Hey all.. I have a 2002 disco II with 165,000. The truck has been running fine but today my wife was driving when the battery light, TC, Sport, Battery, ABS, downhill descent, and M came on. She turned the car off then on again to see if the lights would dissapear but it did not. She then decided to hit the highway anyway and on the on ramp the series of lights started flashing. I know I know.. I already had a very nice discussion about deciding that everything was great and that it was not a good idea to hit the highway..ahhhhh women!

She said that they kept flashing so she decided to get off the highway. She said that her blinkers did not work and she began to lose power. That it would lose power when she pushed the accelerator further down so she let up and it would coast a bit more but eventually the car died. No power, engine shut off. The car was not overheating either. So now the car is stopped in the middle of the off ramp with no power, no hazards. She says that she tried to start it but it just clicked.. She cannot tell me if it was the starter clicking or if it was coming from under the dash..
I checked the alternator and it started at 13.2v when running and settled at 12.8v charging. I reved the engine and the volts went up to 13.3v. Battery was dead but started charging. Battery terminals are clean and battery is filled with water... Alternator connections are god too..
Any help is much appreciated...

 

ok.. so i was doing a bit MORE reading and realized I did not put enough load on the alternator.. This time I turned on the lights and ac.. the volts dropped to 11.7ish.. when I removed the load it was around 12.3... Now Im thinking that when the alternator was under load the battery is slowly being drained?

 

ok.. more info.. The battery did have a bit of slpooge on top.. like it had overflowed from one of the cells.. It is a newer battery.. maybe 1 year?

 

I just went through this with another vehicle, alternator not charging enough, battery finally dies, everything electrical starts coming on one after the other before fuel pump quits. In my case the idiot light never came on. Could be brushes, regulator, or diodes. You'll need to replace the unit or have the alternator rebuilt. If you go with one from one of the major chain parts stores be sure to save the receipt, re-builts are famous for not lasting long in a Rover. I am on third alternator in a year in my D1. Any salvage yards near you? Usually about $30.

After alternator back to almost 14 on charging, battery should come up, clean up the top and terminals. Test battery under load as well. Advance Auto and the like have a handy tester they will hook up and for free to test battery, starter drain, and voltage with and without load. Battery stays in car.

 

Your truck needs to be between 13.6 and 14.4 volts to run the computers properly, you either have a bad battery or alternator.

 

well I had the charger on it all night and it says 70% charged only. when I tested the voltage I had the wires on the battery terminals. is that right or should I put them on the alernator? Now that I think about this is the 3rd battery in about 3 years.. the "stuff" on the top of the battery looked like mineral deposits..
I have a salvage yard that has one for $75 from a 2004.. he said to start the car and disconnect the battery and if it dies it is the alternator.. this sounds like a quick yes or no on the alternator right?
If this does work out to be the alternator, can anyone give me a quick tutorial on how to remove it? I have done it before in other cars but am unsure of which pully is the tension one..

 

Do not due as directed or you can damage your computers, just go to the local parts store and have the charging system tested for free.

 

ok.. will do.. can you give me some info on how to change the alternator?

 

so i changed it out with a good alternator I got from a salvage yard but hte battery light is still on... Any thoughts?

 

I would do as Mike recommended: go to a parts store and have the charging system checked. I'm all for salvage yards for hard parts, but electronics... How do you know is a "good" alternator?