My lr2 wouldn't start a couple weeks ago. I checked the battery (I'm by no means a mechanic) and the voltage was low. I can't remember what it was at now but under 12v.

I charged the battery with my bench power supply using a voltage of 13.8 and current at 1 amp but I don't think I actually charged it to 12.6v. I probably got it up to 12 at least and thought it would start but it didn't. I assumed it was the starter or alternator but had to go away for a bit.

Anyway, I just talked to a mechanic and he said I need at least 12.6 volts and that's possibly why it won't start. Is this true? I googled it at the time and got a different impression but I'm sure I wasn't reading posts from Landrover owners.
What should I charge it to before attempting again?
I should also mention in the weeks leading up to the no start issue I was only making short trips to the store and back. Is it possible that's why it suddenly wouldn't start and a charge will fix it?

 

Why not connect a charger/jump start to it and see if it starts? But, in my opinion, you have a dead but lazy to fall battery. Time to replace.

 

The battery is about a year old. I have an older battery that I put in to see if it would start but it still didn't. Although I'm not sure if that one was charged up to 12.6 volts either when I tried it.
Can I try and jump start it with the spare battery?

I think I'm actually getting a longer crank then I was before. Even though it just sat for a couple weeks since my last attempt.

Last time I had it at the mechanic he said he found a mouse nest in the engine. I'm starting to wonder if it's something like that now.

 

You need to get an automotive battery charger. A trickle charger will do but it will take a lot longer to charge. The bigger question is why the battery has discharged in the first place.

 

Its been slow charging all night and it's up to 12.3v. I can borrow a charger from a friend if it'll help. I'm not sure if I should stop at 12.6 or keep going? Or get him to drive out here and try a jump start.

Just to clarify,
​​​​​Here are the possible reasons I thought could have caused this.
1. I made an unprecedented number of short trips in the weeks leading up to it so the alternator would not have had time to charge the battery.
2. I noticed the battery had slid forward and could have possibly put a strain on a connection or done some damage. ( I forgot to put that metal pole that secures the battery in a couple months ago.)
3. The starter could be done which means I may be able to give it a couple whacks and at least drive it to a mechanic.

The guy I talked to at the garage assured me that if the battery isn't charged to at least 12.6 volts that ALONE could be why it won't start.
I pressed him on it to make sure he wasn't just saying the low charge could show something else is wrong with the battery or the starter etc. No! He says just the fact that it's 11.90 or 12v could cause it to not start.

I always assumed the starting voltage fluctuated depending on how long you drove last or cold weather etc, and that if 11.90v were not enough then everybody would be calling for jump starts once a week but I've read that land rovers are also pretty picky when it comes to voltage etc.

I said I'd try charging it to 12.6v overnight and if it still won't start I'd find a way to get it over there.

I'd appreciate any feedback on the voltage issue especially before I take my Land Rover in to this place. I've never been to this garage before and just dropped in because it was very close by.

 

With the HSE you have more accessories, some of which might be prone to vampire drain.

1. Remove the battery and take it to FLAPS to get tested. They'll fully charge it and then test for cranking amps. If it's bad or even marginal, get a new one (warranty?). This car is not tolerant of a weak battery, and voltage is not a great metric... low voltage means something is wrong but normal voltage does not always mean nothing is wrong.

2. Reset the car's computers
- Disconnect battery
- Wait 10 minutes
- Touch terminals together
- Reconnect battery
- Wait 10
- Insert key
- Wait 10
- Turn vehicle power on (engine off)
- Wait 10
- Start engine

If problems persist, check for vampire draw with the vehicle off and cooled down (all fans, etc stopped). That will require an appropriate ammeter. I don't know what an HSE should normally draw but 25-75 mA is probably reasonable, over 100 is probably too much. Or have a mechanic check the draw.

 

The battery should charge to a higher voltage, much closer to 14v. If the starter is going bad it will also draw down your battery.

 

Is it even possible that I would get low voltage (like 11.90) from only driving it to the grocery store 4 blocks away and back for a month?

My newer battery is still under warranty but it's cheap. The older one is much nicer but.... old. Both had charges that were around 12 volts when I tried them and neither would start the car.

I'll try resetting for sure.
​​​​​The battery is charging very slow. I'm not sure exactly what to expect charging it this way but getting to 14 volts will take some time and it looks like there's a thunder storm coming. Maybe I'll fire up Netflix and watch the end of Back to the Future again. It might give me some ideas.

 

You should take both batteries to an auto parts store and get them tested, preferably at the one where you bought the battery that is still under warranty. Your symptoms sound like the starter is going south, I have a 2008 too and had to replace it a few months ago. The battery eventually got discharged no matter what I tried. Thankfully it didn't fail, it's a good quality model. Replacing the starter is a DIY job. The starter itself can be bought on eBay. They are not expensive.

 

Most vehicles should not draw more than 50 mA after they complete their engine shutdown process, which can take several minutes. I have a handwritten note that the LR2 spec is less than 24 mA, but I don't recall where I got that figure from. My actual measurement is 17 mA, but that was with the hood open and the alarm off (because I needed to read the measurement on my clamp ammeter).