only two tools in life: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesnt move and it should: WD-40. If it moves and shouldnt: duct tape it. |
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21st Jan 2015 10:05pm |
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| chopcat Member Since: 11 Sep 2012 Location: Pembrokeshire Posts: 411
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It appears that the alternator is working ok and that the overchard warnings from the luna gauge are quite usual when its cold.
I have a drain of about .5a so need to see if that is the cause but i have a feeling that this is something to do with the second battery and the relay which i have now isolated totally from the system to see if that cures it. As i have added various bits on over time I think that I need to re wire these when it gets warmer and do a thorough check as I do it. cheers |
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23rd Jan 2015 8:40am |
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| Naks Member Since: 27 Jan 2009 Location: Stellenbosch, ZA Posts: 2638  
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Do you have a tracking device in your landy? If so, make sure the battery in there is not kaput, we had this issue on SWAMBO's Audi. --
2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear 2015 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged 
Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9 Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ |
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23rd Jan 2015 9:00am |
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| chopcat Member Since: 11 Sep 2012 Location: Pembrokeshire Posts: 411
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a very good point. yes and its quite old so i shall get that looked at
cheers for the thought CC |
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23rd Jan 2015 9:02am |
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